All Catholics are familiar with all kinds of “second collections” taken up in our parish churches.  Through these collections, we are all called to share in the universal work of the Church.  But only one second collection can claim status as the first one in our country.  Recognizing a need to call the faithful to support missionary work among African American and Native American Catholics, the U.S. Catholic bishops established the Catholic Church Charity Commission for the Catholic Missions in 1884 to administer a national collection – the first of […]