A Prayerful And Practical Lenten Project . . .

This morning, Auxiliary Bishop John J. McIntyre presided over the kick-off the 44th Annual Catholic Relief Services’ (CRS) Rice Bowl in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

The opening took place at Saint Vincent DePaul Church’s food cupboard in Philadelphia’s Germantown section. Rice Bowl is a Lenten program that gives people of all ages a way to respond to human suffering with compassion through tangible action.

Bishop McIntyre, who oversees the Secretariat for Catholic Human Services as part of his administrative and pastoral responsibilities in the Archdiocese, was joined by Ms. Anne H. Ayella, CRS Diocesan Director; Mr. Jeffrey Wallace, CRS Regional Manager; Mr. James Amato, Secretary for Catholic Human Services; Ms. Lizanne Hagedorn, Executive Director of Nutritional Development Services; and staff from Saint Vincent DePaul Church’s food cupboard.

CRS Rice Bowl has been a tradition for generations of Catholics. It provides resources for families, parishes, and Catholic schools to incorporate into their Lenten journey of penitence and alms giving. This year’s Rice Bowl will officially begin on Ash Wednesday, March 6th.

Ms. Ayella said, "The beauty of CRS Rice Bowl is that it combines all the Lenten components and helps us to grow in solidarity with those in need both globally and locally. It is a very prayerful and practical way to enrich our Lenten journey. The fact that Rice Bowl has local roots makes it especially meaningful for our Archdiocese."

In 2018, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia raised $388,000 through Rice Bowl. Seventy five percent of the funds, or roughly $291,000 supported CRS’ humanitarian and development programs overseas, providing lifesaving assistance, and hope to impoverished and vulnerable communities. Twenty-five percent of the funds, or approximately $97,000 went to Nutritional Development Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The money was used to support the work of 50 local food cupboards and soup kitchens.

Note: Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic Community in the United States. It is dedicated to improving the lives of poor and vulnerable families through humanitarian programs and services.

For more information on CRS’ Rice Bowl please visit http://www.crsricebowl.org/.