Evangelization Archives - Diocese Events

17 Catholic Charities You Can Donate to

Lis Luwia December 20, 2019

Are you prepping for your taxes or looking for somewhere to donate your money? We’ve compiled a great list of Catholic Charities you can donate and tithe to with a good conscience!!

Ok… some of them aren’t exactly “Catholic,” but they’re Catholic-approved because, as Catholics, we need to make sure charities we donate to will use the funds for good. It is important to avoid charities that partner with or promote a pro-abortion agenda.

Best Catholic charities to donate to and tithe to for end of the year giving

Here’s a list of charities you can support this season with a clean conscience both here in the United States and abroad.

Love without Boundaries

Want to sponsor a child in need? Love Without Boundaries can match you with a child in need based on what you’re able to give on a monthly basis. Your donation will go directly to supporting their health and education.
https://www.lovewithoutboundaries.com/

approved Catholic charities to donate to

Chalice US

Chalice US is a Catholic child sponsorship program. You will be matched with a child in need from one of 15 different countries. In addition to empowering families in poverty, they strive to spread the love of Christ.
https://chaliceus.org/

Cross Catholic Outreach

Cross Catholic Outreach is another child sponsorship program that boasts a 4.76% overhead to cover their operation expenses. The rest goes directly, to helping children in need in 29 different countries in the name of Christ.
https://crosscatholic.org/

Little Flower Project

Is compassionate care for our most fragile a passion of yours? Check out Little Flower Project. This is a family operated non-profit works to provide care for children in China who have been abandoned due to complex medical issues.
http://www.littleflowerprojects.org/index.html

Unbound

Founded by lay Catholics, Unbound seeks to live out the call of the Gospel to serve the poor and marginalized. They have missions in 18 different countries and you can pick a child to sponsor through their website.
https://www.unbound.org/?source=logo

where to donate to for catholic charities

St. Bernard Project

Founded in 2006, Zack and Liz were inspired by their work in the post-Katrina recovery efforts. Now recognized nationally as a leader in disaster recovery, their goal is to ‘shrink the time between disaster and recovery.’
https://sbpusa.org/

Covenant House

Right here in the US, Covenant House operates homes for homeless youth. More than just a meal and a bed, they provide a safe and structured environment to foster independence. Their mission is guided by ‘absolute respect and unconditional love.’
https://www.covenanthouse.org/

Morning Star Foundation

MSF is a global non-profit that serves families of children with severe heart disease. High medical expenses can lead to abandonment or surrender of the child to an orphanage. Morning Star Foundation strives to keep families together, no matter the challenges.
https://morningstar.foundation/?fbclid=IwAR2cbEfMq4cWUK0z7jXrVAcRlGvusCCxfGLP6nq-sSEg940YKgXQ4BNt7Ec

Lighthouse Media Military Support

25% of our US military is Catholic, yet only 8% of the chaplains are Catholic Priests. Your donation can support Catholic media outreach to those serving our country in the military.
https://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/military

Maggie’s Place

Want to support pregnant and parenting women in need right here in the US? Maggie’s Place has 7 homes that provide guidance, structure, and encouragement to young mothers.
https://www.maggiesplace.org/

Holy Family Hospital

Holy Family Hospital serves women and infants just 1,500 steps away from the birthplace of Christ. That’s right, in Bethlehem! Women of the Holy Land come to this hospital for prenatal care, delivery, and postnatal care. The hospital also houses a NICU and provides regular gynecological care for women of the Holy Land.
https://birthplaceofhope.org/

Catholic charities to donate to to help moms and kids

A Mom’s Peace

Losing a child to miscarriage or stillbirth is heartbreaking. Making the arrangements for burial can be overwhelming and expensive. A Mom’s Peace is a lay apostolate to support families who have lost a little one.
https://www.amomspeace.org/?fbclid=IwAR2cbEfMq4cWUK0z7jXrVAcRlGvusCCxfGLP6nq-sSEg940YKgXQ4BNt7Ec

Catholic charities to donate to to help moms and kids overseas

Haiti 180

Haiti 180 spreads the love of Christ to Haitians by providing shelter, education, and medical care to those in need. They work to protect the innocence of children, providing an environment of joy and love for their education.
https://haiti180.com/?fbclid=IwAR3WV3kmpu533nfAN_jcP70AbJyW7YKkLOEReOGoH_dFhGSXby_2aez7u4Y

Catholic charities to donate to to help moms and kids in uganda

Building Hope in Kids

Want to support the construction of St. Patrick’s Boarding School in Uganda? Check out Building Hope in Kids, founded by Fr. Julius. The school will provide education for children who normally wouldn’t be sent to school due to the financial burden and three nutritional meals a day.
https://www.buildinghopeinkids.org/?fbclid=IwAR0hnawKUTOO1dV3AEiCr3va4cQ1w_0SYxVe-VjIgxBBQF415wYIWwR8Jvk

Catholic charities to donate to to help pregnant moms

Embracing Grace, VA

Founded by families who have first hand experienced the devastation of a prenatal diagnosis, Embracing Grace provides peer support for families (including siblings) as they carry their pregnancy to term. They also assist with birth planning, securing hospice care, and burial services when needed.
http://embracinggraceva.org/

Catholic charities to donate to to help elderly

Little Sisters of the Poor

The Little Sisters of the Poor take a fourth vow of hospitality. They live this vow through service to the elderly poor, giving a home and care to those in need. The ‘summit’ of their vocation is accompaniment of the dying.
http://www.littlesistersofthepoor.org/

Catholic charities to donate for pro-life

Sisters for Life

Founded in 1991, the Sisters for Life are one of the newest communities of our Catholic Faith. Besides the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, they take a fourth vow to ‘protect and enhance the sacredness of human life.’
https://sistersoflife.org/who-we-are/who-we-are/

Lastly, don’t forget to check out the Catholic Charities organization in your diocese to see what they have going on to see how you can support! Just Google “Catholic Charities and (your nearest major city)”

Do you know of any other charities that are morally accepting for Catholics to donate to? Please comment below!

11 Surprising Things Nuns Do That You Wouldn’t Think of!

Lis Luwia December 9, 2019

Here’s a collection of some surprising nuns who put the UN in UNordinary! Read on for proof that God calls a wide variety of women to the religious life.

Psst! This list of Catholic women are excellent role models for the kids in your life! Pin / bookmark / share this page to spread the good news!

Here are 11 Surprising things nuns do that you wouldn’t think of!

Beauty Queen

Meet Esmeralda Solís Gonzáles from Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico! In 2016, Esmeralda won the title of Queen in her hometown. Despite the fame and glory that came with the title, she says the ache to discover her vocation remained like a ‘little thorn.’ In March 2017, Esmeralda became a postulate with the Poor Clare Missionary Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. In an 2017 interview with Catholic News Agency, she says “I was very happy with everything I had, but it does not compare with the happiness that God now places in my heart.”

Twins at the Same Convent

How about twin sisters who found God was calling them to the same religious community? This past November, Sister Mary Clare and Sister Mary Robert celebrated 70 years as Franciscan Sisters. They entered the convent just one year apart from each other and spent most of their 70 years teaching children. In a joint interview, they said they “would not trade their vocation for anything.”

Artist

Florentine nun, Plautilla Nelli, lived during the Renaissance but because she was a woman, her talent was largely unrecognized and her paintings mostly stayed within the convent in which she lived. In the 1990s, a non-profit called Advancing Women Artists Foundation funded the 4 year restoration of a beautiful life size depiction of the Last Supper. The painting is finally on display in the church museum of Santa Maria Novella.

Prayer Writer

Have you heard of the beautiful prayer The Litany of Trust? Perhaps you have a copy of it printed somewhere in your home. It was composed by Sister Faustina Maria Pia who is part of the Sisters of Life community in New York. In her ministry, she was often approached by strangers who were angry with God or thought God was angry with them. She ached for a way to show them the Love Christ has for them in a tangible way and so she wrote the Litany of Trust and now has prayer cards to hand out to those she encounters on the streets of New York City.

You can read what her big brother has to say about how this prayer came about and the actual prayer and read more about her/ the prayer in her newest co-authored book: Our Friend Faustina.

Order copies of the prayer card to share here https://orders.sistersoflife.org/collections/print/products/litany-of-trust

Former Speed Skating Olympian-Turned Franciscan Sister Reveals Secret to Inner Peace in Compelling Vocation Story

Ice Skater

Do nuns ice skate? Sister Catherine Holum does. Or rather she did: in the Olympics in 1998. After placing 6th and 7th in two speed skating events in the Winter Olympics, she retired from the sport, and after a few twists and turns, found herself at World Youth Day in Toronto. It was there that she remembered a call she had heard in Fatima as a teenager. God wanted her to be a sister. In 2003, she entered the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal community. She shares with others, “Do not be afraid of whatever God has in store for your life. Whatever he has created you to be, he is going to fill you with the most joy and happiness that you’ll ever experience.”

Read her entire inspirational story…

Bill Murray’s Sister is a Dominican Nun With a Traveling Show of St. Catherine of Siena

Actress

I bet you’ve heard of the actor Bill Murray. Did you know he is one of nine children? And that he was raised Catholic? And that one of his sisters is an Adrian Dominican Sister? She travels with her one woman show all about St. Catherine of Siena.

Watch a clip of her play…

This Amazing Nun Who Saved Jews During WWII Was Just Canonized by Pope Francis

Heroine to Jews during WWII

On June 5th, 2016, Pope Francis canonized Sister Maria Elizabeth. Born in Sweden and raised as a Lutheran, St. Maria Elizabeth became Catholic at the age of 32, largely due her contact with those of the Catholic Faith while serving as a nurse in New York. She went on to found her own religious community in Sweden dedicated to the care of the sick. During WWII, her homes became a safe haven for Jews and others sought by the Nazis. Her dying words were “Go to Heaven with hands full of love and virtues.”

Read all about her…

Singer

Ursaline nun, Sister Cristina of Sicily was prompted to compete on the popular TV show The Voice by the words of Pope Francis asking priests and nuns to ‘come out’ of their churches and convents and spread the word of God. Surprising everyone, she won the entire competition with 60% of the vote and then closed the finale by leading the audience and judges in the Lord’s Prayer.

Chef

Did you catch the episode of Chopped where Sr. Alicia Torres won, taking home 10,000 dollars for Our Lady of the Angels Mission? She is part of a new community called the Franciscans of the Eucharist. Members of the community have dedicated their lives to Eucharistic Adoration and service of the poor in Chicago. Sr. Torres has no formal culinary training but says, “The Lord gave me this talent. I believe the kitchen is my canvas where I get to express myself creatively.”

Learn more about Sr. Torres…

Inspired by Oprah

In 2010, The Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist made a memorable appearance on the Oprah show during the final season. Their show proved to be the third most popular of the season and in 2015, when Oprah’s crew returned for an update, five women shared that the 2010 appearance of the Sisters on the Oprah Show had prompted their “Fiat” to God.

Cheese Maker

Many religious communities strive to be self-sustaining through the sale of products made on site. The Benedictin Nuns of the Abbey of Regina Laudis support themselves through a dairy farm. Mother Noella, who entered the abbey in ‘73 and then went on to earn a Ph.D in microbiology in the late ‘80s, is the head of cheese production. Examining the fungi that help create the various cheeses under a microscope sparks wonder and Mother Noella claims it to be ‘very sacred’ as it “puts you in touch with God’s creation.”

Read all about the Cheese Nun…

Atheist

Sr. Theresa Aletheia Noble is a former Atheist who came back to the Faith and is now a Daughter of St. Paul. Raised in a very Catholic home, Sister questioned from a young age how a loving God could allow suffering. Her skeptical nature caused her to question everything and as a teenager, she decided God doesn’t exist. She became part of the ‘punk rock scene’ for several years. After a powerful encounter with the Eucharist, she realized that the Church of her childhood was True.

Sister wrote a book on inviting loved ones back to the Church.

Watch her story on the Journey Home:

From cheesemakers to singers, chefs and beauty queens, there is no one type of woman God calls to the religious life. Could Christ be calling you or someone in your family to be His beloved bride?

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How do you keep your Catholic faith strong during the Summer?

Lis Luwia July 4, 2019

I can almost taste the sun-kissed sweetness of Summer: cold ice cream dripping down the cone at a parish picnic, an exciting book club meeting to talk about our latest Catholic fiction novel at the coffee house, and a happening carnival at the parish down the street playing (safe) music that my kids can dance to.

It’s a time when there’s more freedom, more sunscreen, and more time for friends and family. How can you best spend that time and where?

Make your vacation Catholic! When you’re planning a vacation, consider making the vacation a pilgrimage to a certain shrine or Catholic landmark. Sometimes, shrines even have accommodations similar to hostels.

Attend Catholic events and activities in your home diocese or while traveling. Now you can find the Catholic festival, concert or retreat happening in your area or the diocese next to yours easily. Sign up for notifications at dioceseevents.com!

Make a Catholic staycation! If you want to stay home for a vacation, make your own personal Catholic retreat in the comforts of your home. Start with daily Mass, confession, and add the rosary and quiet time during the day. Have the kids watch a Catholic movie or listen to a Catholic audiobook from formed.org while you get some down time with the Lord!

Find God in your environment! Wherever you go, God is there. When you go for a hike, say a prayer and listen for God’s voice. Find the little moments throughout the day when God speaks to you and make sure to slow down enough so that you can truly listen.

Pray daily and practice a new devotion. If summer has your prayer life in a spiritual slump, be sure to start the day with a Morning Prayer and offer your day to God. You may also find it helpful to start a new devotion like praying the rosary daily or praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet everyday at 3 o’clock.

Celebrate feast days with daily Mass, crafts and Catholic recipes!Get your creativity on while celebrating our saintly brothers and sisters in Heaven!

Check out specific ideas to help your Catholic kids keep and play in their faith this Summer!

You may also be interested in:

Post updated 7/4/2019

The Next Big Thing for Catholics

Lis Luwia April 14, 2019

Find the next great thing for Catholics in the USA: it’s the chance to bring the communion of saints into a stronger community, to strengthen your faith, and to find Jesus in the events and activities you’re participating in.

You’ve already started searching for fun things to do on your annual Summer vacation this year. Maybe you’ll try scuba diving or visit your cousin on a cross country road trip.

And maybe you’ll visit that shrine you’ve never heard of before that will rock your world and deepen your relationship with Christ.

Or attend that Catholic conference that shakes your core and shows you exactly what you’ve been missing in life.

Or meet a tribe of friends at your church who get you and lift you up.

It sure sounds like your Summer is filling up!

And why shouldn’t your vacation have some awesome Catholic events and activities sprinkled in? We are a catholic people so when we’re vacationing, we shouldn’t just discard our faith. We should experience Catholicism universally!

But you’re probably looking at those last few activity ideas and shaking your head, “How am I going to find out about a shrine I’ve never heard or or find that faithful group of friends?”

It’s the Next Big Thing for Catholics. It’s the answer of a call for New Evangelization that is working through our own dioceses. It’s DioceseEvents.com. Growing quickly and always adding more events, Catholic landmarks, and activities, Diocese Events is the place to go to find Catholic events throughout the USA.

While it’s still expanding and building, get your name on their email list for your diocese and be sure that you’re kept in the loop. Keep your life Catholic and keep your experiences faithful this Summer!

JMJ

7 Ways to Help Keep Your Inner Circle Catholic

Lis Luwia March 23, 2018

Want your friends and family to not drift away from the Catholic faith? Here are 7 ways you can help them stay in the Church!

Surely you’ve had a friend or relative who has strayed away from the Church. And you know as well as I do that once they’ve walked away, it’s hard to lead them back. So what are you doing to stop them from walking away in the first place?

Here are some ideas that you can start implementing today within your inner circles to strengthen your Catholic bonds and grow together in Christ.

1. Pray together and for each other

Of course praying for each other seems like the most obvious things to do, but how often do you really pray for your friends? And how often do you pray for the things weighing on their hearts? After you text or call a friend this week, as them how you can pray for them. And when you’re worried and need prayer, reach out! As you friends and family to pray for you and your intentions or ask what’s going on in their lives that you can offer up your suffering for. It will deepen your friendship and lead all that goodness back to Christ!

2. Thank God, not goodness

My daughter said, “Oh, thank goodness!” I’m sure she got that saying from me or my husband, but what exactly is “thanking goodness?” And isn’t that degrading the thanks we should be giving to God? Let’s reflect daily on the words we’re using in our conversations and see how they can bring glory to God and lead others closer to Him.

3. I’ve been thinking about you/ I’ve been praying for you

It’s a common text: “I’ve been thinking about you… how are you?” Now, I don’t believe in coincidences; I believe in the Holy Spirit. I think that those thoughts are put in our minds to pray for that person. So the next time a friend pops into your head or you see someone who looks like your sister in the street, take a moment and say a pray for them. Later, let them know, “I’ve been praying for you… how are you?” What a joy that relationship will be!

4. Catholic activities

What do you do when you hang out with your friends? Instead of checking the movie listings, check out dioceseevents.com first. This website has a bunch of Catholic-based activities within each diocese in the USA- perfect for hanging out with you friends and making more friends!

5. Catholic group text/ email/ Facebook groups

Create a group text with all of your Catholic friends (or just a few friends) and keep in touch that way. Ask each other to pray for certain intentions, send each other Catholic humorous memes, and send inspirational saint quotes or updates on saint feast days. You could also make this as a group email or a small Facebook group.

6. Catholic vacations

Make your vacations reflect your faith! When you visit Grandma’s house or travel to the beach for the Summer or a holiday, check out the Catholic events going on in that diocese. Make time for extra prayer, a moment to visit a basilica or cathedral, and connect with other Catholics in the area (plus drag your family along with you)!

7. Catholic articles and news

Stay abreast of Catholic news and feast days. When your child or niece or religious education class makes an amazing craft for the Feast of the Assumption, share it on social media and get the picture to your friends and family. Believe it or not, you’ll be reminding your loved ones about this special day int he Church and keeping them connected within the Communion of Saints!

I hope this list helps you with ideas on how to keep your friends and family connected with the Church. Remember that prayer is the first step and God is above all! +JMJ+