As Katrina relief begins, Vincentians reaffirm commitment to poor

Published: 2005-09-06

CHICAGO (CNS) -- As scenes of destruction along the Gulf Coast played on television, more than 700 members of the St. Vincent de Paul Society gathered Aug. 31-Sept. 3 in Chicago to discuss and reaffirm their mission to serve the poor. Samuel Carocci, chairman of the society's national disaster response committee, took the microphone before the keynote address Sept. 3 to update members on the situation. "We have to aid these people," said Carocci, a member of a St. Vincent de Paul council in Buffalo, N.Y. That means raising money and sending it to volunteer councils in the affected areas, Carocci said, where local members can use it to provide direct aid to those in need. But, he said, the affected areas have spread far beyond Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama as people displaced by the storm and the aftermath make their way to other areas. When they appeal for funds, Carocci said, local councils should emphasize that every penny donated to hurricane relief through the society will be used to help victims.

Copyright (c) 2005 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .