Christmas Wish List 2011
TO GRANT A CHRISTMAS WISH, please select from the following list.
You can give your gift online by clicking the 'Grant this Wish!' button or by mailing in a check*
indicating the "wish" you are supporting.
It's not too late to grant a wish!
$70 A DAY FUNDS A SEMINARIAN'S EDUCATION |
1. HELP EDUCATE A SEMINARIAN IN LOUISIANA SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA: DIOCESE OF SHREVEPORT Mission parishes have a growing need for priests today and in the future. Please help young men from Shreveport prepare for the priesthood at St. Joseph Seminary in Saint Benedict or Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans.
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| $250 SUPPORTS FAMILY LIFE MINISTRIES |
2. SUPPORT FAMILY LIFE IN LUBBOCK LUBBOCK, TEXAS: DIOCESE OF LUBBOCK Strong Catholic parishes begin with strong Catholic families. Your gift will help the Diocese of Lubbock fund family life ministries – helping engaged couples with marriage preparations, providing married couples with enrichment retreats, offering parent education programs and coordinating respect for life activities.
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| $125 PROVIDES BIBLES AND ROSARIES FOR PRISON MINISTRY IN TEXAS FOR ONE WEEK |
3. BUY BIBLES AND ROSARIES FOR A PRISON MINISTRY IN TEXAS LAREDO, TEXAS: DIOCESE OF LAREDO Lay ministers in Laredo provide religious education to prisoners in the region, but have little money to do this important work. A gift of $125 can furnish travel expenses as well as the Bibles, rosaries and printed materials they need to inspire hope in these men and women.
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| $100 HELPS ENHANCE CATHOLIC EDUCATION FOR TODAY’S CHILDREN AND YOUTH |
 4. SUPPORT AND STRENGTHEN CATHOLIC SCHOOLSAMERICA’S 86 MISSION DIOCESES Please help Catholic Extension support Catholic education all across the mission dioceses in America. Your donations will enable school administrators to develop leadership and strategic planning skills to strengthen existing parish schools serving the young church.
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| $60 PER DAY HELPS SUPPORT LAY MINISTRY TRAINING IN ALABAMA |
5. TRAIN LAY MINISTERS FOR LEADERSHIP IN ALABAMA BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA: DIOCESE OF BIRMINGHAM An on-site leadership training program helps develop lay ministers throughout the Diocese of Birmingham. With your generous gift, program materials and travel costs will be covered to develop these new leaders so that every parish can experience more robust, lively ministries.
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| $125 WILL HELP FUND A RELIGIOUS SISTER’S MINISTRY TO THE POOR FOR A DAY |
6. SUPPORT A RELIGIOUS SISTER’S WORK IN MICHIGAN BENTON HARBOR, MICHIGAN: DIOCESE OF KALAMAZOO Since 1977, the Catholic Community Center has been a beacon of light for more than 7,000 families in the diocese, offering food, education and assistance to one of the poorest communities in Michigan. Your gift will help pay the salary of a religious sister who staffs the center so she can continue to offer formational and spiritual support for the community.
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| $40 PER DAY FUNDS A YOUTH MINISTER TO ENGAGE YOUNG CATHOLICS |
 7. ENGAGE YOUNG CATHOLICS IN MONTANACOLUMBUS, MONTANA: DIOCESE OF GREAT FALLS-BILLINGS St. Mary Church and its mission, St. Michael, have large numbers of young people in their communities but not enough funding to support youth ministry programs. Your gift will help pay the salary of a youth ministry director, who can engage young Catholics and inspire faith in their lives.
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| $50 50 GIFTS OF $50 PRESERVE A HISTORIC ADOBE CHURCH IN THE SOUTHWEST |
8. PRESERVE A CHURCH IN NEW MEXICO SEBOYETA, NEW MEXICO: DIOCESE OF GALLUP Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church has been a faith community for 190 years. In recent years, the state’s extreme temperatures have left significant cracks in the walls of this church, threatening its structural integrity. Your donation will help repair the damage and preserve the church for future generations.
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| $50 PER WEEK HELPS TRAIN A LAY LEADER TO MINISTER TO ALASKAN CATHOLICS |
9. TRAIN THE LAITY IN ALASKA EMMONAK, ALASKA: DIOCESE OF FAIRBANKS In a diocese as large as Fairbanks, Alaska, the laity play a pivotal role in keeping parishes connected, active and engaged. Your gift helps train lay leaders in this isolated region so that they can provide faith formation ministries and social outreach to the communities they serve.
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| $30 A DAY HELPS PROVIDE UPGRADED TECHNOLOGY IN HELENA |
10. SUPPORT TECHNOLOGY UPGRADES IN MONTANA HELENA, MONTANA: DIOCESE OF HELENA Your donation will go towards the purchase of technology upgrades that will help the diocese improve fiscal reporting and increase productivity to better serve the people in 57 parishes of this mission diocese.
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| $55 A DAY HEATS THE CHURCH AND KEEPS PARISHIONERS WARM DURING MASS |
11. WARM THE CHURCH IN CHILOQUIN CHILOQUIN, OREGON: DIOCESE OF BAKER As the people at Our Lady of Mount Carmel celebrate Mass together, they sit shivering in the pews. Your contribution will help replace the church’s 50-year-old heating system and give parishioners a warm place of worship during the long winter months.
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| $100 WILL MAKE ACCESS TO THE CHURCH EASIER AND SAFER NEXT YEAR |
12. CREATE AN ACCESSIBLE CHURCH ENTRY IN IDAHO OROFINO, IDAHO: DIOCESE OF BOISE The elderly parishioners at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church are strong in spirit, but cannot climb the double staircase to the church’s vestibule, especially during winter months. Your donation will fund a lift and covered walkway that will allow all parishioners to participate in the sacraments and parish life.
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| $50 BRINGS 3 SISTERS TO 8 PARISHES EVERY WEEK |
13. SUPPORT WOMEN RELIGIOUS IN HISPANIC OUTREACH KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE: DIOCESE OF KNOXVILLE As the Hispanic population grows in the South, there is an increased need for Spanish-language ministry programs. Please help subsidize the salaries of women religious as they travel between parishes, providing faith formation, sacramental preparation and Communion services to an eager Hispanic community, hungry for participation in church life.
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| $48 WILL HELP EDUCATE FUTURE MILITARY CHAPLAINS FOR A DAY |
14. SPONSOR A SEMINARIAN FOR THE MILITARY CHAPLAINCY WASHINGTON, D.C.: ARCHDIOCESE FOR THE MILITARY SERVICES In 2008, there were three military-affiliated seminarians; in 2011, there are 32. Please continue to support this growing number of men in uniform as they become military chaplains to serve our country and our Creator.
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| $60 75 GIFTS OF $60 BUILD A SAFE CHURCH ENVIRONMENT FOR PARISHIONERS |
15. RESTORE A CHURCH IN CUBERO CUBERO, NEW MEXICO: DIOCESE OF GALLUP Our Lady of Light Catholic Church is a vibrant place of worship. However, in recent years, warped doorways, weak stairs and deteriorating decks have prompted safety concerns. Your contribution can bring the church up to current building codes, secure the doorways and restore this sacred space for its devoted parishioners.
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| $40 PER DAY FUNDS AN ENGLISH/SPANISH INTERPRETER AT MASSES |
16. HELP HISPANIC CATHOLICS CONNECT IN OHIO YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO: DIOCESE OF YOUNGSTOWN The Hispanic population in Youngstown is growing, and there is a need for Spanish-language Masses. Please help the diocese provide language tutoring for its priests and bring translators to Mass so that this community can connect more deeply to the church and the sacraments.
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| $200 A WEEK BRINGS HEALTHY MEALS TO THE HOMELESS IN LOUISIANA |
17. SERVE HOT MEALS AND HOPE IN LOUISIANA LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA: DIOCESE OF LAFAYETTE The St. Joseph Diner has provided hot food and emergency meals to those in need 364 days a year for 30 years. In 2010, the completion of a new facility provided a kitchen, but an unexpected cut in funding left little money to fill the plates. Your gift will allow volunteers to buy the food needed to feed the bodies and souls of the people in their community.
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| $150 200 GIFTS OF $150 PROTECTS PARISHIONERS WITH A NEW ROOF |
18. REPAIR A HURRICANE-DAMAGED CHURCH IN PUERTO RICO AGUADILLA, PUERTO RICO: DIOCESE OF MAYAGUEZ San Carlos Borromeo Church is alive with people of faith but the building is showing its age. Fifteen years of hurricane seasons have led to a leaky roof and water damage throughout the structure. Your donation will fund repairs that will restore the 231-year-old church to its former glory.
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| $70 A DAY FUNDS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING TO BRING A COMMUNITY CLOSER TOGETHER |
 19. CONNECT A COMMUNITY IN MICHIGANGWINN, MICHIGAN: DIOCESE OF MARQUETTE Serving one of the poorest and geographically remote communities in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Our Lady Help of Christians Center offers programs that teach basic life skills, build community pride and involvement, and ultimately connect people more deeply to Christ. Your gift will help fund the Center’s programs and share the good news of Jesus to a community in need.
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| $50 A DAY HELPS A MOBILE FOOD PANTRY IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS |
20. DELIVER FOOD TO THE HOMEBOUND IN ILLINOIS CAIRO, ILLINOIS: DIOCESE OF BELLEVILLE The diocese’s Daystar Community Program is a mobile food pantry that delivers meals to people across multiple county lines. The gift of a new cargo van will ensure that food deliveries stay fresh and arrive hot for the poor, elderly and homebound.
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| $90 PER WEEK KEEPS PARISHIONERS SAFE AND COMFORTABLE |
21. KEEP HARSH WEATHER AT BAY IN NEW MEXICO SHIPROCK, NEW MEXICO: DIOCESE OF GALLUP Christ the King Parish faces some of the country’s harshest weather extremes. With summer heat that exceeds 100 degrees and winter conditions that push the mercury below freezing, the church is faced with steep utility bills. Your donation will ensure that parishioners worship in comfortable temperatures year-round.
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| $1,000 A YEAR FUNDS ONE DEACON’S EDUCATION TO COMPLETION |
22. EDUCATE DEACONS TO SERVE IN WYOMING CHEYENNE, WYOMING: DIOCESE OF CHEYENNE Preparing men to answer God’s call as deacons involves a great deal of study and formal education. Your contribution will allow 24 diaconate candidates in Cheyenne to complete their education and minister to many parishes in the diocese.
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| $35 PER DAY BUSES STUDENTS TO CATHOLIC SCHOOL |
23. TRANSPORT CHILDREN TO SCHOOL IN VIRGINIA RICHMOND, VIRGINIA: DIOCESE OF RICHMOND A growing number of Latino children are receiving Catholic school scholarships that provide ongoing faith formation to students and connect their families more deeply to parish life. Your gift will provide buses for these students, who otherwise have no transportation, so they can become even more involved in their faith community.
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| $50 20 GIFTS OF $50 ENABLE SISTER TO MINISTER TO THE COMMUNITY FOR ONE WEEK |
24. BRING FAITH FORMATION TO WISCONSIN ODANAH, WISCONSIN: DIOCESE OF SUPERIOR Sister Phyllis Wilhelm is an active parish minister who has spent 36 years educating three generations on the Bad River Ojibwa Reservation. Your donation will allow her to provide religious education, music ministry and parish outreach as she continues to build the faith in this Native American community.
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| $30 PER MONTH SECURES CHURCHES FROM THEFT |
 25. SECURE A PARISH AND ITS MISSIONS IN TEXASLA JOYA, TEXAS: DIOCESE OF BROWNSVILLE Recently, vandals broke into the St. Michael mission of Our Lady Queen of Angels parish. They stole the Eucharist, defaced the altar and devastated the parishioners. Your donation will help install security systems in the parish and its six missions, to protect the buildings and provide peace of mind to the hundreds of families in this faith community.
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*Please mail checks to:
Catholic Extension | Attn: Christmas Wish List | PO Box 7298 | Chicago, IL 60680