Catholic Relief Services Parish Ambassadors in the Archdiocese of Boston met at Boston College on Feb. 11 to welcome new members and to train and plan for 2017.

A volunteer role, CRS ambassadors work within their parishes, schools, or communities to promote global solidarity with those in poverty through educating their communities about the work of CRS and how it relates to Catholic Social Teaching.

Led by the Diocesan Parish Ambassador Corps (PAC) coordinator for Boston, Ellen Romer Niemiec, the group learned how to begin to build an advocacy program in Massachusetts to support the Catholic Church's positions on refugees and aid to the poor around the world.

The Boston group has three members who recently served on a delegation that visited CRS Projects in Kenya. They reported on the work CRS is doing with widows and orphans in rural settings to help them move from living "hand to mouth" to actually empowering these same people to reach their full potential through the funds that are raised in the Rice Bowl Project.

CRS teaches new methods of farming and provides seeds and plants that are more productive in certain climate zones that will also bring better prices in the market. CRS in cooperation with other organizations drilled wells to provide safe drinking water and irrigation for crops. CRS supplies livestock for breeding so that the villagers can benefit from improved yield and survival for their farm animals.

CRS started the U.S. Parish Ambassador Program in Boston three years ago and is actively looking for more parishes to join this program. CRS also offers speakers for parish schools and other parish ministries that might want to learn more about CRS or how Rice Bowl help to others around the world. To learn more or to get an application to become a parish ambassador, contact Ellen Romer at ellen.romer@bc.edu.