The immense loss of life, devastation, and destruction left behind by Hurricane Irma, and Hurricane Harvey before her, is heartbreaking. We turn to our Lord in this time of need as people and communities throughout Texas, Florida, the Gulf Coast, and the Caribbean begin to piece their lives back together. Let us continue to pray for them on their long road to recovery and share our financial resources generously.
Special collection
Bishop Walkowiak is asking parishioners in the Diocese of Grand Rapids to support Hurricane Irma relief efforts through a special second collection to be held in parishes Sept. 23-24. These funds will be used in the affected areas to support humanitarian aid, assistance with long-term efforts to restore communities after widespread destruction, and for the pastoral and reconstruction needs of the Church in the U.S. and the Caribbean. For many in these regions the Church provides them with aid and basic necessities. Now more than ever these churches need our help.
This is in addition to the special collection Bishop Walkowiak asked parishioners to support Sept. 2-3 for Hurricane Harvey relief.
To support relief efforts in the Caribbean, donate to Catholic Relief Services.
To support relief efforts in the US Virgin Islands, Texas, Florida and the Gulf Coast, donate to Catholic Charities USA.
National Catholic Educational Association's Student to Student campaign
Additionally, the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) launched a campaign in solidarity with our Catholic school families throughout the country as we seek to help Catholic schools in areas affected by hurricanes Harvey and Irma. These funds will be used to help Catholic schools impacted by the storms rebuild, reopen and re-enroll students. Individual donations can be offered at this link, and there is also a Student to Student campaign through which our Catholic schools may choose to collect students’ and families’ donations in order to forward to the NCEA for distribution to affected schools.
Additional resources
- U.S. Bishops Conference executive committee issues statement in wake of catastrophic hurricanes: Encourage faithful to resond with prayers and support (USCCB)
- Pope Francis conveys spiritual closeness and pastoral concern to all victims of Hurricane Harvey(USCCB)
- On Aug. 27, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, USCCB president and archbishop of Galveston-Houston, called for prayers and solidarity with those impacted by Hurricane Harvey. He also called on all people of good will to closely monitor future calls for assistance for victims and survivors in the days ahead. Read the full statement here.
- Call for a special collection to support victims of Hurricane Harvey and to provide pastoral and rebuilding support to impacted dioceses.
- Statement from Cardinal DiNardo, president of the USCCB, as Hurricane Irma prepares to make landfall
Photo by U.S. Department of Defense Current Photos 1st Lt. Zachary West/Texas Military Department (170827-A-ZW944-024) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons