Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the Baltimore, Maryland-based international humanitarian agency, is on the scene assisting families in Europe as the refugee and migrant crisis continues to grow. Local parishes have asked what they can do to help, CRS has provided this list of ways that individuals and communities can help.
Pray
· A prayer for refugees that you can incorporate in your meetings, events, and classes
· General intercessions for peace in Syria
· Invite the members of your parish, school, or ministry to submit their prayers using our virtual chapel \ Spanish
CRS Stories, Articles and Interviews to learn more
· Visit our Syrian Refugee Crisis home page \ Spanish to learn about the crisis and to find out how the Church is responding
· Read the story of Six Syrian Refugees \ Spanish and how they recount the hardest part of their journey to Europe
· Baltimore Sun: Op-ed by Carolyn Woo: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bs-ed-syria-migrant-20150903-story.html
· America magazine: CRS staff in Serbia http://americamagazine.org/content/dispatches/crs-official-describes-crisis-serbian-border
· Catholic News Service: http://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2015/church-agencies-highlight-growing-urgency-of-europes-refugee-crisis.cfm
· Listen to a CRS field interview that was recently featured on the Jennifer Fulwiler show on SiriusXM radio
Video overview of the crisis
· CRS staff member Caroline Brennan shares about the situation in Syria
Photos from the field show the need
· A collection of images from the field https://crs.widencollective.com/c/pkxclck3
Social Media can help spread awareness of the need for assistance
@CatholicRelief, @CRSNews, @CBrennanCRS, @KimPoz and @ngamer19, #RefugeeCrisis, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest and YouTube. Share this image on your social media outlets to be in solidarity with our refugee brothers and sisters.
Donate
The immediate need is for food and water, shelter, access to sanitation, baby food, medical care and protection.
Donate online: donate.crs.org/migrantcrisis
By phone: 1-877-435-7277
By mail:
Catholic Relief Services
P.O. Box 17090
Baltimore, MD 21297-0303
In the memo line, write “Migrant Crisis”