‘Operation Rice Bowl’ underway
Parishes and schools in the Diocese of Tucson are participating again this year in Operation Rice Bowl, a national initiative sponsored by Catholic Relief Services that encourages Americans to learn about the effects of global poverty and to pray for people affected by social injustice.
Catholics who participate in the 33-year-old program contribute some $8 million annually to food security projects that help people in the 40 countries in which Catholic Relief Services works.
Among the countries being supported this year are Guatemala, Mali, India, Haiti and Cameroon.
Last year more than $5,000 was collected at various parishes throughout the diocese, with more than half that sum - $2,630.70 - coming from St. Cyril of Alexandria Parish in Tucson.
A “home calendar guide” prepared by CRS states that Operation Rice Bowl “is the Lenten solidarity program” in which “we join in the traditional practice of Lent and pray as a community, fast in solidarity with those who are hungry, give concrete assistance to those most in need, while we learn about the jobs and challenges in the lives of our brothers and sisters around the world.”
The guide includes recipes for “simple, meatless meals enjoyed by your neighbors in other countries.”