Examine What the CCHD

Actually Supports?

This strikes me as a very reasonable thing to do. This from the official newspaper for the Diocese of Green Bay, WI:

Sometimes, a timeout is needed to review the facts.

That’s what the Diocese of Green Bay is doing this year with the annual collection for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD). Normally on the fourth Sunday of Lent parishes in the Diocese of Green Bay take up a collection titled The World’s Poor, which benefits three outreach ministries: Peter’s Pence (work of the Holy Father), Catholic Relief Services (U.S. bishops’ disaster relief aid) and CCHD.

This year, however, donations to The World’s Poor will be shared between Peter’s Pence and Catholic Relief Services only.

“There have been some questions about programs that have received funding from CCHD,” says Fr. John Doerfler, vicar general and chancellor for the Diocese of Green Bay. “That, along with the enormous post-earthquake needs in Haiti, we decided this is an appropriate time to give additional support to Catholic Relief Services while we analyze the situation with CCHD.”

On a typical year, 75% of this collection goes outside the diocese to the CCHD national coffers.

I’ve blogged about my concerns over the CCHD before. I’m happy that the diocese of Green Bay can now spend the full 100% of this collection on local Catholic charities, under local supervision. I would urge other dioceses to consider doing the same.

update: I should mention that I doubt this decision was made without the explicit permission of the diocese’s bishop: Most Rev. David L. Ricken (pictured here).

Thomas Peters, American Papist