The 43rd annual Bishop’s Services Appeal (BSA), a fundraising campaign to aid in the operation of these various ministries and programs, kicked off the weekend of September 16-17 in church parishes throughout the Diocese.
Your gift to the Bishop’s Services Appeal makes a difference in the ministries it supports and the thousands of people it impacts. 
Some of those ministries include Catholic education, vocations and seminarians, youth ministry, Catholic Charities of Southwest Louisiana, family life, diocesan counseling, communications, Saint Charles Center and Camp Karol, annulment and other tribunal fees, services to maritime personnel, and evangelization throughout the Diocese of Lake Charles.
This year’s campaign, which continues until the end of the fiscal year — June 30, 2024, with a goal of $824,000 — has as its theme: “Bring them here to me,” a scripture reference from Matthew 14:18.
In this time of Eucharistic Revival, Bishop Glen John Provost turns our focus to the multiplication of the loaves and fish when Jesus sees the crowd and tells his disciples to give the people something to eat. In response, the disciples say that they have only five loaves and two fish, to which Jesus responds, “Bring them here to me.”
“While not enough, Christ makes it enough,” the Bishop remarks.
In his annual BSA message, His Excellency acknowledged that many are still recovering from the devastation of 2020 and 2021, but said, “This makes our giving even more pertinent. The Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Christ because Jesus identifies with the gift. Our giving then should be identified in what we can do for others.”
Bishop Provost points out the approximate $40,000 a year it cost for the specialized education per seminarian, of which the Diocese of Lake Charles is blessed to have 10 seminarians in formation.
“We cannot prepare these young men by ourselves, but bringing our gifts to Jesus, He makes it enough,” he said.
As of May 2023, there are 14 priests in active ministry in our Diocese who were ordained by Bishop Provost since his installation on April 23, 2007.
The BSA continues to make visible a variety of ministries, particularly:
- Office of Religious Education that oversees the parishes’ Religious Education Program and the Catholic Religion Studies at the six Catholic schools in the Diocese providing for the consistency in the presentation of our Faith.
- Catholic Education that offers rigorous academics grounded in teachings of service to others and serving as a vital tool of evangelization.
- Seminarian Education that supports the education and welfare of diocesan seminarians with a vision to secure celebrations of the Sacraments into the future.
- Vision of Catholic Charities to help ensure that we, the Catholic Church, care for both bodily and spiritual needs. Catholic Charities continues to expand locations (currently 11) making ever-evolving resources available to all areas of the Diocese.
- The work of Saint Charles Center offers the opportunity for priests and lay faithful to get away from the world and be alone with Christ and allow Him to speak to us and regain His vision.
- Office of Communications continues to share vital information in a wide array of formats through printing of the Catholic Calendar diocesan newspaper; online via the diocesan website; and through social media on the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lake Charles Facebook page.
“Because of your past generosity, I am confident of your future support for the Diocese of Lake Charles,” Bishop Provost said in a letter to the faithful.
Donors can choose from the following options to make their contribution:
- By check or cash in your parish’s designated BSA collection envelope
- By designating a donation at any time in your parish’s collection
- By credit card or electronic check (ACH) through the Diocese of Lake Charles website at http://www.lcdiocese.org/resources/support-the-diocese.
The first weekend of collections in church parishes will be at all Masses September 23-24.
