Posted September 28, 2018

Archbishop Charles J. Chaput has asked that all parishes in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia consider taking up a special collection in coming weekends to support continued relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Florence.
Parishes may choose to take up the one-time collection at Masses on the weekends of Sept. 29-30 or Oct. 6-7.

Areas of North Carolina and South Carolina still are reeling from flooding caused by Hurricane Florence, which hit the Mid-Atlantic states in mid-September.

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All contributed funds will be used to support the efforts of Catholic Charities USA and Catholic Relief Services, the official relief agencies of the U.S. Catholic Church, as they respond to immediate emergency needs for such necessities as water, food, shelter, and medical care and aid in long-term rebuilding and recovery efforts.

The funds will also be used to respond and recovery from any other natural disasters that occur this year.

Catholic Charities USA has been active distributing relief supplies since the hurricane made landfall Sept. 14 – read more here.

This collection is part of a national initiative proposed by Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of the Galveston-Houston Archdiocese and president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to benefit the victims of natural disasters and to provide pastoral and rebuilding support to impacted dioceses.

Individuals may also contribute directly to Catholic Charities USA by texting CCUSADISASTER to 71777, calling 800-919-9338 or visiting the website at CatholicCharitiesUSA.org.