GENEROUS RESPONSE TO CALLS

FOR AID AT HOME AND ABROAD

A massive outpouring of support for the victims of two natural disasters---Hurricane Katrina and the Indian Ocean tsunami--- served once again to demonstrate the generosity shown traditionally by the faithful of the Diocese of Brooklyn towards people affected by radical upheavals in their lives.

During 2005, members of the 216 parishes in Brooklyn and Queens contributed $2,327,341 to Katrina and tsunami relief, almost half of the $5,138,870 given to some 20 special collections.

Parishioners donated $1,201,125 for Katrina assistance after the Aug. 30 hurricane tore through New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. It was administered primarily through Catholic Charities USA.

In the early part of last year, they donated $1,126,216 for persons victimized by the tsunami, which occurred Dec. 26, 2004. Catholic Relief Services spearheaded the relief efforts on behalf of the Church in this country.

Key officials of the two aid agencies thanked the people of the Diocese of Brooklyn, through correspondence with Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, for their generosity and concern.

Father Larry J. Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA, said the hurricane funds provided by dioceses across the country assisted the humanitarian needs of more than 300,000 victims.

Bishop Robert N. Lynch of St. Petersburg, who chairs the board of Catholic Relief Services, completed a second visit to the tsunami area early this year and noticed a change. In his first visit, he said,  “I was moved by the desperation I saw in the faces of people in places like Banda Aceh and Meulaboh.”

In his recent trip, he said, “I was equally moved by how much had changed, including the faces.”

Collections for disasters in Pakistan, Africa, Haiti and the Caribbean totaled $207,607.

Virtually all the 2005 special collections benefited agencies and relief efforts away from the Brooklyn Diocese except four. The Retirement Fund for Senior Priests resulted in $379,936 in contributions, Catholic Charities received $372,876, the Religious Retirement Fund gained $333,631 and the Catholic education appeal collected $144,954.

The funds contributed to national collections included:

            Holy Land, $207,043; Peter’s Pence, $178,028; Catholic Home Missions, $166,765; Black and Native American Missions, $161,633; Catholic Relief Services, $160,689; Catholic Communication Campaign, $143,851; Catholic University, $133,298; Catholic Campaign for Human Development, $119,287, and Church in Latin America and Central and Eastern Europe, $101,932.

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