Baltimore, Md., Nov 15, 2010 / 15:43 pm
Several U.S. bishops gave an update on Church relief efforts in Haiti during their annual fall gathering in Baltimore. They urged patience for the recovery effort which one archbishop called “tragically slow.”
Bishop Kevin Farrell, chairman of the bishops' collection committee opened the report on the Church's work in Haiti at the annual Nov. 15-18 fall assembly in Baltimore, Maryland.
He recalled how immediately after the country was ravaged by a catastrophic earthquake in early 2010, a special collection for Catholic Relief Services across the U.S. was started up by USCCB president Cardinal Francis George and Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York.
“I can report that according to our most recent numbers,” Bishop Farrell said, $82.6 million “was collected from 176 dioceses.” Bishop Farrell urged those in attendance to pause and reflect on the “dedication” and “devotion” of American Catholics who gave to the fund, often in local parishes after Sunday Mass.