Disaster in Haiti..what you can do...

By now, all of us have heard about the earthquake in Haiti. If you have been watching any of the major news channels, the devastation is terrible. It is a poor country, with many, many problems. This only turns a bad situation into a very bad one.

There have been reports that the Archbishop of Port-au-Prince and over 100 priests who were on retreat have died. Read more here.

What can you do?

As always, pray. Pray for those who have died. Pray for those who are living. Pray for those who are unable to contact loved ones.

Second, you can assist by your donations - money is always the best. Sending that half open bottle of aspirin or twenty year old bandages, does not really work. You can donate for immediate assistance (and a great deal will be needed), as well as, the long term.

I have contacted the Archdiocese to see if a special collection will be held this Sunday. I have not heard back.

However, this does not mean that they are not working on putting one together. If I do get word, I will post it here.

If you wish, you may give to one of the many reputable charities such as Food for the Poor, the International Red Cross, and Catholic Relief Services.

UPDATE (6:30am Thursday):

I did receive a reply from the Archdiocese at 11:45pm Wednesday evening, on the issue of having a special collection for Haiti. The response: "I’m sorry, but we can’t respond to anonymous emails."

UPDATE (1:30pm Thursday)

Well, the Archdiocese has posted a news release stating that there will be a special collection and also directing donations to Catholic Relief Services.