As a show of support and solidarity for the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, our Holy Thursday collection will be going to Asian Counseling and Referral Services (ACRS). ACRS promotes social justice and the well-being and empowerment of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and other underserved communities – including immigrants, refugees, and American-born – by developing, providing and advocating for innovative, effective and efficient community-based multilingual and multicultural services. These include Aging Services for Older Adults, Behavioral Health & Wellness, Child & Youth Development, Employment & Training Services, Citizenship & Immigration Assistance, and Recovery Services. You can learn more about this organization by visiting ACRS.org.
From the Franciscan website: "Every year on Good Friday, a collection is taken up in Catholic Churches to support the work of the Franciscans working in the Holy Land. Christians there rely heavily on the help that comes to them from this worldwide collection.
The Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America is part of a world-wide network of Commissariats of the Holy Land which function as bridges between the Holy Land and Christians all over the world. The Franciscan Monastery in Washington, D.C., coordinates this vital support for the work of the Franciscans who work in the Holy Land.
The Franciscans of the Custody of the Holy Land have the unique responsibility to care for the Holy Places as well for the “Living Stones,” the Christians living there. It is vital that we support Christians living in the Holy Land, in order to maintain a Christian presence in the very land made holy by the life, death and Resurrection of Jesus."