Catholic Communication Campaign connects the faithful with Christ in Houston and beyond

Sean O’Driscoll, at right, interviews members of the Office of Vocations for an upcoming podcast episode of Around the Archdiocese, a podcast produced by the Office of Communications and funded in part by the Catholic Communications Campaign. (Photo by James Ramos/Herald)

HOUSTON — On May 11 to 12, many Catholic dioceses will take up a special collection in their parishes for the Catholic Communication Campaign, which helps to spread the Gospel through print, radio, television, websites and social media. Funds raised in this campaign support the national media efforts of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), the media outreach efforts of local dioceses across the U.S., and communications initiatives in countries throughout the developing world.

The campaign “raises money for creative and far-reaching ways to share God’s love, leaving half of the donations in the diocese where they were collected for local Catholic communications needs,” said Archbishop Gregory Hartmayer, OFM Conv. of Atlanta, chairman of the USCCB’s Subcommittee on the Catholic Communication Campaign.
In the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, where half of the funds collected that weekend will remain, the support allows the Archdiocesan Office of Communications to produce multimedia projects that bring the Gospel message to the faithful in Houston and beyond, according to Archdiocesan officials.

These digital products include the new “Around the Archdiocese” podcast, which releases new episodes weekly, as well as an active video series, which profiles different ministries and parishes in the Archdiocese. New episodes are published weekly and are available on most podcast platforms and at archgh.org/podcasts.

Archbishop Hartmayer emphasized the importance of having outlets that speak directly for the Church in an era when digital communications make it easy for others to misrepresent Catholic teaching. “The bishops use your gifts to provide these resources because Catholics deserve to hear what the Church teaches and does firsthand. You should have the opportunity to learn from sources that are as committed as you are to our shared faith,” he said.

In its most recent grant cycle in 2022, the Catholic Communication Campaign awarded national and international grants totaling more than $3.62 million. The largest group of grants, representing about 35% of the total, were for evangelization through the bishops’ national and international media efforts.

A nearly equal amount went to the Rome bureau of Catholic News Service for coverage of Pope Francis and the Vatican. Other major funding areas were digital communications, grants for Catholic media in developing nations, preserving Church history, and media training for Catholic leaders.

Half of the funds collected in each participating diocese remain there and support the communications outreach efforts of the local bishop within that diocese. Grants from the campaign support numerous media efforts across the U.S. and around the world, but Archbishop Hartmayer emphasized the communications work of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. In particular, he cited:

The Rome bureau of Catholic News Service, which continues its legacy of covering the pope and current events at the Vatican with a selection of stories posted daily at usccb.org/newsroom and contributes content for the Texas Catholic Herald and The Digest, the TCH’s email newsletter.

A weekly news show and podcast, Catholic Current, available at youtube.com/usccb, enables bishops and others with national leadership roles to speak directly to the public about the important issues on which they are working, liturgical feasts of the coming week, and current events in the Church.

While most dioceses will take this second collection on May 20 to 21, some choose a different date to accommodate local activities. #iGiveCatholicTogether also accepts funds for the collection. More information can be found at usccb.org/ccc.

“Through your gifts to the collection for the Catholic Communication Campaign, you allow the Church today to continue the work of the first apostles who set out to carry the saving message of Jesus to all who would listen,” Archbishop Hartmayer said.