On the Second Sunday of Lent, the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa mandated a special collection to
aid the Karidat programs that help unemployed and needy households, and especially for those
badly affected by the shrinking of the economy due to COVID-19. Instead of the Lenten
collection for internal use for the Bishop’s Charities, Most Rev. Ryan Jiminez, D.D. felt that the
needs of persons in the CNMI must take precedence and that the People of God would be
invited to help the needy through Karidat.
Karidat assists many families and persons who suffer from economic stress, and has been asked
to help more and more households during the time of the pandemic. Karidat takes the words
of Jesus literally when he says that Christians must feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the
sick and imprisoned. It is the major arm of organized charity for the Diocese in a programmed
way and makes the ministry of charity professional for significant numbers of persons.
Of course, individuals and parishes also engage in charitable activities and are most important
to the work of Christ for those who suffer. The work of the Diocese and Karidat enables such
ministry to be larger, structural, and professional. Through the collection of the Second Sunday
of Lent, the Diocese was able to aid Karidat’s mission with $10,248.29.
