September 15, 2019 - "Help for Hurricane Dorian Victims"

As I write this column Hurricane Dorian has hit the Atlantic Maritime Provinces of Canada (notably Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland) on Sunday afternoon (September 8).  By Sunday evening it should have blown out to sea.  Several days ago Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston and President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a statement about Hurricane Dorian that left at least fifty people dead in its path.  Here is part of Cardinal DiNardo’s statement:  “…we are extremely mindful of the dire need faced by the community in the Bahamas so devastated by this catastrophic storm.  We pray for all affected and invite Catholics and all people of goodwill to donate to Catholic Relief Services and Catholic Charities USA.”
 
Several people asked me after Mass if I planned to take up a second collection for the victims of Hurricane Dorian.  I can only do that if so directed or encouraged by the Archdiocese of Washington.  We have not received any direction so far about taking up a second collection.  Guidance from the Archdiocese may well come later in the week (after the deadline for submitting the bulletin to the company that prints them for us.) In the meantime let me encourage you to follow the recommendation of Cardinal DiNardo to make a donation either to Catholic Relief Services or Catholic Charities USA.  You should make a check payable to the charity you prefer and write on the memo line of the check the following:  Relief for Victims of Hurricane Dorian.  If you wish to give electronically to Catholic Relief Services, here is a link for that purpose for your convenience:  https://support.crs.org/donate/hurricane-dorian.    If you wish to mail a check to Catholic Relief Services, here is their address:
 
Catholic Relief Services
228 West Lexington Street
Baltimore, MD 21201-3443
 
On the other hand, if you prefer to give electronically to the relief fund for the victims of Hurricane Dorian, here is a link for that purpose:  https://app.mobilecause.com/form/RTKRvQ?vid=1snqm.  If you prefer to send a check to Catholic Charities USA, you can send it to them at this address:
 
Catholic Charities USA
2050 Ballenger Avenue, Suite 500
Alexandria, VA 22314
 
Finally, we would do well to follow the advice that Pope Francis gave to journalists at a press conference he held on the flight from Rome to Mozambique on Wednesday, September 4, 2019.   When speaking of the victims of Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas, the Holy Father urged everyone to pray for “those poor people who from one day to the next have lost their homes, everything, even their lives.”
 
Until next week,
Fr. John