tvc.dsj.org | April 4, 2017
COMMUNITY
7
Encountering Christ through CRS Rice Bowl
Pope Francis, in his Lenten message
for 2017, stated that “Lent is the favor-
able season for renewing our encoun-
ter with Christ” and that “Lent is a
favorable season for opening the doors
to all those in need and recognizing in
them the face of Christ.”
In a recent letter, Bishop Patrick
J. McGrath encouraged parishes and
schools to participate in CRS Rice
Bowl as he wrote, “Our faith calls us to
build a culture of encounter. We hear
this call clearly throughout the Gospel
and we see it reflected in Pope Francis’
daily example.”
During these 40 days of Lent, we
have had the opportunity to encounter
Christ through CRS Rice Bowl as we
encounter our sisters and brothers in
need from communities throughout
the world. We see the face of Christ
through their stories of hope and then,
through our prayers and almsgiving,
we can contribute to positive change
in their lives, while they also trans-
form us.
CRS Rice Bowl also challenges
us to see the face of Christ in those
within our local community. Each
year, on Palm Sunday, CRS Rice Bowl
“Our faith calls us to build a
culture of encounter. We hear
this call clearly throughout the
Gospel and we see it reflected
in Pope Francis’ daily example.”
highlights how Rice Bowl donations
are used locally in the United States.
While 75 percent of the funds collected
help fund development projects over-
seas, 25 percent of the contributions
that are collected in each diocese help
to alleviate poverty and hunger in the
local community.
This past year in the Diocese of San
José, CRS Rice Bowl grants totaling
$36,300 were distributed to 24 local
parish and school programs, such
as the Homework Program at Sacred
Heart Education Center. Currently,
funds from the Rice Bowl Grant to
Sacred Heart are being used to pro-
vide healthy snacks for the students,
from k indergarten t hrough high
school, while they are doing their
homework after school. At a recent
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CRS Rice Bowl Grant awarded to Sacred Heart
Educational Center to purchase healthy snacks
for students in their Homework Program.
gathering of Rice Bowl coordinators,
Betsy Preciado, coordinator of the
program, explained that a goal of the
program is to teach the students to eat
healthier snacks and willingly drink
milk and eat carrots. Through this and
many other programs, lives are being
changed for the better through CRS
Rice Bowl in our own community.
As Lent comes to an end, parishes
and schools are encouraged to send
their Rice Bowl donations into the
Chancery as soon as all funds have
been collected. This will help the Dioc-
esan Rice Bowl Grant team determine
how much will be available for local
Rice Bowl grants. The local grant pro-
cess for CRS Rice Bowl funds opens on
May 1 this year and the deadline for
applications is June 1, 2017. Applica-
tions will be available on May 1.
Bishop McGrath closed his Lenten
letter to schools and parishes, writing,
“Thank you for inviting families in
your faith community to an enriched
Lenten journey through CRS Rice
Bowl. Together, we will do our part
to respond to Christ’s call to build a
culture of encounter.”
For more information, please con-
tact CRS Rice Bowl Coordinator, Judy
Swazey at [email protected] or
Crystal Catalan at [email protected].