Caritas India Lenten
campaign: “Sustain Life, Sustainable Livelihood”
Poster of Caritas India's Lenten Campaign 2020 |
During the 40-day Lenten period, that begins with Ash
Wednesday, Christians give in to prayer, penance, fasting, abstinence and works
of mercy in preparation for Easter.
By Robin Gomes
The Catholic Church in India is focussing on sustaining life
and promoting sustainable livelihood during Lent this year. Caritas
India, the official development and social action arm of the Catholic Church of
India, organizes the annual Lenten campaign each year.
During the 40-day Lenten period, that begins with Ash
Wednesday, Christians especially give in to prayer, penance, fasting,
abstinence and works of mercy in preparation for their most solemn feast,
Easter or the Resurrection of Christ from death.
Lent, this year, began on Ash Wednesday, February 26.
The Apostolic Nuncio to India, Italian Archbishop
Giambattista Diquattro officially unveiled this year’s campaign on Sunday,
February 23, at the Sacred Heart Cathedral, Delhi.
Hunger and disease
Part of Caritas’ flagship drive against hunger and disease,
the Lenten campaign this year has as its theme, “Sustain Life, Sustainable
Livelihood”. It invites everyone to join efforts in becoming
catalysts, adopting the “Each one Help one” approach in reaching out to attain
a sustainable livelihood.
Father Paul Moonjely, the executive director of Caritas
India said that the reason behind the choice of the theme is the poverty that
India is experiencing today. This, he told Vatican Radio, is
because of the unemployment situation in the country and as well as the
vulnerability of the poor sections of society to the frequent natural
“disasters and emergencies”, which rob them of their livelihood and
opportunities, leaving them in conditions of extreme poverty.
Sharing, caring, enabling
Fr. Moonjely said the campaign intends to create the
Christian environment and spirit of sharing, caring and enabling among the believers.
Referring to the Prophet Isaiah (58:6), the Caritas executive director said
that the true meaning of Lent urges us to share our riches with the poor, our
clothes with those who are without and our resources with the needy.
Empowering communities
Caritas India, the priest said, takes empowering communities
as a serious mission. Through the “collectivization of their existence”, he
said, communities come and work together to “ensure their livelihood and
opportunities” for their “survival and protection”.
Involving dioceses, parishes
Fr. Moonjely said that through its extensive network,
Caritas intends to take this Lenten campaign to the dioceses. The
Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) has decided that the Lenten
campaign will be launched in all the dioceses of the country on the First
Sunday of Lent, March 1.
Materials and background information on the Lenten campaign
are being sent to all the parishes, and a pastoral letter of the bishops is
also being prepared to sensitize the local communities to contribute to the
Lenten collection for the poor.
In this task, Fr. Moonjely said, Caritas mobilizes its
numerous volunteers who are active in each diocese. They take the
initiative of spreading the message of the campaign at the local level and in
utilizing the resources to reach out to the needy and the poor through the
national Caritas.
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