Role of CRS West
The role of the Catholic Relief Services West Regional Office is to inform and engage U.S. Catholics in the work of global solidarity in the Western States. The region places priority on relationships between the people of our country and the people overseas.
CRS West, the first of six domestic regional offices, brings opportunities for engagement to the dioceses, institutions and faith based groups in the western states. The West represents the fastest growing region for the Catholic Church in the United States with increasing numbers of Asian and Hispanic Catholics.
CRS West covers the 8 states of the USCCB Regions XI and XII. The states in region XI are California, Nevada and Hawaii, and the states in region XII are Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Montana and Alaska. The West region encompasses 2000 parishes in 26 dioceses with a population of over 14 million Catholics.
The Regional Director and staff are the primary point of contact with CRS for the diocesan and parish structure, universities, religious communities and Catholic health care institutions, Catholic schools and parish youth programs, and faith based groups who wish to collaborate with CRS in building awareness and providing opportunities to build relationships of global solidarity.in the Western United States. CRS West also coordinates programs and events with CRS fundraising (especially with Major Gifts Officers in the region), media and marketing departments.
Goals and Objectives
The goal of CRS West is to make CRS present in the Western states, to serve U.S. Catholics through diocesan and other institutional structures, to build awareness of our work and the needs of the poor by providing resources and opportunities for engagement in global solidarity activities.
Objectives:
- To ensure that all diocesan ministries in the West recognize that they are challenged by the call to Global Solidarity and have appropriate opportunities to respond to that call.
- To inform and enable educational institutions, social service institutions and networks, and other faith based groups respond to the call for Global Solidarity in their respective ministries.
- To project CRS and the U.S. Catholic Church as a "servant leader" and a "voice for the poor and marginalized" in the promotion of charity and justice in the world to U.S. Catholics and society in the Western States.
- To increase support for CRS activities and programs, both domestic and overseas.
CRS West Regional Meeting Report
The CRS West Regional meeting report summarizes our two-day gathering with CRS Diocesan Directors and partners on June 19-20, 2012 in Los Gatos, California.
