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Friday, February 6, 2026Culture

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Through the Rice Bowl program's materials and videos, parishes and parents can teach our children about those who don't have enough food or water, who need a place to sleep tonight, or who are sick and don't have medicine.

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the international humanitarian aid arm of the Catholic Church in the United States. CRS is emerging from a very challenging year in which many U.S. government grants were defunded. While the size of the funding cuts to operations was considerable, today CRS continues to operate in 100 countries, providing aid to 142 million people. The breadth and scope of the work are breathtaking. The work of CRS continues in so many countries, and the fact that it continues in light of significant government funding cuts to international humanitarian and development assistance is a credit to you and your fellow Catholics across this country, who generously continue to support this work.
CRS Rice Bowl is one way of supporting this work. Through the Rice Bowl program's materials and videos, parishes and parents can teach our children about those who don't have enough food or water, who need a place to sleep tonight, or who are sick and don't have medicine. So this year, for the 51st time, "Rice Bowl is on."
It is not too late to bring Rice Bowl to your parish for Lent this year. Just go online to CRSRiceBowl.org and sign up. If you order the free Rice Bowl, it should arrive within a week. If you have questions, you can call the Social Justice Ministry office at the Pastoral Center.

Every year, CRS highlights three different countries during Lent. This year, there are videos and stories from Ghana, Guatemala, and Timor-Leste. The videos are short but powerful messages from the people that CRS serves in those countries. In the video from Walewhale, Ghana, Sister Yvonne talks about how important the first 1,000 days are in an infant's life -- from conception to the second birthday -- and how this program, supported by CRS, is improving outcomes for these children. Maribel from Guatemala and Adriana from Timor-Leste share the benefits they have realized from CRS training programs about proper diets and village savings banks.
CRS has always responded to emergencies and life-and-death struggles in war zones and after natural disasters. What is some of the work being done today around the world?
In the last two years, CRS has reached 1.7 million people in Gaza, providing food, shelter, and water despite severe operational difficulties. Over 100 staff members are on the ground in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon. Operations are frequently adjusted due to security, evacuations, and border closures.
Since 2022 in Ukraine and Moldova, CRS and Caritas partners have supported 3.7 million people with recovery and reconstruction work.
In Sudan, CRS is helping with massive emergency aid, including food and health care, to nearly 2 million people. CRS is also supporting refugees in Chad, Egypt, and South Sudan.
CRS is helping with rehabilitation projects, such as reopening schools in Syria and housing reconstruction in Pakistan.
Who else will do this work? Chances are, without your support, there is no one advocating for these people in need -- our headlines are overtaken by other news closer to home. Boston parishes have always strongly supported the Rice Bowl program. One quarter of the money raised through Rice Bowl comes back to the archdiocese to support the needs of the poor here at home. Please consider supporting Rice Bowl in your parish. CRS is spreading hope and dreams to the youth around the world. Please help.

DEACON TIMOTHY DONOHUE IS A SENIOR DEACON OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF BOSTON AND A CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES GLOBAL FELLOW.