Who We Are

The Subcommittee on the Church in Latin America is composed of nine bishops. Each year the Subcommittee, with the assistance of its staff, reviews and evaluates grant applications and makes funding decisions.

Subcommittee Members

Chairman
Archbishop José H. Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles

Members
Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley, OFM Cap., Archbishop of Boston
Archbishop Robert J. Carlson, Archbishop of St. Louis
Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski, Archbishop of Miami
Bishop Joe S. Vasquez, Bishop of Austin
Bishop Octavio Cisneros, Auxiliary Bishop of Brooklyn
Bishop Eusebio L. Elizondo, MSpS, Auxiliary Bishop of Seattle
Bishop Cirilo B. Flores, Auxiliary Bishop of Orange
Bishop John R. Manz, Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago

Consultant; Fr. Kevin McDonough, Pastor: Saint Peter Claver, St. Paul, MN

National Staff

The national staff manages day-to-day operations, including allocations, education, and promotion.

Fr. Juan Molina OSST, Director
(202) 541-3456

Mr. Jacques Liautaud, Project Manager for the Church in Haiti
(202) 541-3194

Mr. Kevin Day, Grants Specialist
(202) 541-3052

Ms. Nancy Pretto, Administrative Assistant
(202) 541-3050

Fax: 202-541-3460

Please give generously to the Church in Latin America in your parish. Or, you may wish to send your donation to:

Church in Latin America
USCCB Office of National Collections
3211 Fourth Street NE
Washington, DC 20017

Make your check or money order payable to "USCCB - Church in Latin America"  

History

The Bishops' Subcommittee, working through its staff in the Church in Latin America, facilitates the development of intra-American ecclesial relations among bishops of the United States and their representative entities, and the bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean through national episcopal conferences; the Consejo Episcopal Latinoamericano (CELAM), and other church-related organizations; Coordinates the annual Collection for the Church in Latin America and collaborates with U.S. dioceses in its promotion; Manages a grants program designed to support the pastoral work of the Church in Latin America; Develops educational resources and opportunities for Catholics in the United States to learn about the reality of the Church in Latin America.

In 1965, during the last session of the Second Vatican Council, the Bishops of the United States approved the creation, through the Bishops, of an annual national collection to support economic aid to pastoral projects of the Church in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The resources gathered through the National Collection are channeled through the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to the Subcommittee of Bishops for the Church in Latin America, who are in charge of the designation of funds and make the final decisions on the matters related to the region.

The Committee is now the Subcommittee on the Church in Latin America, a member of the USCCB Committee on National Collections. The Subcommittee gives aid to pastoral projects presented by the Bishops of the Catholic Church in 25 countries in the regions of Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. Special priority is given to evangelization and catechetical programs as well as mission related activities that promote the encounter with Jesus and help us to respond to his call to be disciples and missionaries so that our people can find life in Him.