tvc.dsj.org | February 6, 2018
IN THE DIOCESE
3
The Light Is On For You Campaign Returns for Fourth Year
By Liz Sullivan
In what is becoming a tradition of
the season in the Diocese of San Jose,
The Light Is On For You campaign re-
turns for a fourth year.
“This Lenten initiative is a wonder-
ful way for all of us to celebrate God’s
limitless mercy and compassion. We
celebrate the Sacrament of Reconcilia-
tion, because it is a celebration of God’s
unconditional love,” said Father John
Hurley, CSP, Vicar for Evangelization
whose department is overseeing this
initiative. “As a confessor, I am in awe
sometimes for how open people are in
these challenging times and all they
want to really hear is that God still
loves them.”
The campaign focuses on the Sacra-
ment of Reconciliation, also known as
Penance or Confession. It is observed
on Wednesdays, from 6-8 p.m., in all
54 parishes from February 21 through
March 28 in preparation for Easter on
April 1. Given parish Holy Week events,
Pastors have the option of observing The
Light is on For You on March 28.
In the first three years of the cam-
paign, The Light Is On For You has
reached an estimated 10,000 people on
Wednesdays.
“Together let us embrace the joy of
God’s love with mercy and compas-
sion,” said Hurley.
To learn more about The Light Is On
For You, visit www.dsj.org/light.
CRS Rice Bowl Kick Off with Cassandra Bissainthe from CRS Haiti
On January 23, CRS Rice Bowl had
its kick-off event for the Diocese of
San Jose, in preparation for the Lenten
season. CRS Rice Bowl is sponsored
by Catholic Relief Services, the offi-
cial overseas relief and development
agency of the United States Conference
of Catholic Bishops, and the Diocese of
San Jose, through the Office of Social
Justice Ministries. This Lenten practice
encourages individuals and families
to grow in global solidarity with our
brothers and sisters around the world
t hrough prayer, fasting, and almsgiv-
ing. Each week will focus on a specific
country and call to mind our neighbors
in need through education and faith
formation resources (available via
crsricebowl.org). This year’s theme is
“Companions on the Journey,” inspir-
ing us to become companions for our
neighbors most in need, and for every
member of our human family. The
countries during the 2018 Lenten jour-
ney are: Iraq, Nicaragua, Burkina Faso,
Haiti, Malawi, and the United States.
To kick off the upcoming Lenten
season, Cassandra Bissainthe, work-
ing with CRS Haiti, shared her story
as a native of Port-au-Prince and her
experience serving CRS in the area
of Church Partnership and Capacity
Strengthening. After her family was
threatened in Haiti, Cassandra moved
to Miami and graduated from Florida
International University with a degree
in international relations and a minor
in religious studies. With Haiti still in
her heart, Cassandra returned back to
Haiti with her family, as a firm believer
in putting her faith into action. 80 per-
cent of Haitians live on less than $2 a
day, and literacy is a major problem,
especially among first and second
graders.
Cassandra shared stories of her
experience meeting Andrise, a teacher
in Haiti, who is dedicated to improving
literacy and the quality of education
at a primary school, serving her com-
munity day in and day out. Andrise
is among committed teachers in Haiti
who value education as a means of not
only benefitting the individual student,
but also, the entire community and
generations after. You may learn more
about Andrise at crsricebowl.org, and
she will also be highlighted during the
Cassandra Bissainthe shared stories of her
work with CRS in Haiti.
week focused on Haiti, March 11-17.
Since 1954, CRS has been commit-
ted to Haiti, serving in emergency
response, agricultural assistance,
education, and health care. By working
with sister agencies including Trocaire,
the local Caritas, and the Ministry of
Education, CRS has been able to sup-
port Haitian communities after Hur-
ricane Matthew in October 2016.
• Additional Updates from the
Global Solidarity Team
The Global Solidarity Team would
like to thank all parishes and schools
who participated in the 2017 CRS Rice
Bowl Lenten program. Through our
collective efforts, the Diocese of San
Jose collected $152,089.40! 75 percent
of the funds raised are used for CRS’
international development projects
and 25 percent of the funds raised
are distributed within the Diocese of
San Jose for parish or school-based
programs that address hunger and/or
food insecurity in the County of Santa
Clara. Grant applications are reviewed
by the local CRS Rice Bowl committee
and grant awardees are announced on
September 1 of each year. Applications
will be available on May 1, via the DSJ
website, www.dsj.org.
For the 2017-2018 grant year, the CRS
Rice Bowl Grant committee is proud
to announce that 28 grants have been
awarded to 19 parishes and schools,
totaling $41,000. Congratulations to all
2017-2018 Rice Bowl Grant recipients!
If you are passionate about global
solidarity and would like to learn more
about the partnership between the
Diocese of San Jose and Catholic Relief
Services, consider joining the Global
Solidarity Team! To learn more, contact
Crystal Catalan at [email protected].
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