This collection will be taken up on Ash Wednesday.

Catholics are called to evangelize their neighbors and loved ones by leading them into an encounter with Jesus Christ. When faithful disciples offer a visible and active presence in their communities, they live that calling through their works of mercy, their public worship, and their willingness to share the gospel message with those they meet.

In two former republics of the Soviet Union, which experienced 70 years of communist oppression, the Church is becoming that visible and active presence.

Since 2018, the Center for Catholic Youth in the Republic of Georgia has brought together hundreds of children and youths for faith-enriching activities like Bible school, Lenten spiritual exercises, pilgrimages, and works of service in parish communities.

Meanwhile, in central Asia, the construction of a new cathedral and pastoral center in the heart of Kyrgyzstan’s capital city, Bishkek, is a visible sign of hope and welcome in a land where 90% of the population is Muslim.

For more than 30 years, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has worked to restore a visible, active Church in Central and Eastern Europe and to build a hopeful new future in Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, and more than 25 other countries throughout the region.

Your contributions to the USCCB’s Collection for the Church in Central and Eastern Europe fund grants to construct churches, enliven the faith of children and young people, and form disciples who live to help others encounter Christ.

More information about the collection and the range of projects it

supports can be found at http://www.usccb.org/ccee.