Cardinal William H. Keeler, Archbishop of Baltimore, will celebrate Mass at 12:10 p.m. on Friday, September 16 at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church at Park and Saratoga Streets in Baltimore, for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
On September 8, the White House issued a proclamation by President George W. Bush that September 16 be set aside as a national day of prayer and remembrance for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
In remembering those affected by the disaster, Cardinal Keeler will thank the people of the Archdiocese of Baltimore for their generosity in supporting the people of the Gulf Coast, as well as the Catholic parishes and schools that have come together in so many ways to aid their brothers and sisters during this tragic time.
In the days following the hurricane, Cardinal Keeler urged all of the parishes of the archdiocese to hold special collections and asked that Catholic schools in the archdiocese accept students from the hurricane-ravaged area at no cost. To date, more than $1.2 million has been collected from two-thirds of the parishes of the archdiocese and dozens of students from the Gulf Coast have been enrolled into our Catholic Schools. Further, parishes have collected items such as school supplies, towels, sheets, soap, detergent, etc. and have either delivered them to the affected areas or provided them to people who have relocated to areas within the Archdiocese.
Many parishes will hold special collections throughout the coming weeks and are working with Catholic Charities to obtain a “sister parish” in the Gulf Coast, in order to direct the resources that will be needed to rebuild the many churches that were damaged or destroyed by the hurricane.