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Mission Participant Best Practices
for Making Appeals -
Be Concise
Appeals should last approximately 5 minutes. If incorporated into the homily, combined should be no longer than 15 minutes.
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Be Clear
Many pastors ask, "Will our people be able to understand the person making the appeal?" If the preacher cannot be umderstoon, many people will simply tune him or her out. If there is any doubt, consider providing a summary of your appeal for parishioners to follow along. Parishes may be able to include your summary in their bulletin, on their website, or allow you to put handouts in the pews.
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Do Not Beg
Begging or making the people in the pews feel guilty is not the best way to gain their support. Instead, use examples of successes attributed to mission appeals and explain how these appeals relate to our faith expressions as Catholics.
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Relate to Scripture
Do your best to relate your appeal to the Scripture of the day. Sometimes this is a challage, but it is very important to do.
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Perception vs. Reality
Provide a contrast of the American perception of your area versus the reality. For example: When we think of Jamaica, we think of Ocho Rios, Montego Bay or a variety of resorts with pristine beaches, but the reality is that most of Jamaica is impoverished.
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Give Examples
Tell what various amounts will buy: $10 buys rice and beans for a family for a week; $40 feeds a family for a month; $100 provides medicine for people coming to your clinics for medical care.
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Charity is a Spiritual Decision
Remind parishiones that "giving" for Americans is not so much a financial decision (most have what they need), but rather a spiritual decision for us as Catholics. Try and include a line from Pope Francis' care and support of the poor as part of our spiritual lives, or tie in how supporting the appeal is a concrete way for the people in the pews to live out their missionary vocation.