Catholic Relief Services

Dear Friends in Christ,

Your participation in the annual Catholic Relief Services Collection can help reveal Christ’s love to people. The six agencies supported by the appeal help victims of war and natural disasters receive emergency assistance; assist migrants and refugees who need housing, education, and specialized immigration legal assistance; and support people who require special pastoral support and access to the sacraments. Our diocese will take up this collection next weekend, March 18/19. Your support of this collection makes a differ- ence for so many, both here and abroad, something we witnessed following the earthquake in Turkey and Syr- ia in early February.

We are reminded in St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Cor 9:6-7)

Please prayerfully consider how you can support the collection this year. To learn more about how your gift is changing lives, please visit usccb.org/catholic-relief.

Sincerely yours in Christ, Most Reverend David J. Walkowiak Bishop of Grand Rapids