How to serve others this Lent
Lent calls us to renew our relationship with the Lord through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. During these 40 days, starting this year on March 2, 2022, we strive to focus more intently on these practices, loving God and loving our neighbor.
“How do people know we love them? When we love, we act: we comfort, we help, we show we care….We redouble our efforts during Lent, in a very focused way, in order to develop our spiritual stamina for living our faith well throughout the year. This is how we show both Jesus and our neighbor we love them.”
Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone
Below are some ways to live out this Lenten journey through acts of charity and service.
CRS Rice Bowl
The annual Rice Bowl program provides a way to tie almsgiving into support for the work of Catholic Relief Services (CRS) around the globe. Rice Bowls can be picked up at participating parishes and schools.
Those who prefer to donate online can visit the Archdiocese of San Francisco Rice Bowl portal.
Donations to the Rice Bowls will support CRS’ work overseas in areas such as agricultural support, education, microfinance, and emergency relief. In addition, 25% stays local to address hunger within the Archdiocese.
Learn more about Rice Bowl and explore additional resources for incorporating the program into your prayer and fasting.
Parish & School Activities
Parishes and schools find many ways to give to others during these 40 days. Among this year’s activities, Epiphany School is doing a special fundraiser for the Epiphany St. Vincent de Paul Conference.
St. Monica-St. Thomas the Apostle Parish will be collecting clothes (new or gently used) for the homeless. Items will be donated to St. Anthony’s Free Table and the Catholic Worker House. The items especially needed are: underwear, jackets, t-shirts, and warm clothes. Items can be left on or under the tables in the Church.
St. Agnes Parish will be distributing almsgiving jars to parishioners. Donations received will support the Kino Border Initiative, which supports migrants at the Arizona-Sonora border, and Kakuma Refugee Camp, which is run by the Jesuit Refugee Service.
St. Anne of the Sunset and Holy Name School will be incorporating Laudato si’ into their Lenten activities, including participating in a neighborhood cleanup on Saturday, March 5 from 1:00-3:00 pm. Those who want to participate should email [email protected].
If your parish or school has a Lenten activity that you’d like to share, please email [email protected].