WASHINGTON, DC - The annual Collection for the Church in Central and Eastern Europe will be held in most parishes on Ash Wednesday, March 1, with the theme: "Restore the Church, Build the Future." The collection supports pastoral, evangelization, and construction projects, as well as scholarships in Central and Eastern Europe, and Central Asia.

In 2016, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Subcommittee on Aid to the Church in Central and Eastern Europe awarded $7 million through more than 200 grants. Projects supported through the collection address a variety of needs of the Church in countries of the former Soviet Union. These projects focus on providing pastoral care and developing resources to build the faith of those who still struggle in a post-communist society.

"Remembering our brothers and sisters around the world who are struggling is a humbling way to begin the season of Lent," said Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago, chairman of the Subcommittee on Aid to the Church in Central and Eastern Europe. "As we begin this penitential season, we remember those in Central and Eastern Europe who have made great sacrifices to keep the faith alive in their communities, and who share a legacy of faith with us through the many immigrants who came to America from these lands."

The Subcommittee on Aid to the Church in Central and Eastern Europe oversees the Collection for the Church in Central and Eastern Europe as part of the USCCB Committee on National Collections. More information about the collection can be found at www.usccb.org/ccee. Shareable resources to promote the collection can be found at www.usccb.org/ccee/collection.