By Bishop James Conley
Happy Easter! As we rejoice in the Resurrection of Our Lord, I want to share with you a few upcoming events that will offer you several opportunities to exercise your generosity.
The Nebraska Catholic Day of Giving is coming on Wednesday, May 7, and it will fall during the same period of time as our annual Charity and Stewardship Appeal. Since the concurrent windows can be confusing, I’d like to provide a little clarity.
The Nebraska Catholic Day of Giving was created in part to share resources between our state’s three dioceses, to reach Catholics across all of Nebraska.
For us in the Diocese of Lincoln, the Nebraska Catholic Day of Giving was to replace our past participation in Give to Lincoln Day, which is held at the same time. The Nebraska Catholic Day of Giving is the biggest fundraiser of the year for Catholic schools across the state, and it is distinct from our Charity and Stewardship Appeal.
The Charity and Stewardship Appeal is vitally important to your particular parish and to the Diocese of Lincoln. On the part of the diocese, the Charity and Stewardship Appeal helps fund many programs and ministries that benefit the entire diocese. Any amount given to the Charity and Stewardship Appeal that surpasses your parish’s goal is returned in full to your parish.
The diocese and parishes depend on this funding to help provide for the material, spiritual, and educational needs of the people we serve. So, for instance, by donating to the Charity and Stewardship Appeal, you’re helping to form our future priests and provide continuing formation for our current priests—so it’s both an investment in your future, and it can impact your parish life now. The Appeal also supports various offices of evangelization within the diocese, which is a way for you to heed the Lord’s call to share the Gospel.
Similarly, the Appeal supports various social services and chaplains for nursing homes, hospitals, and prisons, which is a way for you to support the needy and hear Jesus say to you, “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me” (Matthew 25:35–36).
In contrast to the Charity and Stewardship Appeal, the Nebraska Catholic Day of Giving allows you to freely select specific parishes, schools, ministries, and apostolates in our diocese and across the state that are dear to you, and you have a desire to support with a donation. For example, you could donate to your current parish in the Lincoln Diocese and give to the Catholic school you graduated from in the Grand Island Diocese. Or you could donate to a local Catholic school that sparked your grandchild’s faith, or you could donate to a pregnancy help center to support moms in need and encourage them to choose life for themselves and for their baby in the womb. More than 150 organizations can be found on the Nebraska Catholic Day of Giving website (nebraskacatholicdayofgiving.org), and I encourage you to explore these amazing causes.
We are called to help our neighbors, and our Charity and Stewardship Appeal and the Nebraska Catholic Day of Giving are both ways in which we can accomplish that goal! I hope you will prayerfully consider giving to both of these great causes.
As I’ve considered what I might donate, I’ve reflected on Jesus’ words, “Sell your belongings and give alms. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach, nor moth destroy” (Luke 12:33). It’s not a suggestion to give alms, it’s a directive. But after almsgiving during Lent, it’s easy to feel tapped out (though if you didn’t do a great job of almsgiving during Lent, this is a wonderful opportunity to make amends!). Between inflation and the tariff situation driving economic uncertainty, financial fear is understandable. Which is why I think it’s no accident that before Jesus commands His listeners to “sell your belongings and give alms,” He reminds them: “As for you, do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not worry anymore. All the nations of the world seek for these things, and your Father knows that you need them” (Luke 12:29–30). Of course, Jesus isn’t calling us to be reckless or negligent, but He is inviting us to trust Him: “Do not be afraid any longer” (Luke 12:32).
Our Father in Heaven is infinitely rich and cannot be outdone in generosity. In fact, He directly promises: “Whoever cares for the poor lends to the LORD, who will pay back the sum in full” (Proverbs 19:17). So be not afraid as you consider giving! We are mere stewards of the resources the Lord has blessed us with, and I pray we all mirror His generosity as we discern our giving. For all acts of love and almsgiving move us closer to one day hearing, “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy” (Matthew 25:21).
