Children Speak Out on Hunger

More often than not, an Offerings of Letters involves primarily members of our own congregations, whether the  messages are written on site or from the comfort of our own homes. On those times when the Offering of Letters extends beyond the "walls" of our own churches, the results are great. Two years ago, an Offering of Letters at St. John XXIII Catholic Community inspired a parishioner to organize co-workers at Molina Health Care to write more than 80 letters to Congress to save nutrition programs.

The extended Offering of Letters has been a tradition at Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Church in Albuquerque, thanks to Ellen Buelow and her team. In 2016, parishioners who participated in that year's Offering of Letters were inspired to bring the letter-writing activity to South Valley Preparatory School and Holy Ghost School.  This year, the Offering of Letters at Holy Rosary on March 18-19, again inspired Mary Ann Holland, a retired teacher, to bring the Offering of Letters to Holy Ghost School. The students produced more than 120 letters to Sen. Tom Udall, Sen. Martin Heinrich and Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham. Some messages were a fairly general request to ensure that people were fed. Others urged to address the issues that affect the homeless community. One letter specifically asked for help for Africa, with a specific mention of Sudan.  Below are samples of some of the messages that the Holy Ghost students wrote to Congress this year.