Annual campaign vital to the Church today!

Producing Catholic media can be costly, but it is an essential part of the Church's mission. Catholic media - newspapers, Web sites, TV, radio, video, and podcasts - educate, inspire, inform, and entertain in light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Catholic media helps the Church to be a light in this world. Catholic Communications is vital to the Church today!

That's why the United States bishops started the national Catholic Communication Campaign (CCC). The campaign is funded by donations made to the annual appeal to be held this year in parishes throughout the Diocese of New Ulm on May 19-20.

Funds support both National/Local Level

The Catholic Communication Campaign supports efforts of the Church at both the national and diocesan levels. Fifty percent of funds collected stay right here in the Diocese of New Ulm.

Here's how the Diocese of New Ulm currently uses CCC donations:

- To print this newspaper, The Prairie Catholic;

- To maintain the diocesan Web site, (www.dnu.org) with the latest news, events, and resources;

- To minister to the elderly and homebound through a local televised Mass;

- To add to the Web site features such as online registration for events and video streaming;

- To maintain the Media Resource Center providing print and electronic Catholic resources to the parishes and schools in the diocese;

- To maintain the Media Resource Catalog which is now available online on the diocesan Web site, making it just a "click away" when ordering media resource material;

- To provide Catholic programming on area public access stations;

- To purchase advertising spots on local media as a way to spread the Good News.

The diocesan Office of Communications which heads these projects, maintains contact with five television stations, 30 radio stations, six daily newspapers, and 58 weekly

newspapers. The office responds to media questions about Church related issues, and promotes the various ministries of the diocese through the various media outlets.

On a national level, your funds are used to produce videos, TV, and radio programming and print materials produced by CCC. Be sure to visit the CCC Web site (www.catholiccommunicationcampaign.org) often for programming updates and announcements.

Movie Reviews

Movie reviews is a service of the Catholic Communication Campaign. The movie review line is available to provide film and video reviews from a Catholic perspective. The ratings are evaluated by the U.S. Conference

of Catholic Bishops' Office for Film and Broadcasting according to artistic merit and moral suitability. The reviews include the USCCB rating and the Motion Picture Association of America rating. Movie reviews are on the internet www.usccb.org/movies/.

Mass Times for Travelers

The Mass Times service helps travelers learn the location and scheduled time of Masses across the U.S. It is available by phone 1-800-627-7846 and on the internet at www.masstimes.org.

Catholics are encouraged to be as generous as possible in their support of this vitally important ministry.