Stenciled on the back sanctuary walls of Saint Catherine of Siena church are the Beatitudes—which are considered the blueprint for the Christian life. In fact, they represent the spiritual and corporal works of mercy that each one of us, as baptized believers, are called to support and promote in-and-through our daily lives of discipleship.

Kerry Alys Robinson is the founding executive director and global ambassador of the Leadership Roundtable, an organization dedicated to promoting excellence and best practices in the management, finances and human resources development of the Catholic Church. Kerry is also a prize-winning author and a speaker on subjects of philanthropy, development and faith; she is a graduate of both Georgetown University and Yale Divinity School.

Kerry’s commitment to our faith is based on many facts including the fact that “The Roman Catholic Church is the largest humanitarian network in the world, and that fact alone renders me forever committed to its strength and vitality.”

One of those ongoing humanitarian aspects of the Catholic Church here in Hartford is the
Archbishop’s Annual Appeal (AAA) which provides financial resources to Catholics and non-Catholics alike, providing housing, food, clothing, medical care,  job training and placement resources, parenting support, mental health services outreach to pregnant, single mothers and their children, Catholic education, priestly seminary training, and care for retired priests and religious.

Each year the AAA raises some $10 million dollars to become one of the largest private, non-governmental social systems providing social services in Connecticut. So far this year, more than 28,600 generous donors have pledged over $7,495,000 to the 2019 Archbishop’s Annual Appeal, Sharing the Joy of the Gospel for Generations.

Saint Catherine of Siena parish, like every parish in the Archdiocese of Hartford has an AAA
goal each year; our goal is to raise $100,000. To date, our parish has raised nearly $98,718.00 (pledged) toward this goal from 236 parishioners. This weekend is Commitment Weekend in every parish and the Church is asking everyone who is able to make a commitment of support to the AAA to help the Church continue Jesus Christ’s mission and ministry of compassion and concern in our time and place. Whether you can give $50 or $500 or $5,000—every donation is of great value as it helps the Church care for God’s children with food, shelter, medicine and HOPE—which is the most important gift we can give—HOPE that we are loved by God and His
disciples.

When we consider how we spend our money—and I am speaking from personal experience—many of us can do something to help another, depending on our abilities. The cost of one
adult movie ticket is nearly $9, one dinner out starts at around $18, a venti cinnamon dolce latte at Starbucks is $4.65 and a simple McDonald’s meal is nearly $9.

As we consider this Commitment Weekend and the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal, whatever gift
you can give helps manifest God’s love in ou world. May our loving God guide us to do that which is righteous and perhaps giving up a dinner out, foregoing a latte or two one day, skipping a movie with a friend so as to feed a hungry person, shelter a child in need or cloth an elderly person who is struggling—and become part of the largest humanitarian network in the world, caring on Jesus Christ’s own mission and ministry.

All funds contributed to the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal are used exclusively for the purposes outlined in the Appeal literature, which can be found at

https://archdioceseofhartford.org/aaa-2019-last-years-appealimpact/

No Appeal funds are ever used for legal fees or settlements.