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Contents n The i Sou hem ☆ w Diocese of Savannah News 1-3 Commentary 4-5 Around the Diocese 6-7 Faith Alive! 8-9 Notices 10-11 Last But Not Least 12 Vol. 79, No. 37 $.50 per issue Thursday, October 28,1999 “Need, not creed” determines help from Catholic Relief Services Rear Admiral Louise C. Wilmot, USN (Ret.), Deputy Executive Director of Catholic Relief Services, speaks in Savannah, October 20. W hat do Paul Newman, Dolores and Bob Hope, and several Jewish benev olent organizations have in common with millions of American Catholics? They are generous supporters of Catholic Relief Services. Rear Admiral Louise C. Wilmot, USN (Ret.), currently Deputy Executive Director of Catholic Relief Services, was in Savannah on October 20, to address a spe cial luncheon gathering of interested Catholics at the DeSoto Hilton. Admiral Wilmot spoke of the “need, not creed” approach that CRS has to those suf fering from disasters. “We did not ask any one from Kosovo what their parish was! We just supplied what they needed.” She asked those present to build on their experience of evacuation from Hurricane Floyd: “Just imagine that you did not know where all the members of your family were; that you were forced out with only five minutes to gather up whatever you could; that you had to walk, carrying anything you took. If you were very lucky you might have a tractor to take some of your goods. You had only what water and food you brought; you slept on the ground; when you finally got to the border you had to wait in a field for days because they didn’t want to let you in.” But right over the border into Macedonia or Albania, the refugees met Catholic Relief Services staff with food and clean water, clothing and tents, and most impor tant to many, means of reuniting them with their family members. When they could return to Kosovo, CRS went with them to help resettle often ruined homes. And CRS has tried to bridge the gaps between the ethnic groups that have led to “ethnic cleansing” and war throughout the 20th century. Admiral Wilmot said that in many places in Macedonia where CRS has been working for years to establish organizations to bring people together, both Serbs and Albanians “were open to welcoming refugee families” and were “most active, charitable and giv ing.” She considers that CRS’ three-year effort paid off “when the greater crisis came.” Admiral Wilmot also spoke of the ongoing aid given in Honduras to those who survived Hurricane Mitch last year. In November, the first new replace ment bridge is to be dedicated. It is one of several given to Catholic Relief Services by benefactors in Boston and shipped by freighter, to be assembled on site as a means of restoring to Hondurans the ability to travel in their country. In many places, CRS works with Caritas Inter national, the European Catholic relief service. For example, in Taiwan CRS is supporting Caritas’ efforts to bring relief to people in the regions most affected by the recent, devastating earthquake, which measured 7.6 on the Richter scale. Catholic Relief Services is currently involved in helping Sierra Leone recover from its eight-year civil war and is providing emergency aid in East Timor, in the wake of the violence that followed the former Portugese colony’s vote for independence from predominantly Moslem Indonesia. CRS has recently been involved in channel ing aid to flood victims in Mexico and earth quake victims in Turkey. Admiral Wilmot described CRS’ approach in these terms: “We serve all. We say, ‘What do you need. Let us help you find your fami ly, let us get you into a tent and some warm clothes.” But she admits that the sights she’s seen are often heart-wrenching: “If I didn’t see God’s hand, if I didn’t know that there was faith and hope, I would be depressed. But I know that God’s presence is there and that we are there to do something, and so I have tremendous hope.” Catholic Relief Services is the U. S. Catho lic Bishops’ overseas relief and development agency, founded in 1943 to assist refugees. Admiral Wilmot noted humorously that at the time it was expected to be needed for only c eight years. It has become internationally T admired for its effective and compassionate “! charity, with 1,900 personnel in over eighty ^ countries ready to respond quickly to civil § strife, natural disasters, or ongoing develop ment needs. Its annual $200 million budget is funded by the Catholics of the United States. “CRS staff always works with the local Catholic community, if there is one, and the staff worldwide numbers only 200 Americans; the rest (1,700) are local citi zens,” says Sister Mary Faith McKean, RSM, the diocesan CRS coordinator. “So it’s one local church helping another.” Gifts from the Catholics of the Savannah Diocese, such as the proceeds of the recent Turkish Earthquake Relief special collection, reach their recipients through Catholic Relief Services. Direct contributions are also welcome: checks may be sent to Catholic Relief Services, P.O. Box 17090, Baltimore, MD 21203-7090; arrangements can also be made via the Internet (catholicrelief.org) or by telephone (1-800-736-3467). Audrey D. McCombs and Sister Mary Faith McKean, RSM, contributed to this story.