Bishop requests donations for Hurricane Irma, Maria victims

Published: September 22, 2017

CNS photo/Jonathan Drake, Reuters

A man looks through the debris of his destroyed home in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma Sept. 17 in St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Hurricane Maria is forecast to roar through the battered island as a Category 3 hurricane Sept. 20 before heading to Puerto Rico.

CNS photo/Jonathan Drake, Reuters

For the second time in a month, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has organized an emergency national collection to help those devastated by hurricanes. This time, it refers to hurricanes Irma and Maria, which caused loss of life and wide-spread destruction in the Caribbean and the southeastern United States. Bishop Anthony B. Taylor has responded by asking parishioners in the Diocese of Little Rock to donate during any Mass celebrated Sept. 23-24 or Sept. 30-Oct. 1.

Bishop Taylor released the following letter Sept. 19 regarding the collection:

Dear Friends,

As you prepare to celebrate Mass in a few minutes, I want to let you know that a special collection will be taken up at the Offertory.

The funds collected in this one-time special appeal for Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria Relief will support church relief agencies, including Catholic Charities, as they provide humanitarian aid in the form of water, food, shelter and medical care, as well as long-term efforts to restore communities after widespread destruction, and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops for pastoral and reconstruction aid to the Church in the Caribbean and the United States.

With what we have seen this past week of Hurricane Maria’s destructive path, even more help will be needed for the Caribbean islands, especially for the inhabitants and Catholic Church in Puerto Rico.

It was just a few weeks ago that you were asked to help support the church’s recovery efforts in Texas and Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. To give again will be a sacrifice for many of you, but the devastation left in the wake of Hurricane Irma’s deadly path, and now Hurricane Maria, is so great, that we have to respond with as much love and generosity as we can.

Many of our brothers and sisters in Christ in the Caribbean, in Florida, and in the southern United States need our help. It will take months for their long-term recovery needs to be met and for the reconstruction of their local churches. Let us keep all these efforts in our prayers, and especially pray for those who have lost so much.

I am grateful for your understanding and support, and I remain,

Yours in Christ,

+Anthony B. Taylor

Bishop of Little Rock

For more information on Hurricanes Irma and Maria, visit dolr.org.