My Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Greetings in the Lord! On March 18-19, our archdiocese will take up the Catholic Relief Services Collection. Your support of this collection helps victims of war and natural disasters receive emergency assistance; assists migrants and refugees who need housing, education and specialized immigration legal assistance; and supports travelers and people whose livelihoods require special pastoral support and access to the sacraments.
Seafarers from around the world sail into the busy ports along the Gulf of Mexico. Because of language barriers, unfamiliarity with the location and quarantine restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they have special material and pastoral needs. Fortunately, volunteers from the Stella Maris ministry welcome sailors entering the ports at Point Comfort, Texas, and Mobile, Alabama. Port chaplains celebrate Mass aboard ships, and lay volunteers distribute care packages and Christmas gifts to the sailors, including Bibles, rosaries and other devotional items. In addition to serving seafarers with visits, gifts and spiritual support, the centers in Mobile and Point Comfort organized free COVID-19 vaccination clinics for the crews.
Stella Maris was founded in 1920 to bring the Church’s saving message aboard ships. Over the past century, it has grown into a worldwide ministry to seafarers, port workers, cruise ship passengers and others associated with the maritime industry. The U.S. national office is a ministry of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Subcommittee on Pastoral Care for Migrants, Refugees and Travelers, which the Catholic Relief Services Collection supports.
Your support of this collection makes a difference for so many around the globe through the efforts of the six organizations that this collection supports. These include: Catholic Relief Services for international relief and development; Migration and Refugee Services for refugee resettlement; the Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc. (CLINIC) for immigration legal services; the Department of Justice, Peace, and Human Development for advocacy; the Holy Father’s Relief Fund for emergency relief, and the Secretariat of Cultural Diversity in the Church for evangelization and ministry. To learn more about the collection and the people who benefit, please visit www.usccb.org/catholic-relief.
Thank you for your generous support of The Catholic Relief Services Collection. Please know that I remain,
Sincerely in the Lord,
Most Reverend Shelton J. Fabre
Archbishop of Louisville
