Catholic Diocese joins in Operation Rice Bowl

The project will benefit hungry people in the diocese and around the world.
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Catholic Diocese of Youngstown is participating in Operation Rice Bowl, a Catholic Relief Services' Lenten program.
Catholics are asked to abstain from one meal a week throughout Lent, while praying for peace and justice and learning more about poverty here in the United States and throughout the world. Educational materials are available from parishes that wish to participate.
Participants are asked to save the money from the meal not eaten each week and give it to their local parish during Holy Week. Churches will help meet the needs of hungry families and individuals in the six-county Diocese of Youngstown and throughout the world.
Last year, the diocese collected 84,769 in Operation Rice Bowl. Seventy-five percent of the collection is sent to Catholic Relief Services, the official overseas development and relief agency of the United States Catholic Bishops. CRS, founded in 1943, provides assistance to people in more than 80 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Eastern Europe.
Bishop George Murry, who will be installed March 28 as the fifth bishop of Youngstown, and Bishop Thomas Tobin, previous bishop of Youngstown, serve on the CRS' board of directors.
Some stays in Valley
Twenty-five percent remains in the Diocese of Youngstown and is used to feed people in local communities. The local diocesan allocations of 24,750 were provided to 31 groups including Catholic Charities' agencies, Beatitude House/Potter's Wheel, Ursuline AIDS ministries and Immigrant Worker Project and parishes, including many St. Vincent de Paul conferences that are working to alleviate hunger.
The program began Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. The annual program is designed to help Catholics live out the Lenten themes of prayer, fasting, learning and giving. Since the Operation Rice Bowl program was adopted nationally in 1976, it has grown to include more than 14,200 participating parishes and schools.
The theme is "One Light, One Journey, One Human Family." Pope Benedict XVI wrote in his Lenten message, "May Lent be for every Christian a renewed experience of God's love given to us in Christ, a love that each day we, in turn, must 'regive' to our neighbor, especially to the one who suffers most and is in need."
For more information on Operation Rice Bowl, visit the Web site at www.crs.org/orb; contact Brian R. Corbin, executive director, Catholic Charities Services/Health Affairs & amp; Catholic Relief Services at (330) 744-8451, Ext. 320; or send e-mail to charities@youngstowndiocese.org.