The annual Catholic Services Appeal provides funds that make it possible for the Archdiocese of Louisville to offer to people an array of ministries and services in the areas of spiritual, educational and human needs.

But specifically what are these ministries and services? In what ways do they have an effect on people’s lives?

Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz mentioned one example in a recent letter to Catholics asking their support of the appeal, which has a goal of $3.3 million.

He mentioned a family who approached a local parish for help after their rental home was flooded. The parish, with assistance from the archdiocese’s rural poverty grants, was able to help the family with necessities such as clothing, food and shelter.

“Truly, the Spirit is at work among us,” Archbishop Kurtz said.

There are other ways in which archdiocesan ministries and services financed by the Catholic Services Appeal are meeting the needs of people. The extent of the church’s work and the range of these ministries and services can be seen in the archdiocese’s 2007 Accountability Report published in this week’s edition of The Record.

For example, in the area of human needs, the Sister Visitor Center in Louisville’s West End responded to more than 34,000 requests for services during the past year. This included providing clothing, personnel hygiene supplies, rent assistance, prescription medicine and referrals to needy people.

Also, more than 300 mothers and fathers were assisted in infant care classes in the Mother-Infant Care program, and more than 3,000 nursing home residents were served through the Long-Term Care Ombudsman program at Catholic Charities.

In the area of parish and family life, more than 5,200 hours of counseling services were provided to individuals and families, and more than 1,200 patients and families were visited in hospitals by pastoral care ministry teams.

In the area of Catholic formation and education, catechist certification classes were offered to 578 people; more than 3,500 students in grades 5, 8 and 11 took the Kentucky catechetical assessment on faith formation; and training in the “Reading First” program was conducted for more than 125 middle-school teachers.

In the areas of vocations, leadership development and lay ministry, discernment programs were begun for men considering the priesthood, and about 3,000 students in 22 schools and parishes were visited to discuss and promote religious vocations. Also, 191 lay ministers were trained through the Archdiocese of Louisville Ministry Institute.

The Archdiocese of Louisville will celebrate its 200th anniversary next year. A special curriculum, with activities and lesson plans related to the bicentennial, has been developed by the archdiocese for use in Catholic elementary schools and parish catechetical programs.

Also related to the bicentennial celebration, materials have been developed for use in parish or regionally-based formation programs for people of all ages. One such intergenerational event was attended by about 400 people at St. Patrick Church in mid-September.

These are just a few examples of the many ministries and services mentioned in the Accountability Report — spiritual, education and human needs programs that benefit thousands of people.

“Serving the needy, proclaiming the Gospel, worshiping and sanctifying is work that Christ entrusted to his church,” Archbishop Kurtz wrote in his recent letter. “The Catholic Services Appeal is one way in which we unite as a faith community to ensure that this ministry continues throughout our archdiocese.”

He added that the Catholic Services Appeal offers “each of us an opportunity to reflect upon the blessings we have received from God and to demonstrate our gratitude to God by sharing a portion of our blessings in service to others.”

There are, of course, many ways for us to take part in continuing the work of Christ. Participation in the Catholic Services Appeal is one way Catholics in the Louisville archdiocese can do so by uniting as a faith community to help serve the varied needs of people. The ministries and services supported by the appeal are concrete ways of carrying out the mission of Jesus. As members of the one body of Christ and by virtue of our baptism, we share in this mission.