This year Catholic Relief Services celebrates its 75th anniversary. Founded in 1943 to assist the war-torn and refugee populations of Europe, CRS has expanded its operations and now works in 110 countries, on five continents, reaching more than 130 million people with its programs led by more than 7,000 employees.
CRS is the official overseas relief and development agency of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and a member of Caritas Internationalis.
CRS carries out the commitment of the bishops of the United States to assist those who are poor and vulnerable overseas. As part of the universal mission of the Catholic Church, CRS works with local, national and international Catholic institutions and structures, as well as other organizations, to assist people on the basis of need, not creed, race or nationality.
This life-affirming work is carefully reviewed by a board of directors chaired by a Catholic bishop and whose 25 members consist of a majority of 13 bishops in addition to 12 lay and clerical members.
The mission of CRS is to promote human development by assisting those who are vulnerable by fighting disease and poverty, nurturing peaceful and just societies, and responding to major emergencies and natural disasters, such as earthquakes and floods. Both immediate life-saving measures and long-term recovery assistance are provided. In addition to its overseas work, CRS assists Catholics in the United States to live their faith in solidarity with their brothers and sisters around the world. In this 75th year of operations, CRS wants to share its profound gratitude to its diocesan, parish and educational partners, and to the many, many donors and volunteers who enable CRS to serve vulnerable people around the world thanks to their generosity.
Want to learn more about the 75th anniversary of CRS?
At https://75.crs.org: Read more about CRS and its 75 years of global engagement
CRS Rice Bowl assists globally and locally
Catholic Relief Services Rice Bowl is a nationally promoted Lenten program of “prayer, fasting, learning and giving” endorsed by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. In the Diocese of Charlotte, coordination of the CRS Rice Bowl Program and its associated local Mini-Grant Program is done through Catholic Charities’ Office of Social Concerns and Advocacy.
Rice Bowl offers participants educational and prayer resources to deepen their commitment to global solidarity, in addition to providing needed funds for global and local hunger and poverty alleviation projects.
This past Lent, thanks to the CRS Rice Bowl promotional efforts of many parish and school staff and volunteers, and to the generous donations made by thousands of children and adults, a combined 54 diocesan parishes and schools sent in a total of $60,353.25 to the diocesan Finance Office.
The CRS Rice Bowl theme of encountering our neighbor applies to the CRS-related good works that are done in the Charlotte diocese as well in CRS projects overseas. For every $3 of CRS Rice Bowl funds that go for the work of CRS overseas, $1 remains in the United States for addressing poverty and hunger in archdioceses and dioceses across the nation.
This past fall, seven parishes and three Catholic non-profits each received a $1,000 CRS Rice Bowl Mini-Grant from Catholic Charities, funded from the portion of the Rice Bowl collection retained for local use.
The 2017 CRS Rice Bowl Mini-Grant recipients are from Asheville, Charlotte, Greensboro, Jefferson, Linville, Salisbury, Sapphire and Winston-Salem.
Three Rice Bowl grants helped to fund community garden projects at St. Benedict the Moor Church in Winston-Salem, St. Eugene Church in Asheville, and Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury.
Rice Bowl grant funded projects also included two nutritional programs for pregnant women, material assistance funding for low-income individuals and families, meals for those who are homeless, two food pantries, and a children’s backpack nutritional outreach program.
The next round of the CRS Rice Bowl Grant Program opens Aug. 1, with applications due by the postmark deadline of Monday, Oct. 15. The grant application and guidelines will be available on the website of Catholic Charities on Aug. 1, at www.ccdoc.org/cchdcrs.
Projects that are new to Rice Bowl funding or have not received funding in recent years are especially encouraged to apply.
Grant applications are reviewed and signed by the pastor of the parish, principal of the school, or director of the Catholic entity applying for the grant.
Join with CRS and the U.S. bishops in advocacy
Almost 800 million people globally live on less than $1.90 per day (according to the World Bank Group, 2016). Speaking out on their behalf is part of our call as Christians. Catholics Confront Global Poverty is an initiative of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and Catholic Relief Services.
If you feel called to advocacy to defend lives and human dignity across the globe by helping to influence U.S. policy and foreign aid decisions that affect our neighbors living afar, consider joining CCGP. By signing up to receive CCGP email alerts, Catholics throughout the nation can help vulnerable people around the world living in poverty, facing hunger and threatened by terrible violence. One’s voice is added to tens of thousands of others to assist refugees, fight human trafficking, resolve conflicts and end debilitating diseases.
Get involved
At www.confrontglobalpoverty.org: Learn more and sign up for email alerts and join the advocacy effort for human life and dignity across the globe
Joseph Purello is director of Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte’s Office of Social Concerns and Advocacy, and the diocesan director for CRS.