Office for Social Ministry “Lent is a time in which the church, guided by a sense of maternal care, invites us to place the mystery of God back in the center of our lives, in order to find renewal in our faith and keep our hearts from being consumed by the anxieties and distractions of […]
Talk story: Fraternal compassion is needed more than ever
Office for Social Ministry “In this our time, we still see too much discord, too many wounds caused by hatred, violence, prejudice, the fear of difference, and an economic paradigm that exploits the Earth’s resources and marginalizes the poorest. For our part, we want to be a small leaven of unity, communion and fraternity within […]
Rice Bowl Story of Hope: Learning to protect crops in natural disasters
By Catholic Relief Services Shahadat Hossain lives on Manpura island in Bangladesh. He is a successful vegetable farmer who grows beans, pumpkins, tomatoes, eggplants and green chilis. He spends his days caring for his cows and tending the garden plots on his family’s land. Their farm provides nutritious food for Shahadat’s family to eat and […]
CRS Rice Bowl Story of Hope: Nutritious meals help children’s growth
By Catholic Relief Services Ana Belen Mulul Yat and her husband, Jose, have four children and a baby on the way. They live in a small house in Santa Maria Chiquimula, Guatemala. Francisco, their 9-year-old son, says his neighborhood is “a very happy place to live, but sometimes it’s also very hard to live here.” […]
Talk story: Cultivating our faith takes patience and care
Office for Social Ministry And Jesus told them this parable: “There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none, he said to the gardener, ‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this […]
Stories of Hope: Thriving after struggle, mother now pays it forward
By Catholic Relief Services Amina Bukar, a mother of five, is a well-respected leader and small-business owner in Muna Moforo, Nigeria. In her village nutrition group, she teaches mothers how to prepare nutrient-rich porridge for their children to help them grow strong and healthy. This is important because in Nigeria, more than 25 million people […]
Talk story: We are all pilgrims in Lent and in life
Office for Social Ministry “This Lent, as we share in the grace of the Jubilee Year, I would like to propose a few reflections on what it means to journey together in hope, and on the summons to conversion that God in his mercy addresses to all of us, as individuals and as a community.” (Pope Francis, […]
Talk story: Sharing Stories of Hope through CRS Rice Bowl
Ash Wednesday marks the start of the annual CRS Rice Bowl, the Lenten program of Catholic Relief Services. CRS is the official relief and development agency of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. CRS Rice Bowl began during preparation for the 1975 World Eucharistic Congress in the United States, when Catholics in Pennsylvania prayed, fasted […]
Talk story: Rice Bowl’s eucharistic roots
OFFICE FOR SOCIAL MNISTRY “Today the cry of so many of our oppressed brothers and sisters rises to heaven and moves the heart of God. Lent is a time to ask ourselves: Do we hear that cry? Does it trouble us? Does it move us?” (Pope Francis, Message for Lent 2024) Pope Francis’ 2024 […]
Bishop Larry Silva: Letter on the CRS Rice Bowl
Dear Friends in Christ, Every year the season of Lent calls us on a journey of prayer, fasting and almsgiving to come closer to Jesus, the Son of God who shared and redeemed our vulnerable humanity. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops invites us to participate in the Lenten journey through the Catholic Relief Services-CRS […]