By Kathleen Bagg

The Diocese of St. Augustine will take up a second collection on Sept. 23-24 for the annual Help Spread the Faith Communications Appeal, which helps to spread the Gospel through print, radio, television, the website and social media. The funds raised in this appeal support not only local efforts in media outreach but also provide funding to the U.S. Bishops for national media efforts.

In today’s digital age, having reliable outlets that accurately represent Catholic teachings is crucial, as it prevents the misinterpretation of our faith by others. The Diocese of St. Augustine, through its Office of Communications, utilizes your generous contributions to provide these essential resources, ensuring that Catholics receive accurate and firsthand information about the teachings and activities of the church.

How are your gifts used? The appeal helps support the St. Augustine Catholic magazine mailed to all registered Catholic homes six times a year. The magazine is available in print and digitally on the diocesan website www.dosafl.com. Additionally, funds collected help to offset the cost of producing a website for the community, an intranet site for church leadership, social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), a weekly live radio Mass in Spanish, Go Make Disciples, a weekly digital newsletter free to all and the development of videos that can be seen on the diocesan YouTube channel or through parish communication channels.

The Communications Office has also purchased Evangelus and the myParish App licensing for all parishes and missions in the diocese. At no charge to parishes, the tools are designed to help pastors reach parishioners through email, text, app, social media and websites. From the simple message designer to proactive liturgical reminders, Evangelus helps parishes stay on top of messaging and be proactive. 

Nationally, the appeal helps fund: 

• The Rome Bureau of Catholic News Service, which continues its legacy of covering the pope and current events at the Vatican with stories posted daily at https://www.usccb.org/newsroom.
• A weekly news show and podcast, Catholic Current, available at https://www.youtube.com/usccb, enables bishops and others with national leadership roles to speak directly to the public about the important issues on which they are working, liturgical feasts of the coming week and current events in the church.
• Short daily video reflections at https://bible.usccb.org, in which clergy, lay men and women, and consecrated religious present insights that help bring the daily Mass readings to life.

Through your gifts to the annual Help Spread the Faith Communications Appeal, you help the church today to continue the work of the first apostles who set out to carry the saving message of Jesus to all who would listen.

Thank you for your support.

To learn more, email kbagg@dosafl.com or call (904) 262-1705.