Giving Hope to a World of Need Our St. Cloud Diocese serves as the diocesan office for Catholic Relief Services (CRS). What is Catholic Relief Services? Catholic Relief Services is the development arm of the U.S. Catholic Church in the world. It is founded and run by the U.S. Catholic Bishops, and the continuation of its work relies on the church in the us - meaning the people of the Catholic Church - meaning you and me! When we speak of CRS, we are talking about our presence in the world. CRS focuses on areas of development in 99 countries world-wide. They strive for emergency relief, empowerment of peoples, sustainable solutions to poverty and vulnerability, and global solidarity.
What does the Mission Office do in conjunction with CRS? Our St. Cloud Mission Office serves as the diocesan office for CRS. We act as a conduit for funds from you to CRS, and from CRS to our diocese (such as Operation Rice Bowl locally alocated funds). We also serve as a bridge between CRS staff world-wide and the many resources, curriculum tools, speakers and stories that CRS produces and the people of St. Cloud Diocese interested in learning, hearing and doing more. We also carry out the mission of CRS to bring justice and sustainable grassroots development and empowerment to the people of the world who are most vulnerable. One way in which we do this is through the sale of Fair Trade chocolates from a CRS initiative, as well as other Fair Trade items. Learn more about the Fair Trade items we carry at the Mission Office.
How has the St. Cloud Diocese been connected with CRS? St. Cloud has been extremely involved in the work of CRS over the years, and vice-versa. Our own Bishop John Kinney served on the Catholic Relief Services' Board of Directors previously, and is very supportive of the organization and the work that they do. CRS has also supported us; it was in conjunction with CRS's Global Solidarity department that we were able to begin our Global Solidarity Partnership with the Diocese of Homa Bay, Kenya in 1999. Here are a few highlights of what St. Cloud and CRS have done together:
CRS and Homa Bay. During the summer of 2006, Bishop Kinney accompanied 14 representatives from the Diocese of St. Cloud on a delegation visit to our sister Diocese of Homa Bay, Kenya. While there the group took the opportunity to visit several CRS programs, such as the metal silo project (see below), HIV/AIDS nutrition programs, agriculture programs and other health initiatives. CRS has been directly involved in facilitating this partnership and we look at their in-country personnel as our representatives “on the ground.” Silo Project. One unique CRS project that was funded by the Diocese of St. Cloud a few years ago was the introduction of metal grain storage silos. The 2006 delegation visited a large girls’ secondary school where they have purchased about 20 of the larger silos to store the corn and beans that provide the staple everyday food for the school. The Sister in charge indicated that these silos have not only been a great economic boost but also enhanced the quality of the food…when stored in gunny sacks the spoilage lead to bad meals, even leading to a student food strike! This St. Cloud sponsored project is the only one of its kind in all of Africa and it is now spreading into other countries. CRS and HIV/AIDS. Another CRS success story involves the programs responding to HIV/AIDS patients. Because it enjoys such a solid reputation, CRS is the lead organization in receiving US government HIV/AIDS funding. And the program that Bishop Kinney and the 2006 delegation visited at one Catholic hospital was a very impressive indication of how these funds are so effectively used by CRS. At this hospital an entire wing has been set up to test, give counseling and provide treatment, including the antiretroviral drugs. CRS has also helped our partner Diocese of Homa Bay and our Diocese set-up a joint project focused on helping orphans and vulnerable children who have been affected by HIV/AIDS, which we refer to as the Child Survival Project.
CRS – Sudan. Bishop Kinney and Fr. Bill Vos (past Mission Office director and current CRS director for the diocese) also had the opportunity to participate in an extended session of the annual Episcopal Conference meeting in Juba, Sudan in 2006. This was an historic event since it was the first time in over 20 years that the Bishops could actually hold their meeting within their country. And CRS made the visit possible, in fact the Bishops meeting was held on the CRS compound. And the role that CRS is playing in the post-war reconstruction efforts is huge.
Where does CRS's funding come from? With programs in 99 countries, reaching about 75 million people, the good news is that 95% of the half billion dollar annual budget goes to programs, just 5 % for administration. A large portion of CRS's huge budget comes from grant money, such as U.S.A.I.D. funds. Another percentage comes from appeals and donations. An additional portion of these donations comes from the Catholic church - that means us! Each Lent we are all given two great opportunities to support the work of Catholic Relief Services. The CRS Collection (formerly known as the Bishops Oversees Appeal) is taken up the weekend of the 3rd Sunday of Lent each year. Often envelopes for this collection are found in members packets; if you don't see one, be sure to ask your parish if they participate in the CRS collection and how you can contribute to it. The second Lenten giving opportunity is Operation Rice Bowl. This is a collection gathered in homes and schools throughout the entire 40 days of Lent; ORB also provides educational resources, information on various countries where CRS works, and strives to connect us with our brothers and sisters around the world who are struggling from hunger. Operation Rice Bowl funds are used soley for hunger-related work both locally and globally. It is especially important to note that 25% of the funds collected through Rice Bowl which come into the Mission Office are kept locally; this 25% is given as grants to parishes and organizations within our diocese who are addressing food and hunger-related problems locally. The remaining 75% of Rice Bowl funds go to CRS for global hunger needs. What better way to help our brothers and sisters near and far?! Learn more about these two collections taken up in our diocese during Lent.
How can we be more connected with CRS? To find out more about Catholic Relief Services, and how you can utilize their resources, support their efforts or otherwise be involved in their work throughout the world, visit the CRS website at www.crs.org. Or go directly to some of these great pages of their or our websites:
There is something for everyone!
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