Making Christ Visible in Southern Illinois

The Catholic Service and Ministry Appeal (CSMA) is an annual, diocesan-wide collection that helps fund 17 ministries and offices that provide social, parish and education services in the Catholic Diocese of Belleville:

The mission of the Church…to ensure the healing, teaching and sanctifying presence of Jesus Christ in the ministries and programs that bring hope to countless people throughout the diocese…is only made possible through your support.  Every dollar raised is restricted to support only the work of those ministries and programs listed above. 

Please pray for the success of The 2026 Catholic Service and Ministry Appeal and, if your circumstances permit, consider making a gift or pledge of any size. Your contributions are deeply appreciated, very much needed and will make a difference in the lives of many!

• A message about the  Catholic Service and Ministry Appeal.
  
  

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Or by check, by sending a gift to:

The Catholic Service and Ministry Appeal
Diocese of Belleville
222 South Third St.
Belleville, IL 62220 

Or by credit card, by calling 618-277-8181, Ext. 1131

The Catholic Diocese of Belleville is exempt from federal income taxes under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code; your gift is tax-deductible to the full extent provided by law.

Providing food, clothing, shelter and emergency assistance of all types to those in need in the ten southernmost counties of our state.    

In the devastated community of Cairo and the surrounding areas served by Daystar, stories of faith, hope and love definitely do not go unnoticed!  BJ, a young, single mom with two children, working two jobs, had to vacate her home in public housing due to closure and demolition of all housing units by the Federal government.  Not wanting to leave her hometown, she purchased a home for taxes only. Located behind Daystar’s soup kitchen, The Kitchen Table, the house could barely be seen because of the tall, overgrown weeds and debris that surrounded it.  Yet, BJ was a determined mother with the courage and FAITH it would take to make this derelict house a home for her small family.  She had HOPE, knowing Daystar’s staff would be by her side to begin the many repairs, painting and clean-up that was needed...that she would not be alone in this challenge.  The last element of our story – LOVE – was freely given and shared between BJ and the many Daystar volunteers who worked so hard to make her house a home…young people and their chaperones from Holy Childhood Parish in Mascoutah, Immaculate Conception in Columbia, St. Mary the Immaculate Conception in Mount Vernon and students from Loyola Academy and St. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago. These wonderful groups come and volunteer every year as they join Daystar in doing God’s work, freely giving of themselves to bring faith, hope and love to those in need in a community that has been forgotten by so many.

                                                            Daystar Community Program

The Catholic Service and Ministry Appeal:  
Making Christ Visible in Southern Illinois

 REPORT TO THE LAITY
2025 Campaign

(March, 2025 - February, 2026)

The CSMA Agency Allocation and Accountability Committee Members

  Deacon Stephen Andrews, Lawrenceville • Mr.  William Barbieri, Belleville  •The Rev. Thomas Barrett, Eldorado
Sister Barbara Blesse, O.P., Carterville  • The Rev. Msgr. James Buerster,  Belleville • Mr. Michael Buscher, Aviston 
  Mr. Bill Harper, Murphysboro  • Mr. David Hollinshead, Red Bud • Mr. David James, II, Mount Carmel • Ms. Donna Kampwerth, Bartelso
Ms. Patricia Salmo, Christopher • The Rev. Carl Schrage, Fairview Heights •  Deacon Corby Valentine, Freeburg 
Ex-Officio Directors: The Very Rev. Godfrey Mullen, OSB • The Very Rev. Paul R. Wienhoff, JCL, V.G. • Mr. Michael Soete
 Diocesan Staff:   Ms. Kathleen Hunt, Ms. Judy Phillips

“We are not the masters of our lives or of the goods we enjoy, but that all we possess is a gift from God who entrusts these gifts to our care, our freedom and our responsibilities.  Let us pray to the Virgin Mary that she may intercede for us and help us to be faithful stewards of what the Lord has entrusted to us,administering it with justice and responsibility.”
                                                                                                    - Pope Leo XIV

Please click below to see the Board of Directors for The Catholic Service and Ministry Appeal

The Catholic Service and Ministry Appeal Board of Directors