Cir. 22.20Dear Brother Priests, Deacons and Subdeacons, Religious Men and Women,
As you know Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is known worldwide as the largest of more than 165 Caritas organizations, and is the official outreach of American Catholics to the poor in over 117 countries. This year, once again, CRS has been at the forefront of the assistance to families facing all kinds of difficulties, and more recently assisting Caritas Ukraine to provide shelters, meals and safe transport to those affected by the conflict.
The most familiar of the efforts of CRS here in the United States is Operation Rice Bowl, which engages 9 million Catholics (mostly children, youth and families) to reach out during Lent to serve the poor overseas. Many of you have already been doing Rice Bowl. I want to thank you for this great support. Attached are two helpful calendars to accompany the Rice Bowl effort, using our Maronite Sundays in Lent.
If your parish children, youth and families would like to begin CRS Rice Bowl, it is not too late, please contact Deacon Joseph Chebli at (908) 431-5672 or email josephchebli@gmail.com. I would love to see all our parishes and missions involve their youth and families in this outreach.
I wish you a Blessed and Happy Lent!
+ Gregory
