Prayer of Lenten Solidarity

God of All Peoples,

As we look ahead to our Lenten journey,

may our fasting be a hunger for justice,

our alms an offering of peace,

and our prayers a reflection of humble and grateful hearts.

We ask the Holy Spirit to accompany us

as we spend these 40 days reflecting

on what it means to be companions on the journey

to encounter our global human family.

How may this encounter with our neighbor transform our own lives?

How may our prayers, fasting and almsgiving support those worldwide

who are forced to flee their homes for safety or better opportunities?

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ,

who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit,

one God forever and ever.

Amen

75% of the CRS Rice Bowl funds raised are used for CRS’s international development projects. 25% is distributed locally to be used within the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. Local entities working to alleviate hunger or poverty may apply to receive a grant.

Priority for the funds will be for efforts alleviating hunger and food insecurity.

Projects that respond to the root causes of hunger, i.e., projects dealing with economic development, anti-hunger advocacy, and organizing, etc., also meet the criteria.

Grant amount will range in size from $300-$3,500

The application must be submitted by April 28th.

Click here to fill out the local fund application.

Please share this application with local organizations that might qualify.

Also, please let them know about the great work of CRS!

CRS is the official international relief and development agency of the U.S. Catholic community. Working through local offices and an extensive network of partners, CRS operates in 91 countries.



CRS provides assistance to the the most vulnerable without regard to race, religion or nationality by responding to emergencies and fighting poverty. CRS has a mission oversees and one of calling Catholics in the US to Solidarity with our brothers and sisters around the world so that we can more fully live out our faith. CRS has great prayer, education, and advocacy resources for parishioners of all ages to engage in.

Charity Watch Grade: A+

https://www.crs.org/about

Here we are, Ash Wednesday 2023!

Thank you to all who joined us for the Rice Bowl Virtual Kick-off!

It was wonderful seeing you all, sharing CRS updates (especially hearing the amazing work of our CRS chapter), and talking Rice Bowl best practices!

If you need some reminders of resources here are some of the things we took a look at:

• parish resources 
• school resources 
• planning resources
• bulletin announcements
• stations of the cross
• stories of hope,

Remember to schedule a designated date, time, and location for your community to turn in their CRS Rice Bowl donations. A best practice is bringing them up as an offertory during Holy Thursday services. Send in all collected funds to Catholic Relief Services Attn: CRS Rice Bowl PO Box 5200 Harlan, IA 51593-0700



https://resources.catholicaoc.org/offices/catholic-social-action/task-forces-committees/crs

CRS Collection

Two weeks after Easter, the Catholic Relief Services Collection will be held in our Archdiocese on the weekend of April 22 and 23. This annual, national collection helps support the work of six organizations: Catholic Relief Services, the USCCB Department of Migration and Refugee Services, the Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc., the USCCB Secretariat for Cultural Diversity in the Church, the USCCB Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development and the Holy Father's Relief fund.

Check in with your pastor to see if there's anything you can do for them to support the CRS Collection. Our pastors are very busy and the more we can support them and take tasks off their shoulders the better!

A few notes/resources:

•   The Archbishop's letter  
•  Here is a bulletin insert
• Here's a Parish Resource Guide.
• Prayer card.
• For more resources and materials in Spanish check out this resource site.
•  The National Collections Office of the USCCB will send you promotional information as well.
•  You can contact me at 513-546-3143 or sseligmann@catholicaoc.org

Thank you again for encouraging your parishioners to a deeper understanding of global solidarity.