US Bishop’s First Friday fast for the world’s malnourished

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is asking Catholics to pray, fast, and give alms on Friday, March 2, to assist the 925 million malnourished people around the world. Catholics are asked to “fast” by limiting their food spending to the allotment on the USDA Modified Thrifty Food Plan–about $18 for a family of four.

“In the encyclical Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth), Pope Benedict XVI articulated Catholic social teaching’s vision of ‘a single family of peoples in solidarity’–a vision which is at ‘the heart of the Christian social message’ (no. 13),” a USCCB flyer states. “Catholic social teaching calls us to care for one another–both at home and abroad–because we are all members of one family and we are all really responsible for all (no. 49).”