The Best Kept Secret of the American Catholic Church

Dear Friend,

I am extremely grateful to be able to reach out to you personally today. I write to you not only as chairman of the Catholic Relief Services' board of directors and Archbishop of New York, but as someone who has seen firsthand the tremendous work that CRS does every day.

The late Bishop Edwin Broderick, who served as Catholic Relief Services' executive director about three decades ago, said it right: "CRS is the best-kept secret in the American Catholic Church."

I'd like to think that over the last 65 years of Catholic Relief Services' service to the poor on your behalf, it has become less of a secret. You may have participated in the CRS Collection in your parish, or our Operation Rice Bowl Lenten observance. And you may have seen our relief efforts mentioned in the media after disasters like the Indian Ocean tsunami.

In fact, CRS is considered one of the leading providers of humanitarian aid in communities suffering from poverty, disease and injustice. But even among those who are familiar with us, few are aware of the scope and depth of our work.

Personally, I'm so enthusiastic about CRS because I've seen their lifesaving humanitarian work for myself. I can say that, without a doubt, Catholic Relief Services is doing what we, as Catholics, are called to do. What's more, for Catholic Relief Services, who we serve is even more important than what we do for this reason: We serve the poor, in whom we see the reflection and the face of Jesus Christ.

Last May I traveled with CRS to Ethiopia. Our destination was at the end of a rough, dusty ride over landscape right out of an American Western. Bishop Abraham Desta, a heroic leader in the community, told me, "Simply put, there's no surface water here in Ethiopia. Our people are always only one dry season away from famine."

But when we neared the site of a CRS water project, my mood changed from despair to jubilation. I saw hundreds of beaming, singing people filled with hope. They had all come to celebrate a new well that was helping to turn cracked, sun-baked fields into lush vegetation. We prayed. We hugged. We blessed the well and the pump, and I got to throw the switch!

Rising from deep in the ground, a rushing swirl came to the surface and burst through the dried earth. The miracle of clean, clear water flowed sweetly and freely into cisterns and parched throats. Children splashed and cattle gathered. Tears of joy flowed as powerfully as the water from the well. One of the village elders whispered, "I've never seen water come up from the ground." Others exclaimed, "Our crops will be green. Our cattle and sheep will live. Our babies will not get sick." It makes sense that CRS is committed to digging wells. Wells are life itself, and it is no wonder Jesus referred to himself as "living water."

CRS is catholic in every sense of the word: our work is universal—it reaches people of diverse faiths, from all walks of life in more than 100 countries around the world. Our work also represents the universality of God's love and the compassion it inspires.

I am writing this letter today to ask you to join the thousands of other Catholics who are making the exciting work of CRS a part of their lives. By participating in our parish programs, by sharing your resources and even by learning more about our work, you are engaging in the loving kindness that forms the core of our faith.

Please take a minute to sign up for our e-mail alerts and become part of our CRS family. You will receive our monthly online newsletter, the CRSbriefing, as well as updates on emergencies and other opportunities to get more involved with our work.

Let me close this letter by saying that I am in awe of the determination shown by the families we serve to improve the circumstances of their lives and I am inspired by the dedication of all the CRS employees and partners who drive our programs. But I am touched to the deepest parts of my soul by the generosity of American Catholics who have continued to support CRS even in the most difficult economic times. CRS programs are made possible by people like you—the people in the pews who give out of their desire to help make life more fruitful for people they will never even meet.

"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good! For His mercy endures forever."

God bless you,
Archbishop Timothy Dolan
Archbishop of New York
Catholic Relief Services Chairman of the Board