May 13, 2011 - Cardinal Authorizes Second Collection to Aid SE US States Ravaged by Tornados

Cardinal Seán O’Malley has authorized a voluntary special 2nd collection the weekend of May 28/29 to aid the people of the southeastern United States affected by widespread tornados.

Cardinal Seán Statement: 

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people of the southeastern United States, from Arkansas to Virginia, who have experienced the devastation caused by widespread tornados. Such loss and disruption of life is, for most of us, unimaginable. The challenges facing the people of those states are extraordinary.  Catholics of the Archdiocese have been generous in responding to numerous natural disasters in recent years.  It should be noted that the damage from those tornados occurred in many mission dioceses that do not enjoy the blessing of substantial financial resources. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) will work with Catholic Charities USA to allocate the funds received based upon the humanitarian and institutional needs of each affected diocese.”

Collection Process:

Cardinal O’Malley has authorized a voluntary special 2nd collection in the parishes of the Archdiocese of Boston the weekend of May 28/29, if possible, to provide assistance through the USCCB. Funds collected will be sent to the USCCB to assist in the relief efforts. The USCCB will coordinate with Catholic Charities USA to provide immediate and long-term assistance.

If a parish has a scheduled 2nd collection for May 28/29, they are feel free to accept offerings from the faithful for this collection throughout the next two weeks or if it has the financial resources, it may make a charitable donation directly from the parish. Parishioners are asked to address checks to their parish with “Tornado Recovery” in the memo.