From OSV News:
The priest who created Rice Bowl — which became Catholic Relief Services‘ annual Lenten program of prayer, fasting and almsgiving for humanitarian aid — has died at age 95.
Msgr. Robert J. Coll, a retired priest of the Diocese of Allentown, Pennsylvania, died April 20 in Naples, Florida, according to an April 24 obituary published by Florida Catholic, the Venice diocesan news outlet.
He had relocated to the Diocese of Venice in 1999, and had for the past 25 years assisted at St. John the Evangelist Parish and St. Agnes Parish, both in Naples.
As of April 24, funeral arrangements had not yet been announced, said Florida Catholic.
Over the past five decades, Rice Bowl has raised “nearly $350 million for poverty and hunger alleviation programs around the world and here at home,” said CRS president and CEO Sean Callahan in an April 27 statement on Msgr. Coll’s death.
Callahan expressed “deep sorrow” over the loss of Msgr. Coll, describing him as “a visionary priest whose legacy of faith and service will endure for generations through CRS Rice Bowl.”
“We give thanks for a priest whose life was a gift poured out in service,” Bishop Alfred A. Schlert of Allentown told OSV News in an April 28 statement, noting the priest’s “legacy in the Diocese of Allentown will endure through the countless lives touched by his compassion, leadership, and unwavering faith.”
Rice Bowl — to which participants contribute from funds saved through fasting or preparing meatless meals — benefits millions in more than 100 countries.
Of each year’s collection, 75% supports humanitarian programs operated by CRS, the official relief and development agency of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The remaining 25% assists local efforts to eradicate hunger.
The outreach began with a Lenten project Msgr. Coll launched while he was pastor of St. Thomas More Parish in Allentown — and ultimately led the Pennsylvania-born priest across the world, bringing him face-to-face with the most impoverished.
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord …
