This is probably a good week to talk about the Archdiocese of Boston Social Justice Ministry work. The ministry began in 2007, with the input and approval of Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley, and led by Patricia Dinneen, it had the simple goal of hosting an annual convocation that would focus on educating the Boston faithful on challenging social and moral issues in our archdiocese through workshops, speakers, and open discussions. Most recently, the convocations have addressed the challenges we face from racism, hunger, housing, immigration, and caring for our common earth and called on parishes and the faithful to join with others to make a difference.

This year the ministry's convocation, "Hope for our Common Home: Catholics Caring for Creation," will be held Saturday, March 29, at Boston College High School from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Father Andrea Vicini, SJ, MD, chair of the Theology Department at Boston College, is the keynote speaker. The program will include additional panelists, workshops, and resource tables.

In addition to the convocation, the ministry is linked with two other organizations: the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) and Catholic Relief Services (CRS). All three organizations urge us to pursue our Gospel mission to love our neighbor and care for one another, locally and globally.

CCHD was created to support community organizing groups and also help launch cooperatives with a focus on leadership training to help low-income people find ways to break the systemic bonds of poverty and better support their families. In the archdiocese, CCHD has recently extended grants to Boston Neighborhood Community Land Trust, Earthshapers Cooperative, Essex County Community Organization, Greater Boston Interfaith Organization, Lynn Worker Center, Merrimack Valley Project, and Coalition for a Better Acre.

CRS was created to feed and house refugees escaping the destruction and the fighting of World War II in Europe. The work was funded by parishes throughout the U.S. Since 1943, CRS has expanded to bring food, shelter, and relief to millions of people around the world. Last year, CRS touched the lives of 200 million people in 120 countries. CRS employees are based in many of these countries where they carry out programs, including distributing critical food supplies to starving populations, teaching farming techniques and new drought resistant crops to those facing changes in local climates. CRS also addresses nutrition and early childhood development in young children.

As a CRS global fellow, I have been an eyewitness to CRS's work that is changing lives and creating hope. I travelled to Kenya and found the work being done was saving lives and creating hope. At one project site, CRS had restarted a well project that had run out of money and was floundering. On another site, CRS was asked by the local bishop to fix an irrigation project. The project was begun by Norwegian Save the Children and had failed due to local government taxation and fees. Since CRS works through the Catholic dioceses -- not the local governments -- it was able to fund the project directly. Once the water was flowing again, CRS with local agricultural experts helped with new crops and marketing techniques and micro-lending support.

At another project, CRS teamed up with the Special Olympics to launch a project called IDEA -- Intellectual Disabilities Empowerment Agenda. In Kenya, misconceptions regarding children with disabilities lead to exclusion from school and health care and often result in abuse and neglect due to societal shame. CRS and Special Olympics staff found the families in the informal settlements in the outskirts of Nairobi. The work included health care, exercise, and early childhood development.

The most amazing project that I witnessed was a trip to Homa Bay Diocese on the western slope above Lake Victoria. Here is where I met Pamela.

Pamela's life was turned upside down when her husband died of AIDS-related complications. Left with three children and being herself a victim of AIDS, she faced the daunting task of trying to provide for her family and manage their small farm. In a region where traditional gender roles often limit women's access to education and economic opportunities, Pamela's prospects seemed bleak. CRS came to the village and provided counseling to Pamela and her neighbors and started them on treatment for their virus. CRS provided Pamela with nutritional guidance, emphasizing the importance of a balanced diet to support her treatment. With the combination of anti-retrovirals and proper nutrition, Pamela's health improved significantly, giving her the energy to take on her new farming responsibilities.

CRS provided her with hands-on training in how to grow new drought-resistant crops and how to optimize the water that was available. Pamela gained the knowledge and confidence to run the farm. She learned how to grow cassava instead of corn to conserve water. She was given a rooster so she could garner 4 cents more for a fertilized egg in the market. She began raising goats to augment her farm income. In addition to agricultural training, CRS introduced Pamela to the basics of marketing her produce. She learned how to prepare crops for the market to maximize her profits. To help the entire village, CRS taught basic banking skills and established a micro bank.

In 2024, Catholic Relief Services operated with a budget of $1.5 billion dollars. CRS employs about 6,500 people around the world and most of the employees are from the local communities they serve. Last year, around half of the grants that funded CRS were from USAID. CRS received approximately $750 million dollars from USAID. USAID's budget was about $45 billion in 2024, so a small fraction of USAID's budget was a very significant part of CRS's budget last year. With the current changes to USAID and the stop orders freezing payments on invoices for work already completed, CRS is currently making drastic cuts to employees and projects around the world, and as a result, people like Pamela might not get her AIDS medicine next week.

Our Catholic faith connects us not only with our parish and our diocese but also with the rest of the world. Today, on very short notice, millions of people are at risk of losing the help they are receiving due to press reports containing unfounded generalizations, and false claims about USAID.

Next week, the second collection in parishes is for Support of the Church around the World, including specifically the Church in Africa, Central and Eastern Europe and the Military Archdiocese, Home Missions, Black and Native American and Catholic Relief Services.

CRS also sponsors a program called RICE BOWL during the 40 days of Lent. This year, RICE BOWL is 50 years old! Please consider picking up a Rice Bowl in your parish this year.

Thanks to your financial support and the unwavering service work of CRS, Pamela is a testament to the power of resilience and empowerment. Her farm is coping with the changing climate, her livestock is a new source of revenue, and she has become a better businesswoman. Pamela's children are attending school, and she is sharing her skills with her neighbors.

In the face of overwhelming challenges, the story of Pamela and CRS in Africa serves as a powerful reminder of the transformative potential of compassion, education, and service. It is a story of hope, resilience, and the remarkable difference that we can make when we search to find solidarity with people who need our love to find hope.



DEACON TIMOTHY DONOHUE IS A PERMANENT DEACON AT HOLY NAME PARISH IN WEST ROXBURY, DIOCESAN DIRECTOR OF CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES, DIOCESAN DIRECTOR OF CATHOLIC CAMPAIGN FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, AND CO-CHAIR OF THE ARCHDIOCESE'S SOCIAL JUSTICE MINISTRY.