OFFICE FOR SOCIAL MINISTRY
“When one has turned money, property, and work into one’s calling of service with others, then the joy of sharing and the feeling that we are all one family does not pass away” (Blessed Oscar Romero, martyred Archbishop of El Salvador, Rice Bowl 2017)
During Lent, Rice Bowl provides daily reminders from holy men and women (such as El Salvador’s Archbishop Romero who sacrificed his life living his faith) about how Catholic social teaching can inspire and guide us. The teaching’s “principle of the dignity of work and rights of workers” reminds us that, just as Jesus spent years working as a young carpenter, work is important for people to live good lives, which is why people must be paid a fair wage.
Today, 37 years after Archbishop Romero was martyred on March 24, poor communities in El Salvador still face widespread violence that undermines the dignity of work and rights of workers. Street gangs and drug cartels have expanded their influence over the past few decades. As a result many young people have become refugees, seeking safety and work in the United States.
Meanwhile, the Catholic Church struggles to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ and Archbishop Romero accompanying the poor.
In El Salvador, Catholic Relief Services addresses three key problems the country faces: youth unemployment and inactivity, high levels of violence in which young people are both the victim and perpetrator, and the creation of alternatives to migration for young people.
CRS helps at-risk youth and their families by offering life skills and vocational training and job placements. CRS promotes peace-building by helping marginalized youth participate in their country’s economic life through skill-building workshops and community service programs. The increased trust and reconciliation that results between the youth and their communities promised a better future.
Giving through CRS Rice Bowl can help young people in El Salvador get an education and job training. Your contributions help heal communities broken by violence. Along with Pope Francis and Bishop Larry Silva, we encourage you to employ Rice Bowl resources in your Lenten journey of prayer, fasting and acts of mercy to come closer to God and experience the joy of knowing we are one family, putting our prayer into action.
“Christ Jesus, we ask that like Blessed Oscar Romero we will not be afraid to risk all that we have to follow you, to stand with the poor and oppressed. May you grant us the same courage you gave Blessed Oscar Romero: that we will feel what we are afraid to feel; that we will not be overwhelmed by all that needs to be done — but that we will follow you, and trust that you will walk with us on our journey of discipleship, wherever it may lead. May our walk be one of true solidarity as Blessed Oscar Romero’s was and in life and death, may we bear much fruit.” (A CRS 2017 Rice Bowl daily prayer)
Mahalo,
Your friends at the Office for Social Ministry
PS: At the end of March, another chapter in the CRS 2017 Rice Bowl Story of Hope here in Hawaii is happening. The Catholic Chuukese community, and in particular the youth, are holding a craft fair and cultural festival to raise funds for a van to visit and care for the homebound. The event is Thursday, March 30, at Sangha Hall in Hilo. For more information, contact mic_lewis@hotmail.com.
ENCOUNTER LENT: CRS RICE BOWL WEEK 3
Story of Hope: Fernando, a youth working for peace in El Salvador
Fernando dreams of becoming a businessman. He also dreams of a peaceful future for his young family, and this motivates him to sell cookbooks on San Salvador’s buses. It’s dangerous work for $10 a day — gangs frequently stop, harass, rob and kill drivers and passengers — but Fernando keeps going, determined to achieve his dreams.
Fernando’s dreams and his faith led him to YouthBuild, a six-month, Catholic Relief Services sponsored program that trains young people in business. There, Fernando found a positive, supportive community to help him pursue his passion, despite the challenges of life in El Salvador.
Training for six months with YouthBuild wasn’t easy on Fernando or his family. Without his wife to support him and care for their two young daughters, the early mornings and long days might have been impossible. “YouthBuild is about family because families help you realize your dreams,” Fernando says.
Fernando is now putting his newfound skills to work. After graduating from YouthBuild in 2016, he took part in a series of entrepreneur workshops for young people organized by CRS and is currently carrying out work on his new business plan. He is also a part of the YouthBuild network of graduates, youth leaders who mentor other young people and look for new opportunities for employment and growth. Rice Bowl calls us to encounter God this Lent by praying and acting in solidarity with Fernando and all people on the margins struggling for work with dignity to realize their dreams of a better future for all.
“For Fernando in El Salvador, whom we are remembering through CRS Rice Bowl, and all young people struggling to find meaningful work and provide for their families. For our own community of faith, that we promote the rights of workers, remembering that Jesus worked, and that through our work, we remember that we are made in the image and likeness of our God, and his labor of creation. Amen”
Station of the Cross VI: Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus
Young couples such as Fernando and his wife support one another, and reach out to others in need, as Veronica did.
Suggested Sacrifice of Mercy
Give 50 cents to your CRS Rice Bowl each time you reach out to comfort someone in need and help them realize their dreams.
