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March 14, 2017DIOCESAN CENTRE/ CENTRE DIOCESAIN
30 Ste-Anne Road, Sudbury ON P3C 5El
Tel: (705) 674-2727 Fax/Telecopieur: {705) 674-9889
2017 SHARE LENT CAMPAIGN AND COLLECTION
My brothers and sisters in Christ, may the grace and the peace of the Lord be with you.
On March 1 we will begin our Lenten journey with Jesus as he travels to Jerusalem to suffer and die for our sins and three days later to rise again in majesty. For many of us this is a special time of year, a time spent in prayer, self-sacrifice and reflection on the awesome love of God in our own lives. It is a time to acknowledge the many blessings we have received and it is a time to challenge ourselves to respond to Jesus' call to love our neighbours as ourselves.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Development and Peace! Yes for 50 years, Catholics in Canada have been reaching out to our sisters and brothers around the world. Together, we have been on a journey to seek a world, free from poverty, violence and oppression - a world full of the peace of God.
In those 50 years, the generosity of the faithful has meant that over 600 million dollars have been invested in more than 15,000 projects in over 100 countries! Thanks to the solidarity of people like you, thousands of men and women, in the global south, have been able to work for their own development and the development of their families, communities and countries. When we look at the success stories of overcoming poverty in our history, we often find "Women at the Heart of Change". This is the theme for the 2017 SHARE LENT campaign. I invite you to become informed and to pray for the continued success of Development and Peace.
This year the SHARE LENT collection will be on the April 1st and 2nd weekend, the 5th Sunday of Lent, and not on Good Friday. I want to thank you for your generosity and ask that you continue to help the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie be an active participant in the work of Development and Peace for the next 50 years. We are on a journey of love, compassion and solidarity that Christ has entrusted to all of us - it is the journey towards a fair world for all.
+Marcel Damphousse Bishop of Sault Ste. Marie
