OFFICE FOR SOCIAL MINISTRY
The Lord is close to the broken hearted, saves those whose spirit is crushed.” (Psalm 34: 19-20)
This verse from Psalm 34 frames the final weeks of Lent’s emphasis on God’s “closeness” to the suffering. This year, Catholic Relief Services is helping us focus our Lenten prayer, fasting and almsgiving on support for the relief efforts in the aftermath of the catastrophic cyclone in Mozambique, the Rice Bowl “Stories of Hope” from Sierra Leone and Gaza Palestine, and Rice Bowl-funded parish social ministries serving the vulnerable throughout Hawaii.
CRS recently informed all U.S. dioceses of the devastation tropical Cyclone Idai inflicted in March on Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi in Southern Africa. The death toll in Mozambique has already risen above 750 and the threat of a massive cholera outbreak is rising. Vital roads, bridges and crops have been destroyed and thousands of people have lost their homes. CRS is working with local partners in the three countries to support 4,000 flood-afflicted households with food, emergency shelter, water and living supplies. CRS will also work to rehabilitate shelters and sanitation facilities and provide access to agricultural supplies and grants for those in urban areas. Donations to relief efforts can be sent to CRS through the Diocese of Honolulu’s financial office.
Kumba, grand-daughter of Waisa (CRS photo)
The CRS Lenten Rice Bowl materials quote popes’ encyclicals that underscore why it is an essential part of our faith to support the development of vulnerable peoples throughout the world. St. John XXIII said in “Pacem in Terris,” “Humans have the right to live, the right to bodily integrity and to the means necessary for the proper development.” An example is this year’s Rice Bowl “Story of Hope” from Sierra Leone in Africa where many women, like Waisa, never receive an education. However, Waisa now is making sure her granddaughter Kumba attends school where she is nourished physically and intellectually. Kumba wants to be a nurse to make a difference in her community. (Go to www.crsricebowl.org, “Story of Hope,” March 31 to April 6.)
Along these lines, in his encyclical “Laudato Si,” Pope Francis says, “Work is a necessity, part of the meaning of life on this earth, a path to growth, human development and personal fulfillment.” This is illustrated in the “Story of Hope” about Ona, a woman from the refugee areas of Gaza Palestine. In the midst of war and poverty, Ona had studied hard to get a teaching degree, but could not find work until CRS provided her a teaching internship. Ona then opened a tutoring center that helps students of all ages with “a path to human development.” (Go to www.crsricebowl.org, “Story of Hope,” April 7-13.)
Here in Hawaii, God’s closeness with the vulnerable can be experienced in Rice Bowl-funded parish social ministry projects that are part of the diocesan initiative “One Ohana: Food and Housing for All.” These projects include weekend backpacks full of food for hungry children in the parishes of St. Damien on Molokai, St. Elizabeth on Oahu and Sacred Heart in Pahoa on the Big Island; the feeding of hundreds of homeless persons everyday at St. Theresa Parish with Hale Kau Kau on Maui; the outreach with “houseless” persons at St. Ann Parish, Kaneohe, with the Institute for Human Services and Habitat for Humanity; the collaboration of St. Michael Parish with the HOPE Services Hawaii and Catholic Charities Hawaii to end family homelessness on the Big Island’s Kona side; and accompanying the broken-hearted through homebound, hospital and hospice ministries in many parishes on all the islands.
These are only a few examples of how parishes across Hawaii connect their Lenten prayer, fasting and almsgiving to the experience of God’s close loving presence with the vulnerable. For more information, please visit the Honolulu Diocese and Office for Social Ministry websites, www.catholichawaii.org and www.officeforsocialministry.org.
PS: Please remember to turn in your Rice Bowls to the parishes before the end of Holy Week.
Mahalo, your friends at the Office for Social Ministry
CRS RICE BOWL WEEK 4: Rights and Responsibilities
Every person has basic rights that make life truly human. Corresponding to our rights, we all have duties and responsibilities to one another, our families and the larger society.
STORY OF HOPE: WAISA OF SIERRA LEONE
Waisa didn’t spend a single day in school. When she was young, no one thought girls should receive an education. Plus, there was work to do. She helped her 12 siblings at her family’s farm. She was responsible for helping her mom sell meat to their neighbors. Now, things have changed in Sinkunia, a town in the north of Sierra Leone. Waisa knows the importance of education — especially for girls. “If there’s education, Sierra Leone will develop,” she says. “Our students will make sure of it.” That’s why Waisa insists that her 12-year-old granddaughter, Kumba, attends the nearby CRS-sponsored school. And, because of the nutritious lunch CRS gives each student every day, Kumba and her classmates can focus on their studies and not on their hunger.
Kumba’s favorite subject is math because she likes the challenge. When she completes her education, she wants to be a nurse. If there were more nurses in Sinkunia, those who get sick wouldn’t have to leave the town to get healthcare, she says. Waisa is proud of her granddaughter and continues to work hard to support her. With no shade from the hot sun, Waisa cares for the family’s garden, watering eggplants, tomatoes, onions and more to be harvested and sold through the streets of Sinkunia. Kumba helps, too, every day after school.
“I’m happy if I can support my daughters and granddaughters, even through university,” Waisa says. With a smile, she adds, “I know that educated girls help their parents and their communities.”
SHARE THE JOURNEY
A good education doesn’t just benefit the student. It benefits the family, the community, and the common good, allowing individuals to flourish without needing to leave home.
WEEK 5: THE DIGNITY OF WORK, THE RIGHTS OF WORKERS
Jesus spent years working as a carpenter. Work is important to help people fulfill their potential. And everyone must receive a fair wage to provide for themselves and their families.
STORY OF HOPE: GAZA PALESTINE
Ona always knew she wanted to be a “shining woman” in her community — and an example to her two young daughters. She studied hard and eventually earned her teaching degree. But in Gaza, jobs are hard to find. “The financial situation was so difficult,” Ona says. “I started to feel hopeless.”
That’s why CRS matches workers with job opportunities. Through CRS, Ona applied for an internship as a teacher and was hired to teach math. Ona wanted to take full advantage of the opportunity. “I took time to ask questions and learn,” she said. “I tried to better myself — and become a better teacher.” Ona gained the confidence to branch out on her own, saving enough money to open a tutoring center. She now helps students of all ages with math and other subjects. After one month in business, 41 children had visited her center.
“When people encourage you, you start to think in a more creative way,” Ona says. As she thinks about the future, she thinks of her children. “I hope I can be an example to my daughters. I hope that my daughters can achieve their dreams.”
SHARE THE JOURNEY
Access to dignified work at a living wage allows people to remain with their families and strengthen their communities. To share more, visit www.crsricebowl.org.
— Catholic Relief Services
