National Collections Not Managed by USCCB

The National Black and Indian Mission Collection

Since 1884, proceeds from the Black and Indian Missions Collection (BIM) are distributed as grants to dioceses supporting and strengthening evangelization programs, which would otherwise be in danger of disappearing among the Black, American Indian, Eskimo, and Aleute communities of the United States.

The BIM collection is taken up in most parishes on the first weekend in Lent. For more information please write: The Commission for the Catholic Missions Among the Colored People and the Indians, 2021 H Street, NW Washington, DC 20006-4207.

Visit  the website or call (202) 331-8542 for more information.


The Catholic University of America Collection

The Catholic University of America, located in Washington, D.C., is the national university of the Catholic Church. Founded in 1887, CUA offers students an excellent education in a faith-filled atmosphere that is grounded in the Catholic intellectual tradition. The Collection for The Catholic University of America underwrites scholarships to assist financially deserving students in completing their education at CUA in over 50 disciplines.

The collection for Catholic University is taken up in most parishes on the first or second weekend in September. Please visit CUA's website for more information.


The Holy Land Collection

The Collection for the Holy Land, in the words of Paul VI is "not only for the Holy Places but above all for those pastoral, charitable, educational, and social works which the Church supports in the Holy Land for the welfare of their Christian brethren and of the local communities." 1* 

The Holy Land collection is taken up in most parishes on Good Friday. For more information write: Commissariat of the Holy Land Father Jeremy Harrington, OFM, The Franciscan Monastery, 1400 Quincy Street, NE, Washington, DC 20017

*1 Paul VI, The Church in the Holy Land (Nobis in Animo) (Rome: March 25, 1974) in The Pope Speaks (Washington, D.C.: TPS),19: 1, pp. 5-11.

Please visit  the Franciscan Monastery's website for more information.


The Retirement Fund for Religious

The Retirement Fund for Religious (RFR) distributes grants to religious institutes for the retirement needs of senior religious priests, brothers, and sisters. The fund also helps religious institutes plan and manage their retirement needs and programs.

The RFR collection is taken up in most parishes on the second weekend in December.

Please visit the National Religious Retirement Office and Retirement Fund for Religious pages for more information.


The World Mission Sunday Collection

By Baptism, all Catholics are called to participate in the mission of the Church, called to share their faith as missionaries. World Mission Sunday gathers support for the pastoral and evangelizing programs and needs of more than 1,150 mission dioceses in Africa, Asia, the Pacific Islands, and remote regions of Latin America. The funds gathered on World Mission Sunday are distributed in the pope's name by the Society for the Propagation of the Faith—a Pontifical Mission Society.

Please visit the Pontifical Mission Societies website for more information.