The Task Force established by the Administrative Committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to address the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina will also deal with the impact of Hurricane Rita. This was recently announced by Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza of Galveston-Houston. The Task Force of Bishops and representatives of leading Catholic organizations which are collecting funds and carrying on relief work, was established by the Administrative Committee to build on what is already in place and to seek to: support the many efforts of the affected dioceses; encourage a sustained response from the Catholic community; coordinate the many diverse efforts in order to increase effectiveness, assure accountability and eliminate duplication; examine the future moral and policy implications of this disaster for the church and society. Members of the Task Force are Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory of Atlanta, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn, Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas of Tucson, and Bishop John H. Ricard, SSJ, of Pensacola-Tallahassee. Catholic organizations participating are the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, Catholic Charities, USA, the Catholic Church Extension Society of the USA, the Catholic Communi-cation Campaign, Catholic Relief Services, the Knights of Columbus, the Knights of Peter Claver, Migration and Refugee Services, the National Catholic Educational Association, Office for Retired Religious, the Secretariat for Home Missions, and the Society of St.Vincent de Paul.

The USCCB Committee for Communications has set aside $500,000 from the Catholic Communication Campaign (CCC) for grants to the dioceses which have suffered the devastating impact of the hurricane to help them re-build their communications ministries. “The CCC is supported by dioceses throughout the United States, and the Committee feels an obligation, in return, to be of assistance to the dioceses who have suffered so much damage to their ability to serve their people as they have in the past,” said Tucson Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas, chairman of the Committee.

Little Rock Bishop J. Peter Sartain, Chairman of the USCCB Committee on the Home Missions announced that the CHM will give more than $3 million in hurricane relief to both mission and non-mission dioceses affected by Hurricane Katrina. What makes the action extraordinary is that the Committee on the Home Missions is not an emergency assistance agency like Catholic Charities. CHM grants go to support ongoing programming and personnel in some of the poorest dioceses in the country that rely on outside help year in and year out, irrespective of natural disasters. There are about 90 such home mission dioceses in the country receiving CHM grants. For this reason, Bishop Sartain and the CHM Committee sought permission from the USCCB Administrative Committee, to distribute emergency funds to affected dioceses in the most equitable way possible, without regard to the distinction between mission and non-mission dioceses. Approval to this one-time-only exception to CHM guidelines will enable the Committee to assist such non-mission dioceses as New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, and Mobile as well as the mission dioceses in the impacted area.