Archbishop Calls for Hurricane Aid Most Reverend Theodore E. McCarrick, Archbishop of Newark, has called upon all Catholics and people of good will to respond to the needs of their sisters and brothers in hurricane devastated parts of the Caribbean. The Archbishop has communicated with all pastors of the 241 parishes of the Archdiocese of Newark authorizing a special collection to assist the victims of hurricane Georges. The Archdiocese is comprised of Hudson, Essex, Union and Bergen Counties. In a letter to the pastors the Archbishop said, "The news of the terrible hurricane Georges has filled the screens of our televisions and the pages of our newspapers. It reminds us of the terrible power of nature and also reminds us of the vulnerability of people, especially those who live in tropical islands. "Because there are so many residents of the Archdiocese and so many of our faithful who have their roots in the part of the greater Antilles which was so severely damaged by this storm, I would like to invite our Catholic people to reach out a helping hand to those who have lost family, homes and possessions. "All of us can feel sympathy with people in Santo Domingo, Haiti, Cuba and the Islands and I would hope that we might be able to express our concern in a way that would give them some confidence and provide some material support for the coming days. "May I then request that there be a voluntary collection in any parish of the diocese that desires to do this for the aid to the victims of this terrible hurricane. I would be grateful if you could have this taken up at the Masses this coming weekend and send whatever is given by the generosity of our faithful to the Chancery earmarked for the collection for the hurricane victims." The Archbishop points out that "the people of northern New Jersey have always responded quickly and generously when called upon to aid the victims of natural disasters. This disaster hits close to home since so many people in northern New Jersey immigrated form the Caribbean and have realties and friends in the affected areas." The Hispanic population of the Archdiocese, including those whose ancestors migrated to this country, surpasses 700,000. Most are from Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and other Caribbean countries. There are also a significant number of Haitian immigrants in the area. Anyone interested in making a donation may do so at any Catholic parish or may send donations to:
Hurricane
Relief/Archdiocese of Newark
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