“Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Matthew 22:39

Your generosity has a tremendous impact on many lives. It enables the Archdiocese to provide vital services to our local community and
our greater Church.

From Archbishop Cordileone

“Our mission as a Church and people of the Catholic faith continues, so I invite you to participate in this year’s Archdiocesan Annual Appeal. Your contribution is a vivid expression of your commitment to bring Christ to others, and it enhances our ability to spread and celebrate our faith”.

United in Mission and Ministry

Archdiocesan Annual Appeal 2024 Goal: $6,300,000

There are nearly 450,000 Catholics in the Archdiocese of San Francisco, and the Annual Appeal is a unique opportunity to come together as one and provide critical assistance to those who need and depend on us. It unites us in mission and ministry.

Indeed, we extend our deepest thanks to everyone who has supported the Annual Appeal over the years. Your generosity is critical to our ability to assist the thousands who depend on us annually, it is vital to our mission, and it is integral to the health and growth of our Catholic family in the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

The funds given to the AAA support these services and ministries

PARISH MINISTRY & SCHOOLS

Schools and Parish subsidies
The Department of Catholic Schools prepares students for a Christian life by providing programs for religious and general education in preschool, elementary and secondary schools. 

Pastoral Ministry
In addition to overseeing the effort of other offices/ministries within the department, Pastoral Ministry provides support to parishes that have, or wish to have, a special outreach to Young Adults. It is also the liaison between the Archdiocese and the Campus Ministry programs of local colleges and universities. Pastoral Ministry provides assistance to parishes in creating, maintaining, and revitalizing effective Parish Councils. It also provides support in Grief and Consolation ministry by conducting workshops for the bereaved, helping parishes in support of bereavement ministry, and training facilitators for this work.

Faith Formation Youth & Young Adult
The Office of Religious Education and Youth Ministry nurtures the lifelong faith formation of people by animating leadership training to ensure a holistic approach to their ministry. The Office provides Catechist and Youth Ministry formation, enrichment and guidance, catechist certifications, Sacramental preparation classes and Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) classes. The office also provides adult faith and youth leadership formation and classes in sacraments and catechists for persons with special needs.

Office of Worship
The Worship Office provides liturgical resources for worthy celebration of the Roman Rite. The Office prepares special liturgies for major celebrations; gives presentations on liturgical spirituality, theology and ministries; trains extraordinary ministers of holy communion and lectors; provides catechists on the Roman Rites; and assists parishes to place qualified liturgical personnel. With the Archdiocesan Worship Commission, the Office also consults on church art and architecture, the formation and work of liturgy committees, and related liturgical activities.

Marriage & Family Life
The Office of Marriage & Family Life supports Catholic families through Marriage Preparation training and instruction in Natural Family Planning. The Office oversees the FOCCUS program, a marriage compatibility inventory administered as part of the marriage preparation process. The Office also liaises with Marriage Encounter, Retrouvaille, Divorced and Separated programs, and other Catholic family-oriented support programs.

Teacher Incentive Grants

Child & Youth Protection

SOCIAL MINISTRY

Ethnic Ministries
Ethnic Ministries celebrates the rich diversity of cultures, languages and races through programs and gatherings that promote intercultural education, dialogue, communication and understanding. Ethnic Ministries provides support for over 20 different ethnic communities including African-American, Chinese, Filipino, Spanish-speaking and others. Ethnic Ministries also sponsors multicultural celebrations and collaborates with other Archdiocesan offices to develop multicultural program components in order to integrate different communities into the Church of the Archdiocese.

Office of Human Life and Dignity
The Office of Human Life and Dignity embodies the teachings found within the parable of the Good Samaritan by seeing injustice as a personal call to action, and making a commitment to address the needs of the suffering person. The Office provides education and advocacy on behalf of the unborn, the poor, the elderly, the imprisoned, the homeless, the disabled and the marginalized in our society. Its programs include Respect Life, Restorative Justice, Catholic Campaign for Human Development, Advocacy Training, and Parish Organizing. The Office also collaborates with the California Catholic Conference and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to provide representation to local and national government officials and civic leaders on legislative issues that are of great importance to all Catholics due to their moral implications.

 Tribunal
The Office of the Metropolitan Tribunal and Canonical Affairs serves as a resource to the Archbishop and the Catholic community in order to maintain and uphold the universal and particular laws of the Church. The Tribunal assists individuals seeking to reconcile with the Church by evaluating the status of individual marriages, as the Church understands that bond. It also seeks to protect the rights of the faithful, including the right to a good reputation, while mindful of the obligations inherent with being a member of the Roman Catholic Church.

Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Affairs
The Office of Ecumenical and Inter-religious Affairs represents the Archbishop and the Archdiocese in our relationships with approximately 70 other spiritual communities within the Christian church (Episcopal, Evangelicals and others) and outside Christianity (Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, and others). The influence and work of the Office extend beyond the boundaries of the Archdiocese – regional in California, Nevada, Utah and Hawaii; national in Washington D.C.; and international in Rome.

Restorative Justice
Restorative Justice  provides people throughout the Archdiocese affected by crime, victims and offenders within our communities support to heal through prayer, prevention, intervention, and guidance. We believe that peace and justice are attainable when both parties receive the services needed to heal and advance themselves within our society.

Hospital/Prison Chaplains
The Hospital Chaplaincy program gives individuals and families the opportunity for priests to provide spiritual and emotional support to people in hospitals. As a chaplain, priests will mark the beginning of lives, the end of lives and the many transforming moments in between. 

National Council of Catholic Women
The National Council of Catholic Women acts through its membership to support, empower and educate all Catholic Women in spirituality, leadership and service. NCCW programs respond with Gospel values to the needs of the Church and society in the modern world.

Chinese Ministry 
The Chinese Ministry program serves Chinese Catholics throughout the Archdiocese of San Francisco. This program proclaims the Gospel of Jesus through worship and sacraments, faith formation, and outreach services to build up a community of faith, hope and love.

CLERGY SUPPORT

Vicar for the Clergy
The Office of the Vicar for the Clergy assists and supports priests, deacons, and seminarians in their ministry to the people of the Archdiocese. The Vicar for Clergy oversees the work of the Priest Personnel Board, the Retirement Board, the Ongoing Formation of Priests Board and works with the Director of Vocations, the Director of Ongoing Formation of Priests, the Director of Diaconate Formation, the Director of Permanent Diaconate, the Vicar for Spanish speaking, and the Vicar for the Filipino Community. The Annual Appeal assists in this work by funding for clergy formation and ongoing studies, clergy retreats and days of recollection, clergy sabbaticals, and supplemental retirement needs.

Office of Vocations
The Office of Vocations fosters and supports a Vocations Culture in the parishes, Catholic schools and religious education programs of the Archdiocese. Responding to Jesus’ mandate: “The harvest is rich, but the laborers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his field”, (MT. 9:37), the Office places special emphasis on prayer resources and discernment materials that help candidates discover their individual calling in life. In addition to the promotion of vocations to the diocesan priesthood and religious life, the Office collaborates with the various seminaries and houses of formation that educate the priestly candidates of the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

Permanent Diaconate
The Office of Permanent Diaconate supports the ministry and lives of the deacons and their wives who serve the Archdiocese. The Office addresses concerns that relate to ministry assignments, the ongoing education of deacons, and the spiritual, financial and health concerns of the deacons and their families.

Diaconate Formation
The Annual Appeal helps support the Diaconate Formation program and the Diaconate community.  Deacons are an integral part of parish life in our Archdiocese.  Many teach RCIA, Faith Formation, Marriage Preparation, and Baptismal Preparation classes.  They are also intimately involved with their parish communities through visiting the sick, engaging in various forms of charitable works, and in many other ways.

Vicar General 

Priests Education Fund

Archdiocesan priests participate in the Social Security program, but because of the modest amount they earned during their many years of ministry, their monthly benefits are significantly smaller than those typically received by retired lay people.  While active priests are encouraged to save and invest for retirement, many faithful priests are left with minimal income when they retire. With gratitude, Catholics in the Archdiocese of San Francisco have acknowledged their responsibility to help our priests during their retirement.  

Office of Consecrated Life

Priests Retirement Fund

Serra Clergy House

UNIVERSAL CHURCH AND COMMUNICATIONS

Universal Church
In addition to the ministries and services provided by the Archdiocese, the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal also contributes to the larger work of the California Conference of Bishops,Holy See, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and the Vatican.

Communications
The Office of Communication manages internal communications to pastors, clergy, religious and laity, and external communications such as media relations, public relations, public information and special projects handling. The Office is responsible for the Official Archdiocesan Directory, the Archdiocese’s website, Catholic San Francisco magazine, and the content of Archdiocesan digital media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

DONATE TO YOUR PARISH ARCHDIOCESAN ANNUAL APPEAL