NEW YORK – As Catholic Relief Services celebrates the 50th anniversary of the annual Lenten Rice Bowl program, Pope Francis has written to the organization with a message of gratitude and support for all those involved in what he calls a “noble initiative.”
“On this auspicious occasion, I express my good wishes to all involved in this noble initiative as well as my gratitude for the faithful in the United States of America, who, through this service, assist the poorest and most vulnerable at home and abroad,” Pope Francis wrote in the letter.
“It is fitting therefore that this effort takes place in the holy season of Lent, when the Church invites us to pray, fast, and give alms in preparation for the Easter celebrations,” he said. “For five decades now, the Rice Bowl program has offered a concrete way for Catholics to give alms as they seek to put their faith into action.”
Founded in 1943, CRS is the international humanitarian arm of the U.S. Bishops’ Conference.
The organization founded the Rice Bowl program in 1975, in Allentown, Pennsylvania, as a response to the drought and famine affecting families in the Sahel region of Africa. At the time, the program was known as “Operation Rice Bowl.” It was then adopted in 1976 under the guidance of CRS in preparation for the 41st Eucharistic Congress, held in Philadelphia.
The U.S. bishops voted for it to become the official program of CRS in 1977. Since the program’s inception, it has raised more than $350 million with support coming from more than 12,000 Catholic parishes and schools across the United States. The money raised is used to support the organization’s work in agriculture, health, education, and disaster relief in more than 120 countries.
In his letter, Pope Francis notes how the COVID-19 pandemic served as a reminder that all people are a part of one global community with everyone “all in the same boat,” and where the problems of others are the problems of all. It’s something he previously highlighted in his 2020 encyclical Fratelli tutti.
“With this in mind, we must continuously strive to help others realize that the serious challenges currently affecting so many of our brothers and sisters, including war, forced migration and hunger, concern all of us,” Pope Francis wrote, acknowledging in particular the plight of the migrant.
“Perhaps we could even invite others to compare their daily lives with those migrants and foreigners, so that they might learn how to understand better their experiences and in this way discover what God is asking of us in our own day,” the Holy Father said.
Further, Pope Francis noted the importance of working together during the Lenten season.
“It is my hope therefore that the Rice Bowl program and other initiatives offered by Catholic Relief Services will continue to serve as examples of how to fulfill the Gospel’s command to love and serve our neighbor in a communal way,” Pope Francis said.
“With these sentiments, I renew my best wishes as you celebrate this anniversary, and upon all who support the Rice Bowl program, I invoke Almighty God’s blessings of wisdom, hope, and strength,” the pope concluded.
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