Bishop George J. Lucas recently received a letter thanking the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois for a contribution of $46,000 to the 2008 Collection for the Church in Latin America.

In the letter, Bishop Jaime Soto, chairman of the subcommittee on the Church in Latin America for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, said that in 2008, the subcommittee approved over 530 parish projects surpassing $8 million, the largest amount granted in the 45 years of the collection.

"Because of your personal support and the generosity of the faithful in your diocese, we have the ability to respond year after year," Bishop Soto said. "Our Catholic brothers and sisters in Latin America and the Caribbean will continue to rely on our abiding financial support, prayers and pastoral solidarity in the years to come.

"May our Blessed Mother, Santa Maria de Guadalupe, continue to draw us together under the mantle of her maternal love," he said.