Give to Catholic Relief Services Collection

Published: March 26, 2025

The Catholic Relief Services Special Collection will be taken up in all parishes in Arkansas March 29-30. This annual, nationwide collection supports the work of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in helping people worldwide who suffer from war, natural disasters, violent persecution or extreme poverty.

“This year, the Catholic Relief Services Collection has a very urgent significance,” said Bishop Daniel Mueggenborg, chairman of the U.S. bishop's Committee on National Collections. “Recently, the U.S. government abruptly suspended funding for its refugee resettlement program and then terminated cooperative agreements for such work, impacting thousands of refugees that the government has placed in the charge of the USCCB for resettlement assistance.

"And with similarly abrupt stop-work orders on foreign humanitarian relief work, aid organizations such as Catholic Relief Services are unable to sustain their work overseas, bringing food, life-saving medicine, and daily necessities to people in need.”

This collection benefits the following:

• Catholic Relief Services (CRS) — provides disaster relief and economic development initiatives among the developing world’s poorest people.
• Secretariat of Cultural Diversity in the Church — helps the Church address the pastoral needs of U.S. Catholics across many cultural boundaries.
• Secretariat of Justice and Peace — engages in advocacy and outreach on behalf of the poor and works for peace.
• Migration and Refugee Services — welcomes and assists newcomers to the U.S., especially victims of war and persecution.
• Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC) — provides legal aid to refugees and migrants, including immigrant Catholic clergy and religious sisters and brothers who need help navigating United States immigration law.
• The Holy Father’s Relief Fund — enables the pope to quickly assist victims of disaster.

If you prefer to give online, you may donate through usccb.igivecatholictogether.org, which is part of the #iGiveCatholicTogether campaign. To learn more about the work of Catholic Relief Services, visit the CRS website. If you have questions about the special collection in Arkansas, contact Kelly Wewers, director of stewardship and development, at (501) 664-0340, ext. 391

Catholic Relief Services Prayer

This prayer is also available for download in English or Spanish.

In families striving to stay intact through adversity,
Let us see Christ.
In the poor and lowly of the world,
Let us see Christ.
In those forced to leave their homes because of war or famine,
Let us see Christ.
In children who go to bed hungry and who cannot
attend school, Let us see Christ.
In those who are living with HIV/AIDS
and other diseases, Let us see Christ.
In immigrants and refugees seeking freedom and hope,
Let us see Christ.
In those who are orphaned or abandoned,
Let us see Christ.
In the elderly who are forgotten, Let us see Christ.
In those who struggle to find meaningful work,
Let us see Christ.
In those who work for justice and peace for all people,
Let us see Christ.

LET US PRAY

Jesus, teach us to recognize your presence in those who
are in need. May we give of ourselves in service to them and so
hasten the coming of the kingdom you have promised, where
you live with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever
and ever.

AMEN.