WASHINGTON, DC - The annual Collection for the Church in Latin America will be taken up in many dioceses the weekend of January 21-22. This collection has existed for over 50 years as a sign of solidarity between the Churches of the United States and those in Latin America and the Caribbean.

"Through this collection, Catholics in the United States walk in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Latin America and the Caribbean," said Bishop Eusebio Elizondo, M.Sp.S., auxiliary bishop of Seattle and chairman of the Subcommittee on the Church in Latin America. "This important collection signals our unity with our brother and sisters in the faith."

The collection supports the work of the Subcommittee on the Church in Latin America by funding grants for a variety of pastoral efforts such as lay leadership training, seminarian and religious formation, prison ministry and youth ministry. All of these efforts help Catholics share their faith.

Shareable resources can be found at: www.usccb.org/latin-america/collection.

The Subcommittee on the Church in Latin America oversees the collection and an annual grant program as part of the USCCB Committee on National Collections. Additional resources to learn about the collection and the projects it supports include an interactive map, a video on the history of the collection, and an annual report. The home page for the collection is www.usccb.org/latin-america.