The National Collection for the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS) is a triennial collection approved by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in 2012 and first taken in 2013.

The first National Collection for the AMS was timed to coincide with Veterans Day November 2013 and raised more than $8.2 million from collections taken by 179 dioceses. The second National Collection will be taken in most dioceses and parishes across the country at weekend Masses November 5-6, 2016. While second collections are not allowed in U.S. military chapels, military personnel will have the opportunity to contribute independently by sending in individual donations in response to the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA Appeal.

There are many organizations that support U.S. military and their families, but there is no other diocese or non-profit organization like the AMS. The AMS provides the same pastoral care and services as any other Catholic diocese, to Catholics serving in the United States Armed Forces, enrolled in U.S. Military Academies, undergoing treatment at any of the 153 Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers in the U.S., Puerto Rico and Guam, working in civilian jobs for the federal government beyond U.S. borders, and the families of these populations.

5 November 2016

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Since 1985, the Archdiocese for the Military Services seeks to “serve those who serve” by providing the Church’s pastoral care to Catholics and their families serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. The archdiocese also serves cadets at the Military Academies, veterans through the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Medical Centers, and many civilians working for the federal government outside our country. The Archdiocese is the only source of Catholic chaplains for the U.S. military and Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers. All told, it offers pastoral service to approximately 1.8 million Catholics.

Apart from the salaries of these Catholic chaplains, the Archdiocese receives no funding from the military or the government for Catholic programs and services for these many men and women and their families. Like any diocese, they need Mass and the sacraments, faith formation, evangelization, and much more resources, encouragement, and pastoral care. Unlike a conventional diocese, however, the Archdiocese for Military Services has no parishes or weekly collections, relying solely on the generosity of private donations to support all these services.

Last year, Pope Francis told military ordinaries from around the world, “The role of military chaplains is to accompany and support [those in need] on the journey, to be a comforting and brotherly presence for them all” (Pope Francis, Address to participants in the 8th Humanitarian Course, 26 October 2015). Your prayerful support of this collection will help our Catholic military chaplains to bring the Gospel, the sacraments, and other needed spiritual support to men and women who generously serve our country and defend our freedoms, including many from our own diocese. Above all, please pray for their safety and strength as they serve us all.

Your brother in Christ,

Most Reverend R. Walker Nickless
Bishop of Sioux City