Ottawa, Canada, Sep 7, 2005 / 22:00 pm
The Canadian bishops expressed their deepest sympathy to the American bishops over the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, offering prayers and solidarity.
“It is with heavy heart that your brother bishops in Canada see the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina in the states along the Gulf Coast,” Archbishop Brendan O’Brien of St. John’s wrote last week in a letter to Bishop William Skylstad, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Writing on behalf of the Canadian bishops, Archbishop O’Brien invited Canadians to assist in the recovery efforts in the Gulf Coast by making donations to Catholic Charities USA or Catholic Relief Services.
The president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops expressed particular affection for the ecclesiastical provinces of New Orleans and Mobile, which in 1674 were part of the original territory of the Diocese of Quebec.