Parish collection to aid Philippines typhoon victims
Most Reverend Richard J. Malone, Bishop of Buffalo, has asked all parishes of the Diocese of Buffalo to take up a special collection the weekends of Nov. 30-Dec.1, to assist the work of Catholic Relief Services in aiding those affected by Super-Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.
Proceeds will be forwarded to Catholic Relief Services, which is managing the U.S. Catholic Church's emergency response in the affected areas, to help typhoon victims begin to rebuild their lives.
“When it comes to responding to those in need, be it in Western New York or halfway around the world, the faithful of the diocese have a long history of tremendous generosity, and I fully expect that will be the case with this special collection as well,” said Bishop Malone, a member of the Catholic Relief Services Board of Directors.
Catholic Relief Services, in cooperation with its partners, will provide 100,000 families (500,000 people) with shelter, essential living supplies, and clean water and sanitation, and will continue to identify the most vulnerable communities that need assistance. Catholic Relief Services said it hopes to raise $20 million for this vital emergency response.
Catholic Relief Services’ presence in the Philippines is its oldest continuously operating country program. Prompted by the mass destruction and loss of life in the Philippines during World War II, Catholic Relief Services, then called War Relief Services, first launched relief efforts in that country in 1945. Just one year later, the agency was providing supplies to more than 800,000 people.
Today, Catholic Relief Services focuses on agro-enterprise and peace building programs in Mindanao and has teams at the ready to respond to natural disasters. Catholic Relief Services’ agricultural programs in the Philippines lift small-scale farmers from poverty by linking them to more profitable markets. The peace building programs lessen violence, improve livelihoods and help create tolerance in the south.
Catholic Relief Services is also accepting online donations at: https://secure.Catholic Relief Services.org/site/Donation2?