by Ryan Ringuette Volunteering has (accidentally) become my family’s tradition. Both my father and mother are Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (Morocco and Nepal), and both my sister and I are current Peace Corps Volunteers (Paraguay and Uganda). Additionally, my recently retired father volunteers with the USAID Farmer-to-Farmer program (F2F). F2F leverages the expertise of US […]

Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Peru as they endure hardships brought about by heavy rains, flooding and mudslides. Light a candle and join us in prayer at the CRS Virtual Votive Chapel.         There are significant needs in the Diocese of Chulucanas (Province of Piura)—made worse by the continuing rain. A […]

By The Most Rev. Thomas Wenski Editor’s Note: At the recent meeting of the CRS Board of Directors—the USCCB-appointed group of bishops, religious, and laity tasked with governing and supporting the work of CRS—Archbishop Thomas Wenski (Miami) celebrated mass for his fellow bishops, board members and CRS staff.  What follows is his homily.  The “Charmaine” he […]

Friends, Never has the Catholic Relief Services mission been more critical to Americans and, particularly, to American Catholics. As I assume the leadership of CRS, it is a time of great uncertainty in our country and around the world. More families than ever are displaced from their homes; there is greater and greater inequality in […]

Dear Friend, It was 5 years ago that we began this conversation, and now, this marks my last letter to you as president of Catholic Relief Services. Thank you for joining CRS to rebuild livelihoods, restore hope and make God’s promises real for many who have lost much. You have given me energy and inspiration […]

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a system designed to allow the user to interact with geographical data, in order to better manage, learn from and present the available information.  The technology is used by CRS to make our projects more efficient and effective. The third Wednesday in November (November 16 this year) is recognized by the National Geographic Society […]

Dear Friend, As I write this month, thinking about how we will gather as families across our bountiful land to give thanks for all that we have received, my desk and inbox are filled with reports about the hundreds of thousands suffering from the effects of Hurricane Matthew. When this powerful storm ripped through Haiti’s […]

Dear Friend, I recently came across a fascinating article in Harvard Magazine. Its title, “The Science of Scarcity,” sums up an emerging topic among behavioral economists, the people who study why we make the economic decisions that we do. What they find is that when any of us are poor—indeed when we face scarcity of any […]

On September 4, Blessed Mother Teresa became Saint Teresa of Calcutta. Catholic Relief Services had a long and warm relationship with the founder of the Missionaries of Charity, both as an organization and through personal connections with CRS staff. Mother Teresa credited CRS with providing early assistance to the Missionaries of Charity before the order […]

Dear Friend, There are many things we take for granted—water from our taps, food from the supermarket, a roof over our heads, a doctor to vaccinate our children. Yet these are often out of reach for the people served by Catholic Relief Services. And there is another precious commodity I want to talk about this […]