February Special Collections

Sunday, 31 January 2010 13:16

LAKE CHARLES – Two very special collections will take place beginning in the early days of Lent 2010 in the parishes of the Diocese of Lake Charles. On Ash Wednesday, Feb. 17, Operation Rice Bowl, a collection which will continue throughout Lent to help ensure that Catholic Relief Services (CRS) can provide assistance to those in need in more than 100 countries, will kickoff.    Each year, Operation Rice Bowl calls us to pray with our families and faith communities; fast in solidarity with those who hunger; learn more about our global community and the challenges of poverty overseas; and give sacrificial contributions to those in need.       Twenty-five percent of Operation Rice Bowl monies remain in the diocese to help Catholic Charities support local hunger and poverty alleviation efforts. Last year the Diocese retained $10,328.99. Seventy-five percent of contributions collected go to CRS to help farmers in Bolivia receive training to improve crop yields, children in Afghanistan gain more opportunities for quality education, communities in Ethiopia access reliable water sources even during times of drought, and fund many other vital projects.  For more information on participating in Operation Rice Bowl contact your church parish.    The other second collection in the month of February will be held on the First Sunday of Lent, Feb. 20-21. This special effort is the Black and Indian Mission Collection, which was established in 1884 to embody the Catholic Church’s concern for evangelizing the African American, Native American and Indigenous peoples of the United States. It was the only annual appeal mandated by the Third Plenary Council, the gathering of the U.S. bishops held in Baltimore, in that year.    The Diocese of Lake Charles has been a grant recipient its inception of the Black and Indian Mission Collection. During this fiscal year, the diocese will receive $142,000 for African American and Native American evangelization programs and projects. Here in Southwest Louisiana, the funds will be used to subsidize needy parishes with predominantly African American congregations as well as assist St. Joseph parish in Elton with its evangelization efforts among members of the Coushatta Tribe. Since 1980, the Diocese of Lake Charles has received more than $1 million for evangelization efforts through the Black and Indian Mission Collection.    In the 2009 collection, the faithful of the Diocese donated $27,776.28. The diocese is one of 132 dioceses being assisted by the collection, which is providing grants of $8.7 million.