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"Give me My Weapon!" - St. Pio
PAPAL APPEAL FOLLOWING EARTHQUAKE IN HAITI
VATICAN CITY, 13 JAN 2010 (VIS) - At the end of today's general audience, held in the Paul VI Hall, the Pope launched an appeal "for the dramatic situation currently being experienced in Haiti".
"My thoughts go in particular to the population hit just a few hours ago by a devastating earthquake which has caused serious loss of human life, large numbers of homeless and missing people, and vast material damage.
"I invite everyone to join my prayers to the Lord for the victims of this catastrophe and for those who mourn their loss. I give assurances of my spiritual closeness to people who have lost their homes and to everyone who, in various ways, has been affected by this terrible calamity, imploring God to bring them consolation and relief in their suffering.
"I appeal to the generosity of all people so that these our brothers and sisters who are experiencing a moment of need and suffering may not lack our concrete solidarity and the effective support of the international community. The Catholic Church will not fail to move immediately, through her charitable institutions, to meet the most immediate needs of the population".
Many churches in our diocese have ties to Haiti and our concern and prayers go out to the devastating Haitian earthquake. Everyone wants to help in one way or another. It is early on and many are still waiting to hear from their contacts in Haiti. In an e-mail to all Pastors the Diocese of Richmond stated:
The following information was sent, via email, to all Pastors from the Office of the Vicar General: Dear Pastor: If you choose to have a collection in your parish for disaster relief for Haiti, please follow the usual procedure.
Have your parishioners make their checks to your parish with a memo that it is for Catholic Relief Services/Haiti. Send the entire parish donation in a single check to the Diocese Finance Office with a memo that it is for Catholic Relief Services/Haiti. The Diocese will collect all the parishes' donations and send a single check to Catholic Relief Services for disaster relief in Haiti.
We suggest that you announce this collection to your parishioners on the weekend of January 16-17 and take up the collection on the weekend of January 23-24.
Please include special prayers for the people in Haiti at all Masses in the next two weeks.
If you have any questions about our twinning parishes in Haiti, please contact Patrice Schwermer at:
Commonwealth Catholic Charities
1512 Willow Lawn Drive | PO Box 6565
Richmond, Virginia 23230-0565
804-545-5974 o | 804-285-9130 fThank you so much for your concern.
Msgr. Thomas Shreve Vicar General
Office of the Vicar General
Catholic Diocese of Richmond
7800 Carousel Lane
Richmond, VA 23294
tshreve@richmonddiocese.org
804-359-5661 ext. 135
Catholic Relief Services is re-directing people to a donation page in response to the incredible amount of traffic to the site from those who wish to help.
via CNS - Catholic Relief Services was preparing for "thousands and thousands" of dead and injured people in the wake of the most devastating earthquake to strike Haiti in two centuries, said Karel Zelenka, the agency's country representative.
The USCCB site, while not advising on donations, is reporting via CNS the death of the Archbishop:
The lifeless body of Archbishop Joseph Miot of Port-au-Prince was found this morning under the rubble of the archbishops' residence."
Archbishop Bernardito Auza, the Vatican's apostolic nuncio in Haiti, told the Vatican missionary news agency Fides: "Port-au-Prince is completely devastated. The cathedral and the archbishop's residence, all the big churches, all the seminaries are reduced to rubble."
Our thoughts and prayers here at the Examiner are with the victims, survivors and those who are heeding the call to help our sticken friends in Haiti.
Join the discussion at Free Republic.
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