The Annual Catholic Appeal supports a wide range of programs and ministries that help countless people
As the Archdiocese of St. Louis celebrates its 200th anniversary, Catholics are invited to give thanks for the generations of faithful who have built the local Church and consider how we can carry that mission forward.
The Annual Catholic Appeal is one impactful way to live out that mission.
The goal of the 2026 campaign is $16.5 million, and it will be conducted in parishes the weekends of April 18-19, April 25-26 and May 2-3. Approximately 93 cents of every dollar raised goes back to the community in direct services.
Appeal funds go toward safe, stable and affordable housing; support for active and retired priests; adult faith formation and evangelization efforts; Catholic education assisting children with a sense of purpose and value; parish food pantries serving people who are hungry; housing, medical and dental care for uninsured low-income residents in rural areas; programs that teach respect for human life; vocations programs to help youth and young adults discern a vocation to the priesthood or religious life; support for youth ministry; and more.
“The theme Grateful Hearts Serving Others invites us to see our giving not as an obligation, but as a joyful response to the gifts we have received,” Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski said. “We witness God’s abundant goodness when we serve others with grateful hearts.”
Bridge of Hope
As below-zero temperatures approached in January, Mike Shelton was safe and warm inside his apartment in Troy. A white-oak-bourbon-scented candle emanated a cozy glow on his kitchen table.
Mike doesn’t take the roof over his head for granted.
After a spiraling drug addiction led to homelessness, the St. Charles native found himself sleeping on the banks of the Missouri River for about six months. He eventually started crashing at his brother’s house, and his brother’s girlfriend passed along something she read about Bridge of Hope, an emergency shelter and crisis stabilization center near Troy, the county seat of mostly rural Lincoln County.
Bridge of Hope opened in 2024, aided by partners including the Annual Catholic Appeal, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, The Care Service at Sts. Joachim and Ann, the Incarnate Word Foundation, Mercy and Sacred Heart Parish in Troy. It provides immediate shelter stabilization for men, women and families and connects them with client support advocates, who meet weekly with residents to assess needs, set goals and walk alongside them toward stability and independence. Depending on family makeup, the capacity is between 20 and 24 people.
The facility includes a resource center space with internet, laundry, showers and other resources available to anyone in the community.
In 2025, Bridge of Hope served 143 individuals through its shelter program. Of those, 79 moved into stable housing.
When Mike moved into Bridge of Hope in the fall of 2024, “I was nervous at first. But once I got there, they’re all good people. They helped me a lot,” he said.
With a safe place to stay and support to stay sober, Mike secured a job he enjoys as a custodian at Troy Middle School. And in September, he moved into his own one-bedroom apartment, less than a mile down the road from work.
“That was my goal from day one — a good job and a good place to live,” he said. “I did both, so I guess I succeeded.”
He continues to meet a couple times a week with Compass Health community support specialist Nikki Thomas, who works with him on budgeting, relapse prevention and more tools for long-term success. He also keeps in touch with the staff at Bridge of Hope, going back to visit when he can.
“The hospitality — couldn’t ask for a better staff. Good people,” he said. “They’re my friends, my family.”
Natural Family Planning
When Meaghan and Christopher Bailey were married, having a family was part of their plan. But that plan unfolded very differently from what they had hoped.
A previous diagnosis of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) led Meaghan to the Office of Natural Family Planning, where she was connected with Erin Herdler, a Creighton Model FertilityCare Services practitioner. After an introduction and individualized charting sessions, Meaghan dove deeper into understanding her natural fertility cycles and discovered several contributors to her infertility.
Along the Baileys’ journey to conceive a child, Meaghan experienced several miscarriages, including an ectopic pregnancy. Erin was there for her again, this time offering spiritual and emotional support after her losses.
“We talked about what kinds of things to do to honor that life,” Meaghan said. “Things like that were really helpful, because going through that, your mind is all over the place. It was above and beyond what you would normally get.”
The couple welcomed their first child, a daughter named Ines, in January of 2025.
The one-on-one support the Baileys received is one part of the outreach that the Office of Natural Family Planning offers to couples who are experiencing infertility. The office reestablished its Enkindle infertility ministry last year, which now includes an in-person support group for women that meets every other week. Facilitators use materials from Springs in the Desert, a Catholic infertility ministry that has partnered with dioceses across the United States to offer resources.
“We want couples to feel seen by the Church and also to acknowledge their motherhood and fatherhood, regardless of whether they have a baby in their arms or are spiritual mothers or fathers,” Erin said. The ministry creates “an environment that we’re all called to motherhood and fatherhood, and that may look different ways for different people. We want them to feel loved and ministered to and offer them hope in those situations.”
Group co-facilitator Laurie Spellmeyer became involved in the ministry as a way to support younger women who are going through infertility, just as she experienced years ago.
“I remember the feelings of isolation and confusion, the struggles to decide what medical procedures were right for us, what information to share with others,” she said. “It was all very difficult. So, I try to be a comforting support to the women to let them know that they aren’t alone in their struggles and that God has a plan for their marriage.”
The group has done several book studies, including “Under the Laurel Tree: Grieving Infertility with the Saints,” which discusses infertility in conjunction with the story of Sts. Joachim and Anne. The book, which highlights how infertility impacts wives and husbands in unique and varied ways, provided a foundation for discussion, prayer and connection, helping participants to remember their identity as beloved daughters of God, Spellmeyer said.
The NFP Office also offers a list of professional counselors and in the future would like to offer additional in-person groups and host a couples’ retreat featuring speakers from Springs in the Desert.
“The goal is to provide a healing balm of hope in the form of community, prayer and accompaniment in the journey,” Laurie said. “We are all created in the image of God and that ultimately God has a plan for each of our lives and each of our marriages. The Church recognizes the suffering of infertility and teaches that a marriage without children is still blessed and can be fruitful.”
St. Pius X High School
Chase Papin was baptized, but didn’t grow up practicing the faith. After encountering the Church in a new way at St. Pius X High School, the sophomore has started participating in Christian initiation classes and looks forward to receiving the remaining sacraments of initiation.
Chase was especially drawn to the continuity of the Catholic Church as he learned Church history, as well as conversations with campus minister and theology teacher Jake Fowler and supportive friends.
“Mr. Fowler has taught me a lot, but he’s also encouraged me to go and learn stuff on my own,” Chase said.
St. Pius X High School is an archdiocesan coed Catholic high school in Festus and the only Catholic high school in Jefferson County. Historically, the school has had a Catholic population of about 85% or more; now, the student body is about 65% Catholic, St. Pius X president Jim Lehn said.
“The beauty of what we’re doing is it’s a chance to evangelize, to bring these kids in here and teach them about Jesus Christ,” he said.
The school celebrates all-school Mass at least once a month, and Mass is celebrated every Thursday during the lunch hour, with confessions every other week. A student-led Bible study called “Donuts and Divina” meets every Friday morning for Lectio Divina and breakfast treats.
Campus ministry offers retreats, at least one per grade level, annually. Senior Addie Wallis, a parishioner at St. Joseph in Imperial, helps lead the school’s annual women’s retreat. She’s also a regular at the weekly Thursday Mass.
“School can get really stressful, and just having the opportunity to take a break for a second and be with Jesus has just been really good,” Addie said.
Fellow senior and St. Joseph parishioner Taylor Robinson looks forward to monthly eucharistic adoration, where every theology class takes turns spending time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. Her senior theology class also starts every class period with prayer in the chapel.
“It’s nice to just pour my heart out (with Jesus),” Taylor said. “I came from a public school, so we didn’t have all that, and it’s nice that I can make it part of my daily life here.”
As the number of nonCatholic students in the school has grown, campus minister and theology teacher Jake Fowler sees it as an opportunity to live the Catholic faith even more visibly. Students are curious. If they ask about the incense at all-school Mass, it’s an opportunity to talk about how and why Catholics honor the Real Presence of the Eucharist. If they see their friends in line for confession, while they can’t receive the sacrament, they are welcome to talk with chaplain Father Donald Morris, he explained.
“It’s these kind of little things that reveal in small ways, but powerful ways, the absolute depth and the richness and beauty of the Catholic faith, particularly to those who are unaware,” he said. “They’re constantly invited to engage. They’re constantly invited to explore.”
In addition to Chase, a handful of other students have expressed interest in being received into the Church, he said. Last year, two students received sacraments of initiation.
“We are very upfront with the fact that we would love it if you converted — as a matter of fact, we think that’s awesome, because we believe this is true, and we love you and want what’s true for you as our student,” he said. “And (president) Mr. Lehn extends that to the parents and families and siblings. We want what God wants for you; we want to evangelize and bring you to the fullness of the faith.”
Every day brings an opportunity to remind his students of the presence and activity in God in their lives, Jake said.
“Catholicism is just the normal life we’re living here at Pius. It isn’t something that’s tacked on to the side of a private school curriculum,” he said. “The faith is lived here.”
How to donate to the Annual Catholic Appeal
The financial goal of the 2026 Annual Catholic Appeal is $16.5 million. Approximately 93 cents of every dollar goes back into the community in the form of direct services. The appeal will be conducted in parishes the weekends of April 18-19, April 25-26 and May 2-3. To learn more about the Annual Catholic Appeal, visit aca.archstl.org.
SERVING OUR PARISHES DIRECTLY $3,140,000
Elementary School Assistance $2,050,000
Stewardship and Development Support for Parishes, Schools and Agencies $500,000
Office of Peace and Justice $185,000
Parish Emergency Assistance Fund $180,000
Parish Food Pantries $125,000
Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis $50,000
Basilica of St. Louis, King of France $50,000
SERVING OUR YOUTH $3,635,000
Archdiocesan and Parochial High Schools $1,480,000
Archdiocesan Seminary $450,000
Special Education $350,000
Vocation Programs $300,000
Newman Centers on College Campuses $295,000
One Classroom $285,000
Religious Formation $200,000
Today and Tomorrow Educational Fund $150,000
High School Stewardship Essay Program $75,000
Office of Youth Ministry $50,000
SERVING THE PEOPLE IN OUR PARISHES $2,125,000
Respect Life Apostolate $450,000
Adult Faith Formation $370,000
Evangelization and Discipleship $350,000
Natural Family Planning $225,000
Hispanic Ministry $225,000
Office of Racial Harmony & Black Catholic Ministry $140,000
Catholic Deaf Ministry $115,000
Catholic Renewal Center $105,000
Catholic St. Louis Magazine $80,000
Elementary Teachers Educational Fund $40,000
St. Charles Lwanga Center $25,000
SERVING THOSE IN NEED $3,145,000
Catholic Charities $1,700,000
Affordable Housing Fund $500,000
Rural Parish Clinic $400,000
The Care Service at Sts. Joachim and Ann $175,000
Criminal Justice Ministry $75,000
Immigrant and Refugee Ministry $70,000
Bridge of Hope Lincoln County $60,000
The Wellston Center $60,000
Archbishop’s Charity Fund $50,000
Meals Program at Sts. Peter and Paul Church $30,000
Messengers of Peace Mission Work $25,000
SERVING THOSE WHO SERVE US $1,370,000
Care for Active and Retired Priests $750,000
Regina Cleri Priests Retirement Home $370,000
Permanent Diaconate $175,000
Support for Religious Orders $75,000
OTHER $3,085,000
Annual Catholic Appeal Expenses $1,600,000
Reserve for Unpaid Pledges $990,000
Archdiocesan Services $495,000
None of the money raised by the Annual Catholic Appeal is used to defend or settle criminal or civil lawsuits related to the clergy abuse scandal.
