Richard A. Sokerka
Catholic Relief Services was founded in 1943 by the Catholic Bishops of the United States to serve World War II survivors in Europe. Since then, it has expanded in size to reach more than 130 million people in more than 100 countries on five continents.
For 75 years, its mission has been to assist impoverished and disadvantaged people overseas, working in the spirit of Catholic social teaching to promote the sacredness of human life and the dignity of the human person. Although its mission is rooted in the Catholic faith, its operations serve people based solely on need, regardless of their race, religion or ethnicity. Within the United States, CRS engages Catholics to live their faith in solidarity with the poor and suffering people of the world and also works in collaboration with local Catholic Charities agencies.
To mark its 75th anniversary, CRS is holding events in dioceses across the country, culminating with an event at its global headquarters in Baltimore.
“Through the years, Catholic Charities agencies in the Diocese of Paterson have worked hand and hand with our sisters and brothers at Catholic Relief Services to help those around the world,” said Scott Milliken, chief executive of diocesan Catholic Charities. “Our employees have traveled globally on CRS service trips, and we have proudly participated annually in the CRS Rice Bowl initiative, which also helps our local food pantries. We are proud to stand in solidarity with the poor and vulnerable, both at home and abroad with CRS.”
As the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the U.S., CRS maintains strict standards of efficiency, accountability and transparency: donations go directly to programs to serve the underserved here and abroad.
We salute CRS for its long and storied history of global outreach to the neediest among us. And we encourage fellow Catholics to support CRS in its fine and much needed work.