God Our Creator
God our Creator,
To those who are hungry and thirsty,
Give food and drink.
To those who are not hungry and thirsty,
Give a hunger and a thirst for justice.
Help us to share in the creation of a more just and peaceful world.
Bless the Lenten alms we set aside in our household
for the good of any sister or brother in need.
We pray through Christ the Lord.
From Prayer Without Borders, Catholic Relief Services Publication
This Lent, we invite friends of Mary's Pence to stand in solidarity with women of Latin America by incorporating Mary’s Pence into your Lenten prayer gatherings. We offer two ways for you to do this: by making the women of Latin America a focus for a Lenten Soup Supper; or by asking your church to share a collection during Lent with Mary’s Pence, supporting women across the Americas.
Lenten Soup Supper
Please contact us to request a Praying in Solidarity with Women of Latin America Lenten Soup Supper Packet. This packet includes prayers, recipes, photos, agenda ideas, and a short DVD of the women of our ESPERA program in Central America. You can call us at 651-788-7869 or email us at staff@maryspence.org and we will be glad to send you a complete packet.
You can also download some of the packet materials here:
Please be in touch so that we can send you the other packet materials such as calendars, photos, newsletters, and the DVD. We are also happy to send you the printed version of all of the files here.
We designed this packet to be used for one Lenten Soup Supper prayer gathering, but we welcome you to use these resources however they are most useful to your faith community. We would also be glad to speak with you in person about other prayer ideas or solidarity opportunities for your community.
Special Lenten Collections
Many faith communities have weekly collections, and have special collections for the poor during Lent. We encourage you to speak with your parish and ask them to identify Mary’s Pence as the recipient for a collection.
Here are some materials that may help you organize a special collection for Mary's Pence:
Please call us at 651-788-7869 or email us at staff@maryspence.org if you need more materials or have any questions.
Why give to Mary's Pence for Lent?
Lent is a time of reconciliation with God and one’s neighbors. All humans are members of God’s family. We believe it is important to be in relationship with people of Latin America because we share a common history. We focus on women, in particular, because women and children make up a large percentage of the world’s poor.
Thank you for all that you do for God’s family. Thank you for your hunger for justice.
