On Ash Wednesday (Feb. 18), the USCCB holds its second special collection of 2026: Collection for Aid to the Church in Central and Eastern Europe (or CCEE). This collection was established  in 1991 to support the Church in more than 25 countries in Central and Eastern Europe previously under communist rule. “During much of the 20th century, communist governments nearly silenced the Church’s witness. Church properties were seized. Seminaries and convents were closed. Clergy, religious sisters and brothers, and Catholic laity faced imprisonment or death for their faith.”

Now in its 35th year,The Collection aims to “help restore the Church by supporting evangelization, seminary education, family ministries, and construction projects to restore church structures damaged by years of neglect.”

Writing about some of the recent projects funded by this collection, the 2024 Annual Report includes details of how in Ukraine, the Eparchy of Buchach has transformed a former public hospital into a rehabilitation center for men, women, and children wounded in war. Another project in Kazakhstan (where Catholics make up less than 1% of the population) provided funding for programs with children with Down syndrome. In Slovakia, the Catholic humanitarian agency Caritas runs an outreach program for Roma children and youth, who typically live in great material and social deprivation.

In thanking donors, Bishop Jeffrey Monforton, Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit and Chairman, the USCCB Subcommittee on Aid to the Church in Central and Eastern Europe says: “Our work continues. But thanks to you, a new generation of Catholics has become the hands and face of Christ to others in the region who are lost or marginalized. . . I invite you to learn how your gifts are changing lives and bringing the love of Christ to nations that once tried to silence him.”