NORTH READING -- At the launch of the annual Archdiocese of Boston Catholic Appeal at St. Theresa Parish in North Reading on Feb. 7, Archbishop Richard G. Henning told donors and Appeal coordinators that they must be bold in order to support the "genuine revival of faith" happening in New England.

"We've got to pay attention to what's happening out around us," the archbishop said. "We have to double down. We have to be even more committed, I think, to working with God at a moment like this."

The Catholic Appeal is a critical source of funding for the archdiocese's parishes, schools, and ministries, including those which help both Catholics and non-Catholics in need. Every parish in the archdiocese is running a Catholic Appeal fundraising campaign tailored to its own needs. The theme of this year's campaign is "Together We Are One."

"It takes a village to do the work that you all do, to support our pastors and the parishes and ensuring the Catholic Appeal is successful," said Gavan Mooney, chief philanthropy officer for the Archdiocese of Boston, "and together we accomplish that, year in and year out."

Mooney said that Boston's Catholic Appeal is one of the most successful in the U.S.

Archbishop Henning said that the Appeal is directly supporting increased Mass attendance, increased numbers of people becoming Catholic, and increased vocations, and he noted that campus ministries in the archdiocese are thriving.

"Clearly, what's happening is not by some program that we did, but rather, God is doing something," Archbishop Henning said.

He thanked the Appeal donors for staying with their faith, despite difficult times in the past.

"I want to also thank you for being those folks who stuck with the faith in those lean years and made sure that there would be a Church to receive now this new generation, which is being set on fire by the power of the spirit," he said.

Soon, he said, the students in campus ministry will be raising families in parishes. That makes the Appeal's work especially important.

"We should be working hard right now to make sure that we're ready to receive them properly and offer that same degree of really living faith in our parishes, as well," he said. "Maybe your parish is already there, but I think there's always room, isn't there, to intensify our commitment to the Lord and deepen our awareness of his presence."

Catholic Appeal Manager Arlene Dubrowski said that the Catholic Appeal exists to support the 30,000 students in the archdiocese's Catholic schools, the thousands of patients visited by hospital chaplains, and the hundreds of college students deepening their faith in campus ministry. She referenced the Jan. 29 news conference in which Bishop Cristiano Barbosa expressed his support for Gov. Maura Healey's proposed legislation which would ban ICE agents from entering churches.

Dubrowski said that the bishop was "standing up for the rights of our parishioners."

"That is what's supported" by the Catholic Appeal, she said.

She said that some parishioners don't see how the Catholic Appeal supports them, but she assured those at the launch event that the Appeal funds support every parish and its needs.

"The Catholic Appeal is about sharing the vision with the archdiocese and getting all your parishioners to participate and be part of that revival," she said.

Many of those at the launch event were Catholic Appeal coordinators for their parishes. Kathleen Schortmann, Appeal coordinator for St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Dedham, said that coordinators are "the lay voice of the campaign."

"Even though this is a yearlong campaign, the first three months are crucial to its success," she said.

The Appeal coordinators are responsible for giving witness talks about the Appeal to those in the pews. Schortmann told the coordinators to focus on how the Appeal can support their parish and the unique needs of its parishioners. She recommended that parishes translate the message into different languages if they have multicultural communities, or upload videos to social media about the Appeal. The Catholic Appeal offers instructions on how to present a witness talk, craft messaging, and make social media content.

Also, during the launch event, five Catholic Appeal coordinators received awards for their work: Karen Boyce of St. Julia Parish in Weston; Lourdes Alvarez of Our Lady Comforter of the Afflicted Parish in Waltham; Deacon Mike Curren of St. Augustine Parish in Andover; Steve Mendonca of St. Anthony in Lowell; and Tom Arsenault of St. John Chrysostom Parish in West Roxbury.