A destroyed home is seen after an earthquake in Guanica, Puerto Rico, Jan. 6, 2020. Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, offered "my prayerful solidarity" to the people of Puerto Rico in a Jan. 7 statement, after a series of earthquakes killed at least one person and destroyed one Catholic church. (CNS photo/Ricardo Ortiz, Reuters)
We are all aware of the plight of the residents of Puerto Rico after recently experiencing a serious earthquake followed by numerous aftershocks. This new round of destruction comes on the heels of the catastrophic damage caused by Hurricane Maria that has still not been totally repaired and has only intensified the conditions created by the hurricane.
In response to this disaster, Bishop Alfred Schlert has asked that each parish in the Diocese of Allentown take up a collection between now and March 15 to provide relief for Puerto Rico.
The funds contributed to this collection will be forwarded to Catholic Relief Services to be administered by them.
