Let us put into practice our call to do good to all, and take time to love the poor and needy, those abandoned and rejected, those discriminated against and marginalized. — Message from the Holy Father for Lent 2022
As the Church enters the season of Lent, we are witnessing a tragic situation unfold in Ukraine. Development and Peace — Caritas Canada is responding to the crisis by providing humanitarian aid to the Ukrainian people. At the same time, today we are beginning our annual fundraising campaign, Share Lent, which is crucial in supporting our long-term projects empowering communities in the Global South to take the lead on their own development.
I encourage you to respond enthusiastically to the invitation of Share Lent 2022, which is being organized by Development and Peace — Caritas Canada. — † Raymond Poisson, Bishop of Saint-Jérôme and of Mont-Laurier, and President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, excerpt from his support letter
Last year, thanks to support from several Canadian religious communities, we launched a new matching fund project linked to the Share Year-Round monthly giving program. Resulting in over 150 new monthly donors, the project was a great success.
This year, thanks to an anonymous donor, the matching fund has increased by $120,000 for a total of $160,000! “We are so grateful to the religious congregations for starting this initiative last year,” said our president, Brenda Arakaza, “as well as to our new anonymous donor for joining the project!”
Instead of making a single donation in your parish on Solidarity Sunday, April 3, you can double your impact by joining the Share Year-Round program or by increasing your monthly donation during Lent!
Monthly donations are important to Development and Peace because they represent a reliable, less expensive and sustainable source of funding for our long-term projects, which support the most marginalized communities in the Global South.
Also remember to visit our People and Planet First campaign page to learn more and to register for the March 5 campaign launch, hosted on Zoom by our president and our new executive director, Carl Hétu.
Thank you for your support and we wish you a Lent that is rich in spiritual graces.
About Development and Peace
Development and Peace — Caritas Canada is the official international development organization of the Catholic Church in Canada. It works in partnership with local organizations in over 30 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin American and the Middle East to create greater justice in the world and to act in solidarity with the most vulnerable people.
For more information, contact:
Emma Harries
Communications and Public Relations Advisor
Development and Peace — Caritas Canada
514 257-8710, ext. 318 | eharries@devp.org
