CRS collects record $150 million for tsunami relief

Published: 2005-05-31

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Donations to Catholic Relief Services to aid victims of the Dec. 26 tsunamis in Southeast Asia topped $150 million, believed to be a record for a single appeal by the Catholic Church. A press release from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said the church's overseas relief and development agency collected $71 million from dioceses and the rest from parish collections and individuals and through the CRS Web site. Some dioceses are still expected to send in their donations. The release said the funds will support the recovery and rebuilding process for five to seven years in Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia and Thailand. The money will be used to rebuild schools, education systems, homes and sanitation systems; to distribute food and medicine; to re-establish agricultural and fishing industries; and to provide vocational training and long-term trauma counseling.

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