Catholic Relief Services Collection Helps “Jesus in Disguise”

WASHINGTON—The annual Catholic Relief Services Collection will be held in most parishes on March 6, Laetare Sunday. The collection supports Catholic organizations that carry out international relief and solidarity efforts and continues to help those suffering at home and across the globe who are all Jesus in disguise.  

Programs supported by the collection include relief and resettlement for victims of persecution, war, and natural disasters; development projects to improve living conditions for the poor; legal, pastoral and support services for immigrants; peace and reconciliation work for people suffering from violence; and advocacy efforts.

"In this Jubilee Year of Mercy, especially during Lent, we are called to reach out to our brothers and sisters who are suffering and share with them the healing love of Christ," said Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi of Mobile, Alabama, chairman of the Committee on National Collections that promotes the collection to U.S. dioceses. "What better way to share the salvific mercy God has shown us than to show that mercy to others. Through participation in this collection we can all share the mercy of God in a concrete way."

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Administrative Committee is responsible for grant-making from this national collection. Entities within the USCCB that receive support include: the Secretariat of Cultural Diversity in the Church, and the Department of Justice Peace and Human Development and the Department of Migration and Refugee Services. Other Catholic Church organizations that receive funds are: Catholic Relief Services, Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc., and the Holy Father's Relief Fund.

More information on The Catholic Relief Services Collection and the projects it funds is available at: www.usccb.org/catholic-relief. Shareable resources for the collection can be found at: www.usccb.org/catholic-giving/opportunities-for-giving/catholic-relief-services-collection/collection/index.cfm.
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Keywords: Catholic Relief Services Collection, Laetare Sunday, Migration and Refugee Services, Secretariat of Cultural Diversity in the Church, Department of Justice Peace and Human Development, Catholic Relief Services, Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Holy Father's Relief Fund, immigration, peace and reconciliation, international relief, U.S. Conference of Catholic bishops, stewardship, Jubilee of Mercy
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