Today, upon the Third Sunday of Lent, Bishop Earl Boyea of Lansing invites you to consider participating in the Diocesan Services Appeal 2024. A transcript of his message appears below:
"My Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
'The Offering of the Just Enriches the Altar'. This verse from the Book of Sirach can help us reflect on what we are doing during Mass. When we offer our prayers and gifts in union with others, we join ourselves to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the altar every Sunday.
Our Diocesan Services Appeal is one such occasion to unite ourselves more deeply to the sacrifice of the altar. Our DSA offerings are a powerful opportunity to enrich the work of the Church in the year ahead.
I would like to draw your attention to our DSA poster this year. It shows a thankful family presenting the offertory gifts to their pastor at the altar. The father presents the ciborium which contains the hosts waiting to be transfigured into the Body of Jesus. The young mother stands with a child clasped in one arm and in the other joyfully holds what will become the Most Precious Blood. Their older son carefully holds the offering basket which holds the collective generosity of his family and their community. The remaining children look on with smiling faces. The image is a beautiful representation of DSA, and how we should all strive to be cheerful givers united in the Holy Eucharist.
Your DSA gifts are a part of the offerings that enrich the work of the church throughout our Diocese. Food pantries provide meals for the hungry. Care and support is provided to mothers and children of unplanned pregnancies. Counseling centers support those with mental health and substance abuse issues. Catholic Schools instruct children in the faith. Vocational formation yields strong marriages and the next generation of priests. The DSA supports all these and many more ministries that share the love of Jesus.
DSA donations are vital to the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy of our Church. Your generosity underscores this profound truth - that our offerings, our sacrifices, and our charity manifest the very essence of our faith, consistently and without fail.
Brothers and Sisters, like our beautiful poster image, let our DSA contributions be joined to the sacred offerings we set on the altar as we all seek the sanctification which only the Lord can provide. Together, aided with the graces received through the Holy Eucharist, we will carry out the work of the Church in the year ahead.
Thank you! And may God bless you for all that you do with and for one another."