Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien, Archbishop of Baltimore, has asked all Catholic churches in the Archdiocese of Baltimore to hold a special collection for the victims of last week’s devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan. In a March 14 letter to all parishes, the Archbishop also called on Catholics to pray for “the suffering people of Japan.”
Parishes will hold special collections beginning with Masses the weekend of March 19-20. There are 153 parishes in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, which has held similar drives for victims of natural disasters in Southeast Asia, New Orleans and Haiti. Following the 2005 tsunami in Southeast Asia, the Archdiocese of Baltimore raised over $2.5 million for victims and recovery assistance.
All money raised will be sent to Catholic Relief Services, the U.S. Bishops’ international relief agency working with Caritas Japan to provide relief to those directly impacted, beginning with people who have no access to public services.