Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
The season of Lent is an opportunity to deepen our relationship with Christ and to grow in our love of God and neighbour. Through simple acts of love, we discover that our hearts are opened to universal communion, a sense of fraternity that excludes nothing and no one (Laudato Si’ 92).
It is in the spirit of fraternity and solidarity that Development and Peace — Caritas Canada, with the support of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, works with partner organizations and communities in the Global South. The campaign this Lent, Create Hope – Reaping our Rights, invites us to create bridges of solidarity with small-scale farmers and peasant communities around the world.
The campaign introduces us to the many challenges faced by small-scale farmers and peasant communities and makes us more aware of the need to acknowledge, enshrine and safeguard peasant peoples’ rights. We are all interconnected and have a duty to ensure that peasants’ rights, human rights and environmental rights are fully respected, not only in Canada but everywhere in the world.
I ask you to join the Create Hope – Reaping our Rights campaign wholeheartedly through its Lenten and fall phases by:
- participating in the education and action campaign which calls Canadians to do more for small-scale farmers and peasants around the world;
- standing in solidarity with our sisters and brothers in the Global South who are impoverished by unjust socio-economic and political systems;
- giving generously to Share Lent, especially on Solidarity Sunday, the 5th Sunday of Lent, March 17, 2024 (https://devp.org/en/ or https://devp.org/fr/).
May God bless our Lenten journey and strengthen us to be true disciples of Jesus, bearers of the Good News. Through our practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving, and our solidarity with our sisters and brothers in need, may the Holy Spirit lead us to the hope and joy that can be found only in the Easter miracle.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Most Rev. Ronald P. Fabbro, CSB