Crisis in Syria at a Glance: 

"God our creator, to those who are hungry and thirsty, give food and drink. To those who are not hungry and thirsty, give a hunger and a thirst for justice."

-Prayers Without Borders

Every year Catholic Relief Services touches the lives of millions of people around the globe. CRS eases suffering and provides assistance to people in need in 93 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. They save lives by clothing, housing and feeding people in the worst types of natural and manmade disasters like the Typhoon that hit the Philippians 6 months ago and the current civil wars going on in places like South Sudan, the Central African Republic and Syria. But they also save lives in a lot of other ways. They help farmers in draught ridden areas around the globe prefect new farming techniques that utilize less water and produce more resilient crops. They help educate young women so that they can earn more money over their lifetimes and are less apt to fall into destructive situations like child marriages. They set up maternal health centers in countries with high infant mortality rates to nourish children and educate mothers. They fight diseases like HIV and Malaria and promote microfinance and peace building.

The most extraordinary thing about the work of CRS though is not the breadth of their work but that they do all of this through Guiding Principles based on Catholic Social Teaching and with the belief that there is sacredness and dignity in every human person. Catholic Relief Services is not just a great, highly efficient international aid agency; it is OUR international aid agency. As the official international agency of the Catholic church in the United States they represent US in all of these countries and they serve us by inviting us to live out our faith as part of one human family.

One of our local parishes was recently honored by Catholic Relief Services for their tremendous effort in living out the call to be in solidarity with our brothers and sisters around the world through the CRS Rice Bowl campaign. Holy Spirit Parish in Avon Lake raised over $25,000 last year to support the work of CRS and our local Catholic Charities Emergency Hunger and Shelter Fund. That is enough money to feed over 5,000 families for a week or about 100 families for a year.  Because of their remarkable effort our Diocese has caught the eye of the CRS National Office and Fr. Beatty at Holy Spirit was recently interviewed by CRS, and a camera person was sent to take pictures of their Rice Bowl Collection ceremony on Holy Thursday. They will use that interview for a story to encourage other parishes across the United States. We often think that we are just one person or that we are just one parish, but Fr. Beatty and Holy Spirit Parish have shown us that one parish, standing in solidarity with the poor around the world can create a world of a difference.

CRS Rice Bowl Collection on Holy Thursday at Holy Spirit Parish in Avon Lake

Leslie Montanejos and her husband plan to move into their new CRS shelter the day after this photo was taken. She's pictured with her children Sofia Anne Marie, 4, and Anthony Jr., 2. Her third child is due in 3 weeks, and she's relieved to have a safe and clean home for her new baby. Photo byJennifer Hardy/CRS

It's been a half year since the "largest storm on record" began bearing bearing down on the Philippines. CRS had been in the Philippines since the organization's inception, was on the ground with Filipinos when the storm hit, and remains there today helping the storm's victims restore their lives and communities.

CRS Regional Information Officer (Asia) Jennifer Hardy reports on the ongoing work CRS is doing in helping Filipinos rebuild their homes and protect their families.

"I'm so excited to move into our new home tomorrow," Leslie Montanejo says. "The new baby will have a clean and strong home when it is born."

Read Jennifer Hardy's full report: 

"After Haiyan, a Safe Place to Sleep"