“Charity is at the heart of the Church, it is the reason for its action, the soul of its mission.”
Pope Francis spoke these words last September on the Feast of Saint Vincent de Paul, known as the patron for Catholic charity due to his commitment to assisting the poor and marginalized.
Indeed, the Diocese of Camden is joining others around the world in following in his saintly footsteps, in their incredible response to those affected by the rash of hurricanes that did tremendous damage to Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico.
The generosity of Catholics across the six southern counties of New Jersey in parishes and schools has totaled more than $770,000, the largest-ever emergency collections in the history of the Diocese of Camden.
Individual parishes, as well as our Catholic schools and Catholic Charities, embraced the charity even further.
In Atlantic City, the Parish of Saint Monica became a staging area for donations to Puerto Rico last month, collecting over $10,000, and supplies for the embattled residents, many of them loved ones for South Jersey’s faithful.
In Bridgeton, an all-day carnival on October 8 at the Parish of the Holy Cross raised over $23,000 not only for Hurricane relief, but also for those affected by the recent earthquake in Mexico.
Father David Rivera, the parish’s Parochial Vicar, was impressed with his community’s quick response to the crises.
“It’s amazing how it all came together (for a good cause), in the span of two weeks. We had a live Mexican band, folk dancing, food, bounce house, and 1,500 people in attendance,” he said.
“The generous support of the Catholic faithful in South Jersey has been on display again,” said Bishop Dennis Sullivan. “I am grateful to everyone who took it upon themselves to find some way to help alleviate the suffering of our sisters and brothers facing hardship brought on by these natural disasters.”