Bishop Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez asked all parishes in the Diocese of Palm Beach to aid the people of Cuba with a special emergency second collection on May 23-24 or May 30-31. The funds will directly support the Diocese of Bayamo-Manzanillo and the Archdiocese of Santiago de Cuba, assisting their urgent humanitarian and pastoral efforts.
In a May 18 letter to pastors and administrators, the bishop described the crisis occurring in Cuba, in which families are “without reliable access to food, medicine, electricity, and other basic necessities. People in Cuba are literally starving. Priests are not even able to celebrate the Eucharist and other sacraments in many communities due to a total lack of fuel, which makes transportation almost impossible. As our brothers and sisters suffer just 90 miles from our shores, the Church cannot remain indifferent.”
Besides the monetary collection, the “Helping Hands for Cuba” campaign will include the gathering of critically needed items (canned goods and basic medicines) in the coming weeks. Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Palm Beach is coordinating the campaign.
Through 8 a.m.-noon Sunday, June 7, the Helping Hands for Cuba campaign will collect food and hygiene supplies to support families in the island nation. The needed items are 1-pound packages of long-grain white rice, 1-pound boxes of spaghetti, 1-pound bags of black or red beans, bottled vegetable oil (33 oz. or less), bars of antibacterial soap and boxes of bandages (any size).
There are four collection sites: St. Bernadette, 350 N.W. California Blvd., Port St. Lucie; St. Paul of the Cross, 10970 Jack Nicklaus Drive, North Palm Beach; St. Joan of Arc, 370 S.W. Third St., Boca Raton; and St. Juliana, 4500 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach.
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Palm Beach is coordinating the campaign. For information, contact Karen Rojas at 561-775-9560 or krojas@ccdpb.org or visit www.ccdpb.org.
