Following last week's Announcement Weekend, Together in Mission's Commitment Weekend will take place during Masses Feb. 18-19 as part of the annual appeal supporting parishes and schools in need. Parishioners attending liturgies this weekend throughout the archdiocese will hear a recorded homily from Cardinal Roger Mahony followed by an opportunity to fill out an in-pew pledge card toward the 2006 Together in Mission campaign.

With its theme, "Blessed is the one who has regard for…the poor," (Psalm 41:2), the appeal conducted in all 290 parishes has a fundraising goal for 2006 of $14,213,307. Last year, 118,829 donors pledged more than $18 million.

"We look forward to another good year," said Kevin O'Connor, archdiocesan development director. According to O'Connor, donations have exceeded goals every year for the past decade. The number of donors has steadily grown as well, with an increase last year of 5,500 pledge participants over 2004.

In 2005, 270 parishes exceeded their individual goals based on ten percent of their reported offertory income for 2004. All pledge money collected beyond a parish's appeal goal is rebated back to the parish. Last year, the amount of rebate money distributed back to parishes totaled $2,655,307.

This year, 32 parishes and 46 schools will receive funding through Together in Mission to continue their ministries. Without this financial assistance, many of these parishes and schools in some of the most impoverished areas of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties would be in danger of closing.

Father Steven Guitron, pastor of Guardian Angel Church in Pacoima, said receiving subsidies from Together in Mission allows the parish to spend more of its offertory collection on ministries and programs. Without Together in Mission, he noted, nearly half of the school families wouldn't be able to afford a Catholic education for their children. "Together in Mission helps to subsidize their education," said Father Guitron.

Pastor of Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Claremont, Msgr. Thomas Welbers, pictured on the cover of San Gabriel Pastoral Region's Together in Mission brochure, wholeheartedly supports the "mission" behind the archdiocesan annual appeal.

"Together in Mission formalizes the distribution of wealth and enables the parishes that can support themselves to assist those who cannot. This strengthens the bonds of unity among all the parishes. We have to have bridges between the peoples of our various parish communities. Together in Mission is one very key way of enabling that to happen," declared Msgr. Welbers.