This year we mark the 55th anniversary of our annual Bishop’s Appeal. The Bishop’s Appeal is the financial lifeline that sustains the vital services and programs which the Church provides to improve the lives of people living in our communities and parishes throughout the 14 counties of our Diocese.

It is now ever more important and meaningful to remember that in these challenging times for our Church, our nation and our world, we are God’s people and that the work we do in the name of the Lord must not diminish, but increase. In times good and bad, families come together. It is my hope and prayer that our greater Diocesan family will come together in faith and in love to ensure that, in spite of the hardships and pitfalls placed before us, the work of Jesus will carry on.

Please give as generously as you can to the 2009 Bishop’s Appeal.

Howard J. Hubbard, D.D. Bishop of Albany