This year’s Rice Bowl opens path to a culture of encounter through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia will participate in Catholic Relief Services’ Rice Bowl for the 42nd consecutive year. Rice Bowl is a nationwide Lenten program that gives people of all ages a way to respond to human suffering with compassion and action through tangible action.
This year, CRS’ Rice Bowl provides a path for Catholics in the United States to build what Pope Francis calls a “culture of encounter.” Families are encouraged to place money that they would have spent on meals into the rice bowls to remember those who are poor and hungry. For each of the six weeks of Lent, which begins on Wednesday, March 1st, there is a recipe and a story from a different country focusing on a family or individual. This year’s featured countries are India, Zambia, El Salvador, Mexico, and Ethiopia.
The CRS Rice Bowl, now in its 42nd year, provides resources for families, parishes, and Catholic schools to incorporate into their Lenten journey of penitence and alms giving. It consists of four components, prayer, fasting, learning, and giving. In addition, it is global in its reach bringing goods and services to people in need around the world. Twenty-five percent of all contributions will go to Nutritional Development Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The remaining seventy-five percent will support CRS’ humanitarian and development programs overseas, providing lifesaving assistance, and hope to impoverished and vulnerable communities.
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.
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Editor’s Note: For more information on CRS’ Rice Bowl, please visit http://www.crsricebowl.org/.
