Support the Bishop’s Appeal

The following is a portion of Bishop François’s Bishop Appeal Letter. 

You can read the full letter here:Bishop Appeal Letter 2023

As Melkite Catholics, you and I know what it’s like to feel a deep, familial connection with those far away— even with those whom we’ve never met.

That’s because we share the same tradition, the same heritage, and the same destiny. Every time we participate  in the Divine Liturgy, we are connected with Our Lord and with one another across the miles and across the centuries.

As I write this letter, I am reflecting on the anniversary of my first year as your bishop—leader of the “local church”

I’m asking for your help to make this effort as fruitful as possible, I want to share with you the basic vision.

First, we are reorganizing our efforts to foster and support vocations. We have put together a vocations team  and a vocations plan to nourish the faith journey of young people, help them discern God’s call, and encourage them  to pursue active ministry in the Church as readers, subdeacons, deacons, priests, nun, or monks. You can read about  this and other developments on our newly updated website: www.Melkite.org.

Second, we are improving the resources available for local parishes. Put simply, we want our parishes to  be healthy, we want young people active in our churches, and we want to see priests and parish leaders  equipped with what they need to serve and thrive. To make this possible, we are hiring additional staff, adopting new technology, and expanding our administrative infrastructure.

Third, we will dramatically improve communications with all Melkite Catholics and the many who love our  Church across the United States. We will remain in an ongoing conversation with all of you about our Church’s needs,  struggles, and challenges. This dialogue will help keep us open to the many talents of laypeople and clergy within our  Church who are eager to collaborate in building a bright future together. As part of this effort, we’re updating our database, implementing new standards of transparency, and developing a communications and social media plan for us  to remain in more regular contact.

Making this vision a reality will not be easy with all the challenges around us, but challenges are not  new to the Church.

By responding to this call together—supporting our seminarians and deacon candidates, forming  our youth in our faith, providing for our retired priests, and publishing SOPHIA magazine—we assure the  growth and strength of our Melkite Catholic Church in the United States of America.