Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. has asked that all 219 parishes in the five-county Archdiocese of Philadelphia consider taking up a voluntary one time, special collection during the weekend of May 30th-31st to support victims of the devastating 7.9 magnitude earthquake in Nepal that has claimed more than 6,000 lives so far.

This special collection is part of a national effort called for by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to aid Catholic Relief Services (CRS).

All contributed funds will support CRS efforts in providing 10,000 families (50,000 people) with emergency shelter materials, blankets, water treatment and hygiene kits. CRS is working with Caritas Nepal to identify the most pressing needs in the hardest hit districts between Kathmandu and Pokhara, and will scale their operations accordingly.

CRS has committed an initial $825,000 from private funds to this response, and estimates that more than $10 million will be needed for long-term recovery.

# # #

Editor’s Note: CRS is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. For information on CRS please visit www.crs.org.

Contact
Stephanie Brophy
Associate Director of Communications
215-587-3747