Catholic Relief Services 2025

March 27, 2025

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

In these days of continuing turmoil around the world, I invite you to “Reveal Christ’s love” by supporting the national Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Collection on the weekend of April 6. Catholic Relief Services supports Catholic organizations that carry out international relief and resettlement for victims of persecution, war, and natural disasters; development projects to improve living conditions for the poor; legal and support services for poor immigrants; and peace and reconciliation work for people suffering from violence.

With the recent cuts to USAID announced by the Trump administration, CRS is at risk of losing access to more than $500 million dollars of grants which were directly serving people in the most dire situations around the world. This is further compounded by continuing conflicts in Europe, Africa and the Middle East which are displacing millions of people who have nothing left. 

Carolyn Woo, former executive director of CRS, recently published an article in America Magazine about the impact of CRS in the world. She writes, “Especially in the midst of today’s widespread conversation about government budgets and efficiency, some have claimed that foreign aid is a waste of money. Yet the benefits are demonstrable: Over the last 30 years, the collective work of development actors has contributed to a global reduction in poverty—from one-third of the population to one-tenth. Both maternal and infant-child mortality rates have dropped by 50 percent; smallpox and polio have been almost eradicated; and most girls now have access to education.”

For more than 75 years, CRS has been providing expertise and compassion to the very poorest of our brothers and sisters in more than 100 countries. But CRS can't do this lifesaving work without your help.
During this Jubilee Year of Hope, I ask that you prayerfully consider how you can offer hope to those struggling to stay alive by supporting the Catholic Relief Services Collection this year. If you want to learn more about the collection and the people who are assisted, please visit www.usccb.org/catholic-relief. 

With every prayerful best wish, I remain
 
Sincerely yours in Christ,
 
Most Reverend Robert J. McManus
Bishop of Worcester