The CRS in Action Committee of St. John the Evangelist aspires to enact initiatives of Catholic Relief Services in the Parish. Some of these include the Lenten Rice Bowl Project, the One on the Journey Prayer Walk and Helping Hands. The Committee will also seek to be the outstretched hand to refugees among us offered by Pope Francis.
‘Dear migrants and refugees! Never lose the hope that you too are facing a more secure future, that on your journey you will encounter an outstretched hand, and that you can experience fraternal solidarity and the warmth of friendship!’ ~ Pope Francis
The CRS in Action Committee at St John’s strives to promote the work of Catholic Relief Services. What does CRS do? The mission of CRS is to support the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. We are motivated by the Gospel of Jesus Christ to cherish, preserve and uphold the sacredness and dignity of all human life, foster charity and justice, and embody Catholic social and moral teaching as we act to:
PROMOTE HUMAN DEVELOPMENT by responding to major emergencies, fighting disease and poverty, and nurturing peaceful and just societies; and, SERVE CATHOLICS IN THE UNITED STATES as they live their faith in solidarity with their brothers and sisters around the world.
Giving Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Rice Bowl a Face
Meet Thomas Awiapo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RB1g3-czZH0 Thomas is currently visiting in parishes in our Archdiocese, talking about the importance of Rice Bowl and Catholic Relief Services (CRS).
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is one of the two main global agencies that represent the Church Universal in the world, the other being Caritas, International. These two agencies are the face of the Church in times of global disasters.
CRS’s mission is to provide relief in the form of food to the neediest in the poorest corners of our globe. CRS also works with poor communities to address social problems and to help communities learn self-sustaining development strategies. CRS works through local organizers to create cooperative farming communities and micro-financing of locally-run businesses. CRS always seeks to move beyond “hand-out” strategies to capacity-building.
Rice Bowl is CRS’s nationwide Lenten program to raise funds for its programs. Seventy-five percent of Rice Bowl contributions go to CRS International while twenty-five percent goes to hunger programs in our own Archdiocese. Please consider participating in the Lenten Rice Bowl program. Contribute using a Rice Bowl, available in the church narthex which will be collected on Palm Sunday, or through the designated envelope for CRS Rice Bowl, which can be placed in the offering any time during Lent.
It’s the Lenten season. We are called to prayer, fasting, mercy and action. Rice Bowl is a wonderful way to bring new meaning to the Lenten voyage.
Try some interesting meatless meals with your family from CRS countries. Recipes are available on the Rice Bowl Website at crsricebowl.org.
The CRS in Action Committee works in cooperation with the Social Concerns Committee at St. John.
Contact: Lois Heist
CRSinAction@gmail.com
Catholic Relief Services Links
Mission Statement: http://www.crs.org/about/mission-statement
Guiding Principles: http://www.crs.org/about/guiding-principles