How is the archdiocesan assessment different from the Catholic Services Appeal?

Introduced in the early 1980s, the CSA funds most of the ministries of the Archdiocese of Detroit, while the assessment supports Archdiocesan Operations. In other words, the assessment primarily covers the administrative expenses of the archdiocese, whereas the CSA funds ministries.

Numerous parish ministries benefit from CSA-supported archdiocesan departments and institutions, including Evangelization, Catechesis and Schools, and Parish Life and Services. The Office of Priestly Vocations, Sacred Heart Major Seminary, archdiocesan-wide Rite of Christian Initiation for adults (RCIA) programs, and the long-running, locally-produced televised Mass for Shut-Ins receive CSA funding. Because gifts to the CSA enable the Detroit Archdiocese to offer these ministries, programs, and services, parishes do not need to self-fund these efforts, which would be beyond the resources of any one parish to establish and sustain.

The CSA also funds contributions from the Detroit Archdiocese to six national and international Catholic ministries, which benefit from annual appeals issued by the Holy See and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Because contributions to these ministries are made through the CSA, special collections for these ministries are not conducted in parishes of the Detroit Archdiocese. The six annual appeals funded by the CSA include:

1) Church in Latin America,

2) Black and Indian Missions,

3) Holy Land,

4) Catholic Home Missions Appeal,

5) Catholic Communication Campaign, and

6) The Catholic University of America.