OPERATION RICE BOWL ...by Sr. Julian

At our recent chapter meeting (where the community comes together to discuss all kinds of issues), the community talked about how we might engage in the season of Lent. Of course, there are always individual and personal decisions about how to live Lent. We also make a daily effort to be mindful of the season of Lent. We try to be a little more quiet and have a little more spaciousness to be with God.

The idea of participating in the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Rice Bowl (I call it Operation Rice Bowl as that is what I remember it being called as a child) was presented by Sr. Anna-Camille at our chapter meeting. The community responded positively, especially given the poverty and hunger of so many in the world. To assist Catholic Relief Services in this program seemed like a good Lenten partnership.

The Rice Bowl project began back in Lent of 1975, in Allentown, Pennsylvania. At that time, the Rice Bowl was an ecumenical effort to eliminate hunger in Africa. By 1976, the Rice Bowl became an official program of the Catholic Relief Services.

Celebrating 50 Years of Rice Bowl

Why Lent and why a Bowl? The Rice Bowl project really involves the trifecta of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Not just the almsgiving, but the intentional prayer and fasting accompanying any donation. Lent is often a time of extra prayer and fasting, as well as doing other acts of love--whether it is ‘giving something up,’ or acting affirmatively in some loving way.

A rice bowl is a simple cardboard box in which you put your alms or donations. Some parishes offer these boxes at the beginning of Lent. Nowadays, CRS provides a Lenten calendar (40 days of Lent) along with the bowl. It’s not just a calendar, but it is filled also with Lenten reflections, activities and possible Lenten ideas and opportunities. The rice bowl can be returned to a parish or parish school, or can be mailed directly to Catholic Relief Services. A ‘rice bowl’ can also be the image used for an online donation during Lent to CRS.

Catholic Relief Services uses the alms for foreign agricultural projects, clean water projects, small business assistance, health and nutrition, and even educational programs. 75% of the rice bowl funds collected go to these foreign countries in need. The other 25% remains in Catholic dioceses to aid those with hunger and poverty in their local communities.

The Rice Bowl can be visualized as an image of food being given. It can be used as a special holder for donations. It reminds me that the season of giving is not just Christmas, but part of Lent as well. When I place the bowl where I can see it, it reminds me of praying, fasting, and giving.

We can use the CRS rice bowl to collect money for donating. We could possibly become the bowl ourselves. We can donate our prayers, our fasting for the world’s hunger and all its needs.

You could create your own Rice Bowl. What would it look like? How would you determine what to put in it? Could you put your own self in it and your family? Would you give it another name?

May this Lenten season be a blessed and sacred one for you. May you become the bowl offering to others and in turn, may you receive offerings from God and others.