As the humanitarian catastrophe in the Ukraine continues to worsen, I call upon all the clergy and faithful of the Diocese to stand with our sisters and brothers in the Ukraine with our prayers and financial support.
The USCCB Committee on Eastern Europe has asked that a collection be taken up in all the parishes of our country, asking people to give generously so that the humanitarian needs of the people of the Ukraine, especially the nearly 1,700,000 refugees who have been forced from their homes to seek shelter in neighboring countries, can be meet. In our diocese, the collection was to be taken up either this past weekend of next weekend. It is not too late to give even if the collection has been taken up in your parish. I am sure that you can contact your pastor and ask that your donation be added to what was already collected. Please be as generous as you can to help provide water, food, temporary shelter, portable hygiene kits and blankets to those who face a desperate and unknown future.
Catholic Relief Services is on the ground in the Ukraine, as well as neighboring countries, cooperating with Caritas International, to meet the needs of those caught in the midst of this unjust and criminal war. You can donate directly to CRS in support of their work in the Ukraine in the following ways: Donate online: support.crs.org/Ukraine; by phone: 1-877-HELP-CRS and by check: Ukraine Response, Catholic Relief Services, P.O. Box 17090, Baltimore, Maryland 21297-0303.
I also ask that we join our prayers together to ask for justice and peace to be restored in the Ukraine. A number of parishes around the Diocese are sponsoring periods of Eucharistic adoration or prayer services for these intentions. Please consult your parish’s bulletin and those of your neighboring parishes and make whatever effort you can to offer our prayers for our brothers and sisters in the Ukraine.
The previous reflection originally appeared on Bishop Frank Caggiano’s Facebook page. Follow the Bishop for daily reflections and weekly homilies. To learn more about how Catholic Relief Services is helping our brothers and sisters in Ukraine, please click here.
