On the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, communities around the globe participate in Giving Tuesday, a movement aimed at inspiring generosity — not just in one’s finances, but in time and thoughtfulness toward others.
“It’s a simple idea: whether it’s making someone smile, helping a neighbor or stranger out, showing up for an issue or people we care about, or giving some of what we have to those who need our help, every act of generosity counts and everyone has something to contribute toward building the better world we all want to live in,” Giving Tuesday’s website states.
The initiative is especially fitting following a holiday centered around gratitude — a virtue that is not meant to only be cultivated interiorly but meant to inspire, in turn, generosity in sharing the abundance in one’s life. Regardless of whether that abundance is in good health, time, money, or relationships, Giving Tuesday encourages one to orient it toward benefiting others.
For Catholics in the US, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving presents a unique opportunity to support spiritual communities, parishes, and nonprofits, through the nonprofit #iGiveCatholic campaign.
“As we reflect with grateful hearts on how blessed we are, we naturally want to give back to God from our deep sense of gratitude,” the campaign’s website reads.
The website adds that the campaign, which began in 2015, aims to inspire “faithful stewards to express their generosity in support of and gratitude for their beloved faith community and ministries.”
In 2024, the Catholic bishops across the U.S. encouraged the faithful to participate in the campaign by supporting Catholic organizations that feed the hungry or shelter the homeless, and thereby live out the corporal works of mercy, as CatholicVote previously reported.
The campaign lists every diocese partnering with it for the 2025 event, which falls on Dec. 2.
“We invite you to pray and discern what God is putting on your heart related to supporting the Catholic organizations you admire,” the campaign’s website reads. “Where can you make a heartfelt impact to benefit lives in your community?”
The post Gratitude and Giving Tuesday appeared first on CatholicVote org.