Continuing a long tradition of concern for social justice and care for the poor, Bishop George L. Thomas was selected by a floor vote to serve on the Board of Directors of Catholic Relief Services during the November meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, D.C.
Catholic Relief Services, the official international relief and development agency of the U.S. Catholic community, aids the poor in over 90 countries through both direct assistance and local development. CRS also works to educate U.S. Catholics, remove the causes of poverty, and promote social justice throughout the world.
Bishop Thomas just completed a three-year term on the USCCB committee which oversees the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. That committee has overall responsibility for CCHD’s activities, including setting policy and making final funding decisions.
CCHD is the domestic anti-poverty, social justice program of the U.S. Catholic bishops. Its mission is to address the root causes of poverty in the United States through support of community controlled self-help organizations and through transformative education.
Bishop Thomas also serves on the USCCB Committee for Communications and the Subcommittee on Bishops and Catholic College and University Presidents, and recently completed a term on the Pastoral Practices Committee. He is also chairman for Region XII, that region of the U.S. Church which includes the states of Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho and Alaska.
Published in The Montana Catholic, Vol. 20, No. 12, December 17, 2004.