Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
May God bless you! This weekend we will take up The Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Collection, which helps children, women and families around the world. This collection provides an opportunity to reflect on how we have responded to the Gospel call to serve Jesus through the poor and vulnerable.
Funds from this collection helped make it possible for a delegation from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Migration and Refugee Services (MRS) to visit India to see the extent of the fight against human trafficking. It is estimated that over 6.5 million women and girls are being sexually exploited in India alone. The collection allowed the delegation to meet with advocates such as Father P. Maria Susai of the Diocese of Kottar in southern India. Through these missions, MRS and people like Father Susai can continue to provide an on-the-ground response to help put an end to this modern form of slavery.
Six worldwide Catholic relief agencies are funded by The Catholic Relief Services Collection. These include Catholic Relief Services, the USCCB Department of Migration and Refugee Services, the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc., the USCCB Department of Justice, Peace, and Human Development, the Holy Father’s Relief Fund and the USCCB Secretariat of Cultural Diversity in the World. All of these organizations value families and work to provide pastoral support, humanitarian aid and other vital assistance each day. For more information on The Catholic Relief Services Collection and the organizations it supports, please visit www.usccb.org (search “Catholic Relief Services Collection”).
Please be generous in The CRS Collection and support these vital agencies. Your support will truly make a difference.
Sincerely yours in our Lord,
Most Reverend
Joseph E. Kurtz, D.D.
Archbishop of Louisville
