Following Cardinal DiNardo’s request to all bishops, a collection will be taken up at all Sunday Masses, including vigil Masses, on September 23-24 to be shared between Catholic Charities USA (and distributed in the US dioceses affected by the storm through those Catholic Charities offices), and CRS (for relief and rebuilding programs in non-US dioceses and locations) for those affected by Hurricane IRMA.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Following the damage and extensive... flooding wrought in Texas and Louisiana by Hurricane Harvey three weeks ago, the even stronger Hurricane Irma has now struck the Caribbean and Florida, and produced heavy rain and flooding throughout the Southeast. Praise God that, once again, notice of the storm and good planning saved many thousands of lives. But damage to homes and other buildings in many areas is scarcely believable. On some Caribbean islands exposed to Irma at its strongest, there is hardly a building left standing. In the Florida Keys, 90% of homes sustained damage, including 25% destroyed outright. Irma’s wake is littered with great human need.
Accordingly, I and all my brother bishops throughout the country are asking again for your assistance. Cardinal DiNardo writes, “I am aware that this call comes on the heels of the emergency collection for Hurricane Harvey.... Likewise, Hurricane Irma has been devastating, and our brothers and sisters in the Caribbean, especially the Diocese of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands, and the southern US need our help. The Church is a channel for grace and solidarity in the wake of natural disasters, as it offers solace and support in their aftermath. However, as is so often the case, the Church itself in these regions... is now in need of tremendous assistance itself. So many of the Church’s structures have been damaged and their resources depleted, which makes it even more challenging to provide assistance and pastoral outreach to those in need.”
In that spirit of solidarity, I ask you especially to pray fervently for all those affected by this second severe hurricane. And if you are able, please give further charitable aid through the special collection for Irma assistance in your parish, or directly to Catholic Charities (for immediate relief and rebuilding in US dioceses) or to CRS (for aid to non-US dioceses and locations) at their websites, www.catholiccharitiesusa.org, and www.crs.org. Please be as
generous as you can.
May God reward you for your charity, and may He hear and grant all our prayers for those harmed by Hurricane Irma.
Your brother in Christ,
Most Reverend R. Walker Nickless
Bishop of Sioux City