These Local 'Ambassadors' To Get Warm Sendoff!

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) will hold a special commissioning and send off ceremony for three parish ambassadors from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. They will be traveling to Malawi, Africa, as part of a humanitarian delegation in July.

Wednesday, June 6, 2018

2:00 p.m. 

Catholic Relief Services 

150 North Radnor Chester Road

Building 150, Suite F1250

Radnor, PA 19087 (Delaware County)

 

Mrs. Joanne Kratz, Mr. Jeff Wallace, and Ms. Mary Chollet will join other delegation members to visit various CRS programs located throughout Malawi and their mission will focus on raising awareness and encouraging advocacy for the country’s poor and vulnerable.

Those who are chosen as CRS parish ambassadors demonstrate an active passion for global solidarity. The ambassadors are given spiritual formation and leadership development, in order to help them strengthen the outreach ministry of their parishes and understand more fully the work and mission of CRS. Throughout the year, CRS ambassadors coordinate three global solidarity initiatives such as Rice Bowl and Helping Hands, and help to foster participation by their fellow parishioners.

 

Background on Mrs. Joanne Kratz

Mrs. Joanne Kratz is a Parish Ambassador Corps Animator and Capacity Building Specialist at Catholic Relief Services. She is the President of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, Saint Maria Goretti Conference in Hatfield, PA and is a human rights advocate.

Background on Mr. Jeff Wallace

Mr. Wallace is a Relationship Manager for the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic region of CNS. He was a volunteer with Rostro de Cristo in Guayaquil, Ecuador from 2010-2011, where he worked as a music and parish youth minister, in addition to being a coordinator for a Salesian after school program that works with at-risk youth.

Background on Ms. Mary Chollet

Ms. Chollet is a Parish Ambassador from Saint John Chrysostom Parish and the Director of Ministry and Communications for Saint John Chrysostom Catholic Church in Wallingford, PA.

Note: CRS started working in Malawi in 1997 after being invited to the country by the Episcopal Conference of Malawi. The first work that CRS did in Malawi was to focus on helping improve food security in the area, backed by food aid from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). CRS in Malawi later expanded its reach to include programs that address food security, emergency response, nutrition, WASH concerns, health, HIV and AIDS, economic empowerment, among other issues in the country. To learn more about CRS in Malawi, please visit https://www.crs.org/our-work-overseas/where-we-work/malawi.