Given August 24, 2006 Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Camden 1845 Haddon Avenue, Camden Next week marks the one year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the Gulf Region. As anyone who has been there lately can tell you, there remains the enormous task of rebuilding that region and helping people return to their homes and to live in a way worthy of their God-given dignity.
Pope Benedict XVI in his first encyclical (Deus Caritas Est, “God is Love”) notes, “Anyone who needs me, and whom I can help, is my neighbor. The concept of ‘neighbor’ is now universalized, yet it remains concrete. Despite being extended to all mankind, it is not reduced to a generic, abstract and undemanding expression of love, but calls for my own practical commitment here and now.”
One year later, it is easy to forget. It is easy to let complacency set in. It is easy to say, let others do the work. But the need there is still immense and we feel compelled to join in solidarity with our sisters and brothers there as we commit ourselves to doing what we can to help. Last year, this diocese took up a special collection in the wake of the Hurricane and its horrendous aftermath.
Generous parishioners helped raise nearly $1.1 million dollars, most of which was sent to Catholic Charities U.S.A. to provide immediate humanitarian relief. A portion was retained by Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Camden to fund an initiative you will hear about shortly. This weekend, I am calling on all the parishes of the Diocese of Camden to take up a new special collection to aid in the recovery efforts of the Archdiocese of New Orleans and the Diocese of Biloxi.
The theme of the collection is “Rebuild Church, Rebuild Hope: A Collection for New Orleans and Biloxi” and it will be held August 26-27, 2006 throughout the six southern counties of the diocese. This year’s collection will help to rebuild churches, schools, and other essential parts of the infrastructure which were destroyed by the hurricane and subsequent flooding. Sixty percent of the collection will go to New Orleans and the remaining 40 percent to Biloxi.
In addition to this special collection, because the needs of the region are so great, and because financial assistance—as necessary as it is—is not enough, I have authorized Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Camden to organize the sending of up to 450 parish volunteers over the next 18 months to the Gulf Region to help rebuild the most devastated regions in New Orleans and Mississippi.
This is a huge and unprecedented undertaking and I thank in advance all those from this diocese who will give so generously of their time, skill and energy to help our sisters and brothers in need.