The Catholic Charities Appeal benefits nearly 1 million people each year through countless charitable service organizations and ministries throughout the five-county Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
This morning during a news conference at the Archdiocesan Pastoral Center, Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez launched the 2025 Catholic Charities Appeal (CCA). CCA is the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s single largest annual fundraising initiative. This year’s fundraising goal is $10 million, and the theme is “Giving Hope to All.”
Mr. Ernest W. Russom III, President of the CCA Board of Directors, as well as representatives from CCA beneficiary organizations joined the Archbishop.
“One in five people in the Greater Philadelphia area rely on the charitable works funded by the Catholic Charities Appeal. That figure represents hundreds of thousands of human beings who deserve dignity, respect, and compassion from all of us,” said Archbishop Pérez. “When we support the Catholic Charities Appeal, we are doing just that. We are responding to the needs of our community not just with words, but with action. We are living out our call as Missionary Disciples.”
Ms. Katherine Baumgardner, Assistant Director for Catholic Housing and Community Services (CHCS), and Ms. Natalie Morales, Director of the Archdiocesan Office for Persons with Disabilities and the Deaf Apostolate, offered testimonies about the critical impact of the CCA.
In addition, there were also performances by Star Harbor Senior Community Center’s choir and Norris Square Senior Community Center’s Grupo Alegria dance club. The community centers are operated by CHCS, a ministry of Catholic Social Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
Today’s announcement was also streamed to Archbishop Pérez’s Facebook page. To view an archived version of a portion of the broadcast, please visit: https://vimeo.com/event/4843246.
Each year, CCA helps to ensure the vitality of countless organizations and ministries throughout the five-county Archdiocese. CCA beneficiaries are grouped into five areas of ministries including Special Education; Social Services; Evangelization; Mission Parishes; and Infirmed and Retired Priests.
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Editor’s Note: The Catholic Charities Appeal (CCA) is the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s single most important fundraiser, benefiting hundreds of thousands of people through countless organizations and ministries in the Archdiocese. To learn more about the CCA, please visit: https://www.catholiccharitiesappeal.org/. CCA is powered by The Catholic Foundation of Greater Philadelphia, an independent, nonprofit community foundation. To learn more about The Catholic Foundation, please visit https://thecfgp.org/
For pictures from today’s announcement for publication purposes, please contact the Office for Communications at [email protected].
Archdiocese of Philadelphia
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Contact: Kenneth A. Gavin
Chief Communications Officer
215-587-3747 (office)