Bishop Donald Kettler is asking that every parish of the Diocese of St. Cloud take up a special collection on the weekend of Nov. 25-26 to assist victims of Hurricane Maria and earthquakes in Mexico.
Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico and other parts of the Caribbean in mid to late September. More than half of Puerto Rico is still without power.
In Mexico, an 8.1 magnitude earthquake shook southern Mexico on Sept. 7, leaving 100 dead and damaging more than 100,000 homes, according to a report from Catholic News Service. A second earthquake — 7.1 magnitude — on Sept. 19 struck just south of Mexico City, claiming 369 lives.
Proceeds from this emergency collection will be forwarded to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The funds will support the humanitarian efforts of Catholic Charities USA and Catholic Relief Services to provide pastoral and rebuilding support to dioceses impacted.
Special collections taken in September in the Diocese of St. Cloud to assist victims of hurricanes Harvey and Irma brought in $422,320 as of Nov. 14.