3/11/2010
Catholic Relief Services gives hope
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 | Most Rev. John Vlazny
Archbishop of Portland |
The halfway mark of every Lenten season is a time when the liturgy begins to remind us of the upcoming celebrations of the Lord’s passion, death and resurrection. Thus far the prayers and readings at Mass or during the liturgy of the hours have encouraged us to accompany our elect and candidates to the Easter sacraments and renew our own lives by turning away from sin and becoming more faithful to the gospel. But throughout the whole season of Lent, the disciplines that were on our minds back on Ash Wednesday, prayer, fasting and good works, remain priorities in our efforts to strengthen our faith and renew our commitment to the church’s evangelizing mission.
Among the good works we are encouraged to perform all year long, but especially in Lent, is almsgiving. We have had all kinds of opportunities to share our bounty and even our substance with those who may have even greater needs. Catholics in the archdiocese were very generous in responding to the emergency situation that resulted in Haiti because of the earthquake. We have already sent more than $520,000 collected in our parishes and schools. Many of our people provided financial support to the victims in Haiti through other agencies. For this wonderful display of generosity, the people of Haiti are most grateful and I am certainly pleased and proud to be one of you in this gesture of outreach. This, of course, is above and beyond the volunteer services that many Oregonians provided by going down to Haiti and working to alleviate some of the pain and suffering there.
The funds collected in our parishes and schools have been channeled to the people of Haiti through Catholic Relief Services. We Catholics here in the United States can be very proud of CRS as the professional organization carrying out the international relief and solidarity efforts that are so important in our efforts to build the kingdom of God here on earth. The losses in Haiti and subsequently in Chile were beyond belief. Because of the far-reaching effects those two earthquakes had on the lives of so many, assistance continues to pour into those nations from compassionate people like yourselves. But all year long, as a result of similar but less massive tragedies, women, men and children across the globe continue to need assistance if they are to survive. The CRS programs that benefit from this great church organization include relief and resettlement for victims of persecution, war and natural disasters; development projects to improve living conditions for the poor; legal and support services for poor immigrants; peace and reconciliation work for people suffering from violence; and advocacy on behalf of the powerless.
In recent times CRS helped prevent a food crisis in Africa’s Great Lakes region by educating farmers and distributing disease-resistant cassava plants. Cassava is the primary food staple of sub-Saharan Africa. It accounts for more than half of all calories consumed. What pasta is to Italians or rice to Asians or potatoes to the Irish, cassava is to the people in many African villages. Unfortunately, a decade ago a virulent form of cassava mosaic disease crossed the Ugandan border into western Kenya and wiped out just about every cassava field. Because agriculture researchers had developed improved cassava varieties resistant to cassava mosaic disease, CRS, with the help of many generous donors, was able to help farmers grow more of the disease-resistant varieties and thereby provide African families with this staple for their daily diet.
Down in Haiti a 44-year-old mother of two children had lost her job in the apparel industry four years ago. She struggled to survive. This all changed when Congress, in part through the advocacy of Catholic Relief Services, passed a trade preference bill which is a blessing for the people of Haiti. In advocating for trade opportunities for Haiti, CRS provided important assistance to the people there by making sure that the bill strengthened labor protections for Haitian workers and provided capacity building funds to ensure better worker rights. With the recent earthquake, the Haitians continue to require assistance and employee rights will probably need to be reinforced once again in the not-too-distant future when some stability returns to that land.
On the fourth Sunday of Lent, Catholic churches across the United States take up an annual collection in support of Catholic Relief Services. When we make sacrifices in order to help the marginalized and impoverished women, men and children who benefit from the services of these programs, we Catholics once again give hope to Jesus in disguise. In St. Matthew’s gospel, Jesus tells his disciples that when we are helping the hungry, the thirsty, the homeless, people with any and every need, we are helping him.
On behalf of all those who rely upon our assistance, I ask you to be generous. Please join me in giving hope to the community that has lost its livelihood to a crop disease, to the refugee child separated from her mother, to the immigrant trying to keep a faithful eye in a foreign land, to refugees, immigrants and the impoverished, including victims of war, natural disaster and drought. The humanitarian, economic, pastoral and advocacy efforts of CRS and its associates are critical for the well-being of many of our sisters and brothers across the globe. Through our generosity this Lent, millions of people the whole world over will be blessed.
Last year the people of the Archdiocese of Portland contributed $98,000 to this annual appeal. We can and should do better. What you did for Haiti was marvelous. It prods me to set a goal of $150,000 for this year’s Lenten CRS Appeal. We can do it. And we must remember that through our generosity we give hope to Jesus in disguise. If you want more information, please visit the USCCB Website about the Catholic Relief Services Collection. You will be pleased to learn about the many accomplishments of CRS made possible because of benefactors like you. Charity begins at home, but it should not end there.
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