pASTORAL APPEAL
“lET uS hELP THE eARTHQUAKE
VICTIMS IN MINDANAO
August
19, 1976
To my dear People of God in the Archdiocese of Manila:
You are all aware of the terrible
calamity that befell our unfortunate brothers and sisters in Mindanao. You
all know that they have to bury their dead, rebuild their homes and try, in
the best way they know how, to heal the wounds that the earthquake and the
tidal waves inflicted so mercilessly on their living flesh.
They have to do this, for life
must go on and the healing process must continue. But how will life go on
if the threat of an epidemic looms ominously over them? And how will the healing
process be carried out if the survivors are threatened by the specter of famine?
We who are more fortunate,
we who have been spared from such unspeakable suffering — we have a job to
do. Our duty is clear: As Christians, we have the sacred obligation to rush
to the aid of our suffering brethren in the South. We must give — and give
unstintingly and unselfishly — of ourselves, our resources and our time.
For we have so much — and they have nothing.
I appeal to all of you, therefore,
to lend an ear to the anguished cries of our poor countrymen in Mindanao. I ask
all of you to give, and to give until it hurts. Do it for them, and do it
for Christ who said, “Whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do
to me.”
Our brethren there need food,
clothing and medicine. Thanks to the responsiveness of our government, these
things are being air-lifted to them. But, more than these, they need money
— money to give their loved ones a decent burial, money to rebuild their homes,
money to replace the goods that they lost in the catastrophe.
For this reason, I have asked
your parish priest to pass the collection plate around. Please give generously,
give all you can, so that the earthquake victims may know that they are not
alone, that there are good people in the Archdiocese of Manila who care and
who are concerned.
I assure you, my dear brothers
and sisters, that all the money will be given to the bishops of the stricken
areas. They, in turn, will see to it that your assistance will be put to best
use, and that it will be given to the most deserving and the most needy.
I know you will not turn your
backs on the suffering victims. And I thank you for it from the bottom of
my heart. God bless you, and remember, I love you all very dearly.
Devotedly yours in Christ,
(Sgd.) + JAIME L. CARDINAL SIN, D.D.
Archbishop of Manila
