Thomas Awiapo made this statement in his talks with students and parishioners across the Archdiocese. Thomas works for Catholic Relief Services training community leaders throughout Ghana, where he lives with his wife and four children. OCSJM arranged for this CRS Speaker tour to bring his story of inspiration and gratitude to our local community.

Orphaned at an early age, Thomas struggled with poverty and hunger in his small African village until his search for food led him to a school started by Catholic Relief Services. His education liberated him from a life of poverty. Today he speaks regularly of his gratitude for the help that CRS offered him.

We can all be proud of the work of Catholic Relief Services. As the Catholic Church's official overseas relief and development agency, CRS works in 100 countries across the world. As Thomas explained, CRS works in the poorest areas of the world, developing community based solutions. 

In Ghana, the current work is on agriculture, health, and microfinance. Strengthening agricultural systems by supplying clean water, and establishing a sustainable supply of seed for commercially viable crops, both help to improve the community's health. By offering microfinancing, the small farmers learn more about financial management and ways to invest in their farms. 

You can learn more about Thomas Awiapo and CRS in this segment produced by ORTV and shown on Crossroads.

The Annual CRS Collection will be held in all parishes of the Archdiocese of Hartford on the weekend of May 31-June 1. Remember Thomas and others like him who grow and thrive with the help of CRS - and please be generous in supporting the critical work of CRS around the world. 

Parish leaders, under the guidance of OCSJM's Arturo Iriarte, have begun in earnest to develop a process to help prepare undocumented individuals to apply for a CT Drivers' License when the new legislation takes effect in January, 2015.

The teams have also lead discussions on automobile maintenance, vehicle insurance and best practices of personal behavior in the community. To date over 500 people have attended these Phase One introductory sessions. Phase Two sessions will be scheduled in the coming months, offering people individual assistance to review their documents and anticipate the actual steps in the application process.

This program is part of the work of the OCSJM Immigration team, and offers the double benefit of assisting the undocumented and developing the leadership skills and confidence of members of the local parish teams.  Check the OCSJM Event Calendar on our website for the dates, times and locations of these on-going events across the Archdiocese. 

Leadership Teams from St. Margaret Church (Waterbury), St. Patrick Church (Enfield), St. Joseph Church (Bristol), St. Louis (West Haven) and Blessed Sacrament (Hamden) have held introductory sessions this spring to assist individuals with the steps they must take before they can begin the application process.  Steps include gathering documents to prove identity and residency, reviewing personal history for any legal violations, and learning safety and driving rules and regulations that will be part of the written and road tests that they will take at the DMV.