Wednesday, January 13, 2010

A Time to Pay Forward

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
As night falls upon Port au Prince on the second night of suffering, we continue to pray for those most affected. Across the nation and around the world, caring people are moving to help in a host of different ways.

The people of the Diocese of San Diego remember well the gifts that we received after the 2007 Wildfires. It is now time for us to pay forward that gift. I would encourage you to pray and give. You can make a gift to Episcopal Relief and Development to support recovery in Haiti by going to this site: Episcopal Relief & Development - Home

Many of you have contacted our office today asking about Suzi Holding’s daughter, Mallory. We have not yet heard from Mallory or received any news. Your prayers are cherished at this moment.

Finally, our Cathedral will be holding an Evensong with special prayers for the people of Haiti on Sunday, January 17th at 5 p.m.

Faithfully,
The Rt. Rev. James R. Mathes
Bishop of San Diego

2 comments:

Bishop Mathes said...

We just received news that Mallory Holding is fine. Suzi received a direct call from her a few minutes ago. While all of us are overjoyed that Mallory is safe, we remain prayerful for those continuing to suffer from this great tragedy. Let us respond by marshalling our resources to assist our neighbors.

Anonymous said...

I just viewed some extremely disturbing photographs from LA Times staff photographers on the ground in Port-au-Prince. One photo, in particular, clearly showed local law enforcement officials prepared to use deadly force to prevent looting. I am unclear why local officials are using their resources to protect property rights when scores of dead bodies are piling up, and perhaps thousands of others await rescue while still trapped in rubble. Obviously, if these matters are not handled, there will be widespread disease outbreaks in the remaining local population, compounding an already unfathomable situation. Why are they protecting property which very likely is already a total loss when there is not even clean drinking water available?