BOSTON (WHDH) - Cardinal Sean O’Malley this week encouraged parishes in the Archdiocese of Boston to help support to those impacted by the recent wildfires in Hawaii, authorizing special collections to raise money for wildfire relief.
O’Malley has asked parishes to hold a special collection over any of the next three weekends through the weekend of Sept. 2. Those contributing to a special collection are asked to make checks payable to their parish with “Maui Relief” in the memo line.
The Archdiocese in a statement on Thursday said all money raised through the collections will be processed to the Hawaii Catholic Community Foundation.
Relief efforts, the archdiocese said, will focus on community members impacted by the wildfires and “play a crucial role in helping to rebuild lives and restore hope.”
Fire swept through part of the island of Maui beginning on Aug. 8, hitting the Lahaina and Upper Kula areas hard. More than a week later, the death toll from the fires had risen past 100 as of Thursday morning as officials warned many people remain unaccounted for.
“The images and news reports coming out of the Island of Maui are heartbreaking,” the Archdiocese of Boston said in its Thursday statement.
“Cardinal Seán is grateful to the parishes of the Archdiocese for their expression of solidarity with those who are suffering,” the archdiocese separately said.
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