Take Catholic Relief Services’ Rice Bowl program, for example. This past Lenten season the Diocese collected $113,794.11, placing it fifth of 26 dioceses in the West Region of the U.S. and 14th among the 195 dioceses in the United States. It was the largest amount ever contributed by the Diocese to CRS Rice Bowl, which raises funds to prevent hunger and poverty around the world.
“What a great example of the widow’s mite in action!” said Monsignor Thomas Wallace, Director of the Diocesan Mission Office, which coordinates the Rice Bowl collection locally. He was making reference to the story from the Gospels of Mark (12:41-44) and Luke (21:1-4). “So many people doing a little bit together to accomplish a great thing.”
The Diocesan Office of Community Services and Outreach works in collaboration with the Mission Office to educate and promote Rice Bowl across the Diocese.
“The miracle is that this diocese, a mission diocese, was able to give from the little that we have,” said Sister Hortensia Del Villar, S.A.C., Director of the Office of Community Services and Outreach.
The Rice Bowl program is an opportunity for parishes and schools to reach out to its community, especially its youth, to educate them about poverty and hunger in the world today.
“[It is] great catechesis throughout the year,” said Chris Robbins, Coordinator of Catechetical Ministry at St. Christopher Parish in Moreno Valley.
Robbins said, “Our parish has been part of the Rice Bowl program for many years now and when the catechists of our program reach out to their students on the importance of helping one another we make Jesus happy as His children.”
Jim DeHarpporte, CRS West Regional Director, praised the people of the Diocese for their contribution to Rice Bowl and echoed Msgr. Wallace’s “widow’s mite” theme.
“The people of this diocese are not unlike the people we serve overseas who when we visit their homes share their food with us despite having so little,” he said. “Like these sisters and brothers, the people of San Bernardino share from their poverty, not their abundance.”
There are opportunities for individuals and families to pray and reflect on the issue of poverty and hunger. Sr. del Villar said the program “invites us to pray, grow and reflect, it is an opportunity for conversion.”
The website, www.crsricebowl.org, offers reflections, recipies and stories of hope and more to assist individuals and families wanting to participate in the program. The material is also available from the CRS Rice Bowl app which is available from the App Store and Google Play.
“CRS offers us this opportunity to connect with our brothers and sisters throughout the world who have less.” Sr. del Villar said.
The process for the Rice Bowl program begins in November with the request to order materials for the Lenten program. Diocesan-wide education and training of the program begins in January in preparation for the Lenten kick-off.
For more information on the 2017 Rice Bowl program contact the Mission Office, (909) 475-5130 or the office of Community Services and Outreach Programs, (909) 475-5468