Bishop thanks faithful for generous support of hurricane relief efforts

In response to a request made by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., the faithful of the Diocese of Trenton donated nearly $820,000 to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts during a special collection in early September. The funds were sent to the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, which encompasses the Gulf Coast of Texas, to be distributed among the
communities affected by the storm.

The response to the Bishop’s request was overwhelmingly positive, prompting a statement of thanks.

 “On behalf of the victims of the recent hurricanes, I would like to express sentiments of profound gratitude for the amazing generosity shown by so many parishes of the Diocese of Trenton,” Bishop O’Connell said.

Underscoring the Bishop O’Connell’s appreciation was a personal note from Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, thanking Bishop O’Connell and the Catholics in the Diocese of Trenton for their generosity. The note is pictured at right.

“Our community has suffered much devastation, but I have also been moved by people’s overwhelming generosity and compassion, as exemplified for the financial assistance offered by the faithful of the Diocese of Trenton,” Cardinal DiNardo wrote. “I am deeply grateful for the aid as well as the fraternal support during a challenging time.”

Hurricane Harvey was only the first in the series of catastrophic storms that struck parts of the United States this fall. In response to the needs that emerged following the two subsequent hurricanes – Irma and Maria – Bishop O’Connell encouraged those who wished to donate to the Church-run relief efforts to give directly to Catholic Charities USA.

You can find a list of the parishes that contributed to Hurricane Harvey relief in this story from The Monitor.

Also of interest

• Diocesan faithful offer generous support to those impacted by hurricanes
• Catholic Charities, parishes, schools collect 44K pounds of hurricane relief aid around Diocese
• NJCC director reports on Catholic outreach from Puerto Rico
• Diocese's parishes raise nearly $820K through special collection for Hurricane Harvey relief