Commission for the Catholic Missions among the Colored People and the Indians
Encyclopedia
The Commission for the Catholic Missions among the Colored People and the Indians has been a U.S. Roman Catholic institution that administers a national annual appeal in support of Catholic mission work.
and the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions
. They further decreed that all parishes conduct the appeal on the first Sunday in Lent and that a commission of three bishops without Native American missions in their dioceses administer its acquisition and allocation of funds.
The Commission, based in Washington, D.C., initiated the appeal in 1887, which has been held annually ever since and renamed the Black and Indian mission collection in 1980. The appeal raised its first $1,000,000 in one year in 1952; its first $5,000,000 in one year in 1985; and its first $9,000,000 in one year in 2005.
From 1887 to 1944, due to the paucity of alternative domestic funding sources for Catholic mission activities, the Commission expanded its focus to provide intermittent support to certain missions associated with and within the United States. Most notably, it extended funding to the Bahamas, Guam
, Haiti
, the Philippines
(among the Igorot
people) and in Texas
(among Mexican Americans). To support new directions in multicultural ministries, the Commission began to extend funding to the Tekakwitha Conference
in 1977, which became an organization of Native American Catholics primarily from among aboriginal peoples in Canada
as well as the United States, and to the National Black Catholic Congress
in 1988.
Nonetheless, demands for funds have long outpaced the Commission’s ability to raise them. In 1907, the hierarchy established the Catholic Board for Mission Work among the Colored People (now the Catholic Negro-American Mission Board
) to create a second funding stream to support Catholic missions in the Black community. Since 1990, the Commission narrowed its funding focus and not funded missions for Black and Native Americans who immigrated to the United States since the mid-20th century, which has affected U.S. Haitian and Mayan communities.
In 1981, the United States Catholic Conference Ad-Hoc Committee on National Collections attempted to end the independence of the Lenten appeal and fold it into a consolidated program of national collections. Monsignor Paul Lenz, secretary-treasurer of the Lenten appeal and director of the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions
, objected and successfully opposed the consolidation, which would have ended the Bureau’s independence.
History
In 1884 at the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore, the U.S. Catholic bishops decreed the establishment of a national appeal to benefit mission work among African Americans and Native AmericansIndigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
and the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions
Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions
The Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions was a Roman Catholic institution created in 1874 by J. Roosevelt Bayley, Archbishop of Baltimore, for the protection and promotion of Catholic mission interests among Native Americans in the United States.-History:...
. They further decreed that all parishes conduct the appeal on the first Sunday in Lent and that a commission of three bishops without Native American missions in their dioceses administer its acquisition and allocation of funds.
The Commission, based in Washington, D.C., initiated the appeal in 1887, which has been held annually ever since and renamed the Black and Indian mission collection in 1980. The appeal raised its first $1,000,000 in one year in 1952; its first $5,000,000 in one year in 1985; and its first $9,000,000 in one year in 2005.
From 1887 to 1944, due to the paucity of alternative domestic funding sources for Catholic mission activities, the Commission expanded its focus to provide intermittent support to certain missions associated with and within the United States. Most notably, it extended funding to the Bahamas, Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
, the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
(among the Igorot
Igorot
Cordillerans are the people of the Cordillera region, in the Philippines island of Luzon. The word, Igorot is a misnomer term invented by the Spaniards in mockery against the Nortnern Luzon tribes. The word ‘Igorot’ also as coined and applied by the Spaniards means a savage, head-hunting and...
people) and in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
(among Mexican Americans). To support new directions in multicultural ministries, the Commission began to extend funding to the Tekakwitha Conference
Tekakwitha Conference
The Tekakwitha Conference is a Roman Catholic institution that supports Christian ministry among Native Americans, primarily through its annual meeting.-History:...
in 1977, which became an organization of Native American Catholics primarily from among aboriginal peoples in Canada
Aboriginal peoples in Canada
Aboriginal peoples in Canada comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. The descriptors "Indian" and "Eskimo" have fallen into disuse in Canada and are commonly considered pejorative....
as well as the United States, and to the National Black Catholic Congress
National Black Catholic Congress
The National Black Catholic Congress is an organization of African American Roman Catholics founded in 1889 by Daniel Rudd. Their symbol is the Acacia. Their mission is to improve and enrich the lives of African American Catholics...
in 1988.
Nonetheless, demands for funds have long outpaced the Commission’s ability to raise them. In 1907, the hierarchy established the Catholic Board for Mission Work among the Colored People (now the Catholic Negro-American Mission Board
Catholic Negro-American Mission Board
The Catholic Negro-American Mission Board has been a U.S. Roman Catholic institution that raises funds and supports mission work in among African Americans.-History:...
) to create a second funding stream to support Catholic missions in the Black community. Since 1990, the Commission narrowed its funding focus and not funded missions for Black and Native Americans who immigrated to the United States since the mid-20th century, which has affected U.S. Haitian and Mayan communities.
In 1981, the United States Catholic Conference Ad-Hoc Committee on National Collections attempted to end the independence of the Lenten appeal and fold it into a consolidated program of national collections. Monsignor Paul Lenz, secretary-treasurer of the Lenten appeal and director of the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions
Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions
The Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions was a Roman Catholic institution created in 1874 by J. Roosevelt Bayley, Archbishop of Baltimore, for the protection and promotion of Catholic mission interests among Native Americans in the United States.-History:...
, objected and successfully opposed the consolidation, which would have ended the Bureau’s independence.