The Catholic community in the United States is responding immediately to the people of Haiti where a massive earthquake struck near the capital of Port-au-Prince on Tuesday. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and was still recovering from deadly 2008 hurricanes when the quake struck.  It is difficult to absorb the misery and devastation they are experiencing at this moment. Thank you for your concern and prayers for those affected by this natural disaster.

Included here for your use are:

1. USCCB News Release

2. Bulletin /Pulpit Announcement

3. Homily Notes

4. General Intercessions

5. Prayer(s)

6. Quotes and Interviews

Also available is a printable flyer for distribution.

USCCB News Release—U.S. Bishops Mourn Devastation in Haiti, Urge Special Collection January 16-17 to Support Efforts of USCCB, CRS

January 13, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
En Español

WASHINGTON—The Church mourns the terrible suffering of the people of Haiti, and parishes across the country are urged to take up a special collection the weekend of January 16-17 for the humanitarian efforts of the U.S. bishops and Catholic Relief Service (CRS) in Haiti, according to a January 13 letter to Catholic bishops of the United States from Cardinal Francis George of Chicago and Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York.

Cardinal George, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), and Archbishop Dolan, chair of CRS board, said the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that ravaged Haiti “destroyed countless homes, churches, seminaries, schools, and other buildings and has left millions without the most basic necessities of life. Our faith compels us to pray for and reach out to our brothers and sisters in their time of suffering.”
The full letter follows:

Your Eminence/Excellency:

Our Church mourns the terrible suffering of our brothers and sisters in Haiti.  The 7.0 magnitude earthquake that ravaged Haiti on January 12, 2010 has already claimed thousands of lives including the Archbishop of Port-au-Prince. It has destroyed countless homes, churches, seminaries, schools, and other buildings and has left millions without the most basic necessities of life. Our faith compels us to pray for and reach out to our brothers and sisters in their time of suffering.

We invite you to encourage your pastors to take up a second collection for the people and Church of Haiti this weekend, January 16 and 17, 2010.  These funds will be used to support the efforts of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and Catholic Relief Services, the official international humanitarian agency of the U.S. Catholic Church, as they respond to immediate emergency needs for such necessities as water, food, shelter and medical care, as well as to the long term need to rebuild after widespread destruction, and to the pastoral and reconstruction needs of the Church in Haiti.

Catholic Relief Services is already mounting a major emergency response to this severe disaster and has committed an initial $5 million to fund relief efforts which are likely to go on for some time.  Your help and the help of the Catholic people of the United States are urgently needed.

Next weekend January 23-24, many dioceses are scheduled to take up the Collection for the Church in Latin America. This Collection is vitally important for our ability to respond to the pastoral needs of the Church in Haiti and other parts of Latin America in the weeks and months ahead. We urge that you use both of these opportunities to express our solidarity and our loving support for our brothers and sisters in Haiti and ask you not to substitute one collection for the other.

Additional information on the U.S. Catholic community’s response to this emergency and how U.S. Catholics can help can be found at CRS.org and USCCB.org

Cardinal Francis George, O.M.I.
Archbishop of Chicago
President

Most Reverend Timothy M. Dolan
Chairman 
Catholic Relief Services

This release is also available at: www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2010/10-009.shtml

Bulletin Insert /Pulpit Announcements

The Catholic community in the United States is reaching out to our brothers and sisters in Haiti in significant and immediate ways. Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the official international humanitarian agency of the U.S. Catholic Church, is mounting a major emergency response to this disaster and has made an initial commitment of 5 million dollars for immediate use in the relief effort. 

Please keep those who are suffering in your prayers.

If you would like to donate, please call 1-877-HELP-CRS, donate online at www.crs.org, or send a check to Catholic Relief Services, P.O. Box 17090, Baltimore, MD 21203-7090. In the memo portion of your check, please write:  Haiti Earthquake

Homily Notes
 
Homily notes for weekend liturgies have references to the Haiti disaster and can be found at http://crs.org/crsfacts/

General Intercessions:
 
For our Brothers and Sisters in Haiti Affected by the Earthquake

For the people of Haiti, that they may be comforted in their time of suffering. We pray to the Lord. 

Lord Hear Our Prayer

For the families of those missing, may God’s healing presence comfort them in this time of uncertainty. We pray to the Lord.

Lord Hear Our Prayer

For those providing relief, that God may give them the strength and courage to assist those who are most in need. We pray to the Lord.

Lord Hear Our Prayer

For those who have died, that they may rest in the eternal peace of God. We pray to the Lord.

Lord Hear Our Prayer.

Prayer:

God of all creation, as we weep with our family in Haiti, console us.

In this time of crisis, open our eyes to look beyond the disaster
to see Christ in our brothers and sisters in Haiti, as Christ sees us.

Be with all creation; strengthen us in solidarity with those living and working in Haiti. All creation returns to you in mourning and your grace guides our efforts to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, comfort the grieving and stand for justice.

With your mercy, sustain us at this time as we continue to work for peace and justice.

Amen.

Quotes and Interviews:

Interview with Archbishop Dolan:  Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York, chairman of Catholic Relief Services, reflects on the tragedy in Haiti in a video interview posted on the Catholic News Service blog at http://cnsblog.wordpress.com/.

Watch the interview.

From the Field:

Karel Zelenka, CRS Country Representative in Haiti: “I’ve been in earthquakes before. This was a major hit. And it was direct. Thousands must be dead.”

From the Washington Post:

"People are out in the streets, crying, screaming, shouting," Karel Zelenka, director of the Catholic Relief Services office in Haiti, said Tuesday night. "They see the extent of the damage," he said, but could do little to rescue people trapped under rubble because night had fallen.

"There are a lot of collapsed buildings," Zelenka said in a telephone interview from Port-au-Prince. "This will be a major, major disaster."

He reported that poorly constructed shantytowns and other buildings had crumbled in huge clouds of dust. Near the CRS headquarters, a supermarket was "completely razed," he said, and a gasoline station and a church were reduced to rubble.

Read more here. 

The response will no doubt go on for some time, so feel free to share this with parishes or other groups for use over the next few weeks.  For more information and for copies of these resources, go to www.crs.org, www.crsespanol.org and www.usccb.org/jphd.

Sincerely,

John Carr, Executive Director

USCCB, Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development

3211 Fourth St. NE

Washington, DC 20017

JPHDMail@usccb.org