The Philippines: vast super typhoon, devastation, death

A massive storm has devastated the Philippines. Thousands are dead.  Some 10,000 are dead.  Who knows how many are injured and displaced.

I will say Mass for the dead from the storm tomorrow, Monday.  I am sure you will join your prayers to mine.

Some of your fellow readers of this blog, and contributors in the combox, are from the Philippines.

The US military’s Pacific command has been mobilized to help. It is hard to say how many military personnel will eventually be dispatched to the area, but I am pretty use chaplains will be with them.  But, remember, the Fishwrap and other liberals are attacking the collection to help the Archdiocese for Military Services.  I don’t want anyone to forget the National Catholic Reporter‘s sustained attack on military chaplains during this time when US forces are heading to aid those poor, suffering people.

Click to donate!

I imagine that there are reliable Catholic services which will be organizing aid. Also, I will be watching to see if one of my favorite groups, Team Rubicon, heads across the Pacific.

UPDATE:

Team Rubicon has launched Operation Seabird.  HERE

 

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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18 Comments

  1. Matt R says:

    Will pray.
    This is also a good reminder to prepare for an evacuation with an emergency kit and of course an unprovided death. Go to Confession!

  2. Fr Sean Coyle says:

    Thank you, Father, for this post and thank you for offering Mass for the victims of Haiyan/Yolanda. May I include a link to my own post? [http://www.bangortobobbio.blogspot.com/2013/11/devastation-in-tacloban-city-philippines.html].

    The faith and resilience of the people here in the Philippines is a reality that shows itself in the midst of calamities. Here in Bacolod City, where I live, the storm didn’t do too much damage, though it did in the northern part of the island of Negros. However, the destruction in Tacloban City is just awful. I know that all readers will be praying for those directly affected.

  3. RafqasRoad says:

    ABC news in Australia http://www.abc.net.au reported that up to 4.5 million, yes, 4.5 million have lost their homes and liveleyhoods – everything. Please pray pray pray, and give, give, give!! to charitable works to help these people get back on their feet. Reports mentioned that not only have 4.5 million lost their homes and pretty well everything, but their employment and source of income also e.g. farmland ruined, crops destroyed, livestock killed, places of business wrecked.

    it is truly aweful! yes, the people are resilliant and their faith strong…but in this hour of need, may our Lord and Saviour jesus Christ vanquish the devil’s lies of ‘how can a good God let these things happen to good people’ in a world that does not believe, and that refuses to reject even the mere whisper of things like ‘original sin’ etc and a theology of suffering as explainations May the atheists not gloat, please, but quietly get on with helping also. …Additionally, a philipino priest who serves the community here in Bossley Park, Sydney spoke on radio this morning mentioning that he could not contact many of his priest colleagues back in the effected areas and is gravely concerned for their lives and the lives of their parishioners.

    god help us all!

    Blessings,

    Aussie Maronite, soon to be South Coast Catholic.

  4. RafqasRoad says:

    that should read ‘refuses to believe’ rather than ‘refuses to reject’.

    Our lady undoer of knots, pray for them,
    Our Lady of Perpetual help, Pray for them,
    Our lady of Good Success, Pray for them.
    Christ jesus who stilled the seas and calmed the winds, protect them, and those in Vietnam who are also in the path of this storm.

    Blessings,

    Aussie maronite, soon to be South Coast Catholic.

  5. Charles E Flynn says:

    Some people who are considering not contributing to the Catholic Relief Services fund for the Philippines relief effort because they read some inaccurate claims about CRS on some other Website might find this corrective of interest:
    CRS Upholds Catholic Teaching and Values, by Jim Stipe.

  6. Pingback: Typhoon Haiyan Kills 10,000 in Philippine - BigPulpit.com

  7. Thanks for the prayers Fr. Z. We have lots of friends who are worried sick they have no communication with their relatives who live in the devastated areas. No text or phone calls since Friday! Prayers please.

  8. If you want to donate, please just send it to Caritas Manila which under the care of the Archdiocese of Manila.

    http://www.caritas.org.ph/

  9. Priam1184 says:

    @thepinoycatholic Thank you for the link. God be with you in this troubled time.

  10. pmullane says:

    Lord protect our brothers and sisters in the Phillippines, and those who rush to their aid.

  11. Lin says:

    Eternal rest, grant unto him O Lord
    and let perpetual light shine upon him.
    May he rest in peace. Amen.
    May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed,
    through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
    Amen.

    And prayers also for the survivors. May they turn to God in this time of crisis.

  12. David Zampino says:

    Prayers ascending.

  13. poohbear says:

    Team Rubicon posted their plans for going to the Phillipines here: http://teamrubiconusa.org/launching-operation-seabird/

  14. tpodonnell says:

    Thank you Charles Flynn for that post. I’d like to second it! CRS is the official outreach of the Catholic Church in the United States around the world. It also doesn’t even raise enough money from Catholics alone for funding, but receives a significant amount from the U.S. Government. The People of God in this country could certainly do more.

    http://newswire.crs.org/crs-upholds-catholic-teaching-and-values-3/

  15. Maltese says:

    Matt R, very good point. My two home-defense means are two-fold: the Rosary and a Remington 870, with alternate buckshot and slug rounds. The first will cut a man in half at close range; the second will also obliterate an enemy at greater distances. A RRA AR with an EOTech sight and thirty round NATO MilSpec .556 rounds is also a good choice for those who won’t shake like an aspen tree when trouble comes. My point being: Malta was won in 1565 against muslim aggressors by Knights of great devotion to Our Lady, but also very sharp swords, bravery and world-renown military tactics!

    Of course our Catholic brethren in the Philippines need are prayers, military chaplains, and aid in sustenance right now most of all.

  16. mysticalrose says:

    I don’t mean to politicize relief efforts in such a time of need, but in response to a few other commentators: I know, from a very liberal professor who is heavily involved with CRS, that the “official outreach of the Catholic Church” is comprised of over 70% non-Catholics, most of whom are at odds with the Church’s teaching. There are many, many relief organizations that would benefit from Catholic donations.

    My prayers and my resources will certainly be sent to the people in the Phillipines.

  17. B16generation says:

    Thanks for the link to Team Rubicon, Fr. Z. It was easy to donate online to their Operation Seabird headed to the devastated Philippines. I stopped donating to CCHD and CRS because I can’t trust it will not go to services that oppose Catholic teaching. (Peter’s Pence seems to have trustworthy stewardship.) Thanks again.

  18. Elizabeth D says:

    I got a robocall today from the head of a group I have given to in the past, Cross Catholic Outreach saying they are collecting donations to send to local Catholic partners to help there. Cross Catholic is endorsed by the USCCB and their approach is that they partner with LOCAL Catholic parishes, charity groups, religious sisters etc to fund their own LOCAL and Catholic-identified initiatives. I like this better than giving to CRS. You can go here to read their pitch for assistance for the Philippines and donate: http://crosscatholic.org/pages/page.asp?page_id=292169

    Basically, they intend to collect donations and wire money to local Catholic organizations already on the ground to do what they can beginning immediately.

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