Serving the Poor of the World

Pope Francis has urged all of us to reach out to the poor and marginalized of the world. Last Sunday at Benedictine College in Atchison, Dr. Carolyn Woo spoke about how Catholic Relief Services (CRS) responds to his message which is really Christ's message (Matthew 25). The mission of CRS is "to serve the poorest and most vulnerable on the basis of need, not creed." Dr. Woo, president and CEO of CRS, told how the organization helps over 100 million people in about 103 countries every year. They were there when a devastating earthquake struck Haiti in January 2010, distributing food, clean water and temporary shelter. After World War II, CRS was founded to provide emergency assistance to survivors and refugees in Europe. Today they are reaching out to the 60 million displaced people around the world with food, shelter, and health care. CRS respects the capacity of local partners and attends to the root causes of poverty. Most of us cannot respond directly to the poor in other countries, but we can participate through our donations. Ninety-three percent of all donations go directly to programs that benefit poor families overseas. This is a concrete way to put our faith into action and see results. The best way to welcome the pope to the U.S. is to give of our abundance to the needy.

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