Catholic Relief Services Collection Helps ‘Jesus In Disguise’

WASHINGTON— The Catholic ReliefServices Collection will take place the weekend of March 9-10. This year'scollection theme: "Jesus in Disguise: Howwill you help?" invites Catholics to influence the lives of more than 100million people at home and abroad, particularly families affected by persecution,war and natural disasters.

"The Catholic Relief ServicesCollection enacts Jesus' message of caring for the least of our brothers andsisters through providing humanitarian aid and ongoing resources. Thiscollection provides an opportunity for Catholics in the United States to helpsuffering families around the world," said Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr of Cincinnati, chairman of the Committee on NationalCollections of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) isthe official overseas relief and development agency of the U.S. Conference ofCatholic Bishops.

Recent collection funds have helpedCRS establish water programs in 40 countries around the world. In East Africa, for example, where a terrible drought sentmillions from their homes in search of food and water, some farmers inEthiopia stayed home. Their thriving crops and livestock needed tending. Longbefore the drought struck, CRS built more than 700 water sources thatprovide clean water to 2.1 million people there.

In Sudan, theyouth of West Darfur with little or no access to education, have been given asecond chance through CRS' Accelerated Learning project. Since 2005, thisproject has enabled CRS to build and rehabilitate hundreds of classrooms andhas allowed more than 600 CRS-trained teachers to put their good training intopractice.

Inaddition to CRS, the Catholic Relief Services Collection funds five other Catholicagencies: USCCB's Migration andRefugee Services, which helps resettle refugees in the United States; USCCB's Secretariatof Cultural Diversity in the Church, which provides outreach andpastoral care to ethnic and cultural groups; USCCB's Department of Justice, Peace, and Human Development, which advocatesfor poor and vulnerable peopleand for international justice and peaceCatholic Legal Immigration Network,Inc. (CLINIC); and the Holy Father's Relief Fund, which providesassistance to victims of natural disasters and other emergencies around the world.

More information on the CatholicRelief Services Collection and the projects it funds can be found online: www.usccb.org/catholic-giving/opportunities-for-giving/catholic-relief-services-collection/

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Keywords:National Collections, Catholic ReliefServices Collection, Archbishop DennisM. Schnurr, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, USCCB, CRS, MRS, CLINIC,Secretariat of Cultural Diversity in the Church, Department of Justice, Peaceand Human Development, The HolyFather's Relief Fund, natural disasters, war, human trafficking, migrantchildren, refugees

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