Haitian Earthquake Disaster Relief

Diocese of Savannah/Office of the Bishop

January 15, 2010

Dear friends,

This letter is a request for help for the people of Haiti in the aftermath of a massive earthquake that struck near the capital of Port-au-Prince on Tuesday, January 12th. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and was still recovering from the deadly 2008 hurricanes when the quake struck. The people of Haiti are in dire need of our assistance.

I serve on the Board of Directors of Catholic Relief Services (CRS). CRS is the official overseas relief and development agency of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. I am aware of the incredible work that this organization does all over the world.

CRS has a permanent presence in Haiti. The good news is that the 300 staff members of CRS who are in Haiti are safe and accounted for. They are beginning the work of bringing relief supplies to the millions affected by this week's earthquake. CRS will continue its presence in Haiti for years to come.

They need financial resources to enable them to do their work. As a diocesan family, we will muster all the support we can to demonstrate our solidarity with a people who are in urgent need of our spiritual and physical support.

Between now and the beginning of Lent you are authorized to take up a special collection. This collection should be well advertised and promoted so as to give everyone the opportunity to participate. The Diocese will also promote this collection in the Southern Cross and on its website. Proceeds from the collection should be made payable to the "Catholic Diocese of Savannah" and mailed to P.O. Box 101451, Atlanta, GA 30392-1451. When you submit this money, make sure that it is identified for "Haitian Earthquake Disaster Relief." The Diocese in turn will submit all of the money collected to Catholic Relief Services, together with matching funds up to $30,000.

Please let us know the results of your parish's participation. We will publish occasional news releases of how the diocesan family is responding to this great need. Often young people want to know how they can help in times of struggle and emergencies like the devastating earthquake in Haiti. CRS has prepared resources that can be used with young people as they join in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Haiti. Their website is crs.org.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

J. Kevin Boland
Bishop of Savannah