Parishes
Help your parish deepen its Lenten journey with CRS Rice Bowl. Find everything you need to plan, promote and implement CRS Rice Bowl in your community while helping families facing hunger and poverty locally and around the world.
How CRS Rice Bowl Makes an Impact
CRS Rice Bowl helps parishioners put their faith into action through prayer, fasting and almsgiving.
Through CRS Rice Bowl, your community's generosity supports families experiencing hunger and poverty around the world while also strengthening local ministry efforts in your diocese.
- 75% of gifts support CRS humanitarian programs around the world.
- 25% of gifts remain in your diocese to support local hunger- and poverty-alleviation efforts.
By participating in CRS Rice Bowl, your parish lives the Gospel by bringing help and hope to families in need both locally and globally.
Get Ready for Lent in Five Steps
Prepare your parish for CRS Rice Bowl in five simple steps:
- Talk with your pastor and recruit volunteers who can help distribute CRS Rice Bowl materials, promote CRS Rice Bowl and engage parishioners throughout Lent.
- Order free materials before Lent so your parish is ready to participate from the beginning of the season.
- Use bulletin announcements, flyers, posters and pulpit announcements to invite your parish community to participate.
- Decide how your parish will collect CRS Rice Bowl gifts and communicate the preferred option clearly. QR code gifts and parish community giving pages are the fastest ways for donations to reach CRS and support our sisters and brothers around the world. If your parish collects Rice Bowls, plan when and how parishioners should return their gifts.
- Incorporate CRS Rice Bowl prayers, reflections and other faith formation resources into your parish's Lenten experience.
Ready to Get Started?
Order free materials and begin planning CRS Rice Bowl in your parish.
Parish Communications Toolkit
Invite, inform and engage your parish community throughout Lent.
CRS Rice Bowl Promotional Poster
Download and print the bilingual CRS Rice Bowl promotional poster for your parish. You can select from two sizes to fit your needs—a standard letter size and 11-by-17-inch paper.
Bulletin Announcements and Flyer
Include the announcements and flyer in your parish bulletin to share information about how parishioners can participate in CRS Rice Bowl and support our global family.
Pulpit Announcement
Invite parishioners to participate in CRS Rice Bowl with a ready-to-use announcement during Mass.
Letter to Families
Help families begin their CRS Rice Bowl journey and participate throughout Lent with this printable letter.
Media Toolkit
Access photos, videos, social media graphics and communication resources to support your parish outreach efforts.
Liturgical Resources
Help parishioners practice prayer, fasting and almsgiving throughout Lent.
Prayer Service to Begin and End Lent
Use these brief prayer services within the context of Mass or another prayerful space to kick off CRS Rice Bowl and bring it to a close.
Weekly Prayers of the Faithful
Incorporate these prayer intentions for your community and our global family into the weekly Prayers of the Faithful or other prayer space.
Stations of the Cross
Invite parishioners to pray the Stations of the Cross as they reflect on Christ’s suffering and the struggles of our vulnerable sisters and brothers around the world.
Eucharistic Adoration
Plan a Holy Hour of Adoration for your community with prayers and readings from Scripture.
Invite a Global Fellow
Bring CRS Rice Bowl to life through a visit from a CRS Global Fellow, a priest or deacon who has witnessed CRS' work firsthand and can share inspiring stories of impact.
There is no cost and no second collection when inviting a CRS Global Fellow to speak—just a thank you for your support and an inspiring message on your community’s impact through CRS Rice Bowl. To schedule, email [email protected].
Giving and Collections
Online Giving
Online gifts are the fastest for way participants’ donations to reach CRS and begin supporting vital programs around the world. Encourage families to give by scanning the QR code on their Rice Bowl or by visiting crsricebowl.org/give. Online gifts also qualify for your diocesan share.
Community Giving Pages
A Community Giving Page makes online giving easy for your parish and helps gifts reach CRS quickly. Create a CRS Rice Bowl Community Giving Page in less than 10 minutes, then share your parish’s personalized link in bulletins, emails, social media and announcements throughout Lent.
Create a Community Giving Page
Collection Resources
Prepare for a successful end-of-Lent collection with these tools and resources.
Steps to Collect Rice Bowls
These tips will help you plan a successful end-of-Lent collection.
Collection Poster
Download the bilingual collection poster and display it in a prominent location so parishioners know when and where to turn in their Rice Bowls. You may also consider sharing it on your website or social media platforms.
Envelope Template
If your parish uses a second collection-style envelope, download and print this template.
Share the Impact
Celebrate your parish's participation and help parishioners see the difference their generosity makes.
Thank Your Community
Use this thank-you video to recognize the volunteers, parish leaders and parishioners who helped make CRS Rice Bowl possible.
Share Stories of Hope
Use CRS stories and resources to show how prayers, sacrifices and gifts transform lives around the world.
Give Your Lenten Alms
When you give to CRS Rice Bowl, you help families around the world overcome hunger and poverty. Thank you for spreading hope and changing lives this Lent.