Cardinal William H. Keeler, Archbishop of Baltimore, announced today that Catholics in the Archdiocese of Baltimore have given $2.5 million to Catholic Relief Services for tsunami aid.
At a press conference at CRS headquarters in downtown Baltimore, Cardinal Keeler presented a check to CRS President Ken Hackett and Board Chairman Bishop Robert N. Lynch, bishop of St. Petersburg, Florida. On December 30, Cardinal Keeler asked all of the parishes in the Archdiocese of Baltimore to hold a special collection for the victims of the tsunami.
“I am just delighted and thrilled that so many of us responded in a generous fashion,” Cardinal Keeler said. “I am grateful to our priests and school administrators who were wholeheartedly behind this effort and whose support led directly to this overwhelming response.”
Bishop Lynch noted that he believed this to be the largest diocesan collection received by CRS for tsunami relief.
According to Catholic News Service, as of January 31, CRS had raised $51.1 million for tsunami relief, including $1.8 million from the Archdiocese of New York, more than $600,000 from the Dallas Diocese and $1.2 million from the Archdiocese of Seattle.