Most Reverend Joseph A. Galante, D.D., J.C.D., Bishop of Camden, has asked the parishes of the diocese of Camden to take up a special collection at Masses this weekend (Sept. 27-28) to assist relief efforts by Catholic Charities USA to those impacted by Hurricanes Ike and Gustav, which struck the Gulf region earlier this month.
In a letter sent to parishes yesterday and to be published in Friday’s Catholic Star Herald, the diocesan newspaper, Bishop called attention to the plight of communities in Louisiana and Texas where people have been displaced from their homes and are without power. “More than two million people were displaced by Hurricane Gustav and almost two million people are still without power because of Hurricane Ike. It may take a month before power is restored and rebuilding will take years,” he said in the letter.
He emphasized in the letter the combined tropical storms so far this season has exceeded the damage of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, but donations for relief efforts this year “have fallen well short of the response to Katrina.” In 2005 parishioners of the diocese donated more than $1 million in the fall of 2005 to assist victims of Katrina after a similar request for support by Bishop Galante.
The collection will assist Catholic Charities’ efforts in the region, which includes opening one-stop distribution sites where families can access food, water, ice, hygiene kits, or other items; serving thousands of hot meals to hurricane victims living in remote areas of Louisiana and sending truckloads of food and other supplies to impacted areas; offering gas cards and other aid to help stranded evacuees return home; offering crisis counseling; continuing damage assessment to identify ongoing needs; and providing information about available services and counseling to returning evacuees in New Orleans. Two caseworkers from the Diocese of Camden also have been sent to the Gulf region to assist Catholic Charities’ efforts there.
Letter from the Bishop: Bishop calls on parishes to support hurricane relief efforts