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Catholic Community Foundation of Minnesota
God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in distress. (PS 46:2)
As the death toll in Turkey and Syria continues to climb following Monday's earthquake and aftershocks, we hold in our hearts those forever changed by grief and loss. We ask that God bless those who have lost their homes and livelihoods. We are grateful for the brave rescue workers who race the clock to pull survivors out of the rubble. As we witness this devastation, we feel called to provide aid where and how we can — through prayer and generosity.
Financial Support
For those who feel called to support the organizations providing relief services in Turkey and/or Syria, the Catholic Community Foundation of Minnesota (CCF) grants team has compiled a list of organizations you may consider funding. Each has been screened for alignment with Catholic social teaching.Catholic Relief Services
www.crs.org Supporting emergency relief efforts led by Caritas Turkey, Caritas Syria, and other local partners.
Jesuit Refugee Servicehttps://www.jrsusa.org/earthquake-in-syria/ Providing safe spaces for survivors to gather while continuing to support refugees in Syria already displaced from their homes by the country’s long-running crisis.
Aid to the Church in Need
https://www.churchinneed.org/absolute-despair-in-syria-as-country-is-hit-by-two-earthquakes/ Assisting the population with soup kitchens, support for the elderly, and medical projects.
International Relief Teamshttps://www.irteams.org/project/turkey-earthquake Working through trusted relief partners to rush urgently needed food, water, blankets, and emergency supplies to assist families whose homes were damaged or destroyed in the earthquake.
Project Hopehttps://www.projecthope.org/earthquake-in-turkey-syria-how-to-help/02/2023/ Providing critical medical support and lifesaving medicine and relief.
World Central Kitchen
https://wck.org/relief/turkiye-earthquakes Beginning distribution of meals for survivors and first responders in Turkey while working to scale up as quickly as possible.
PrayerPlease join us in praying for the people of Turkey and Syria.
To print this prayer, click HERE.Most merciful and compassionate God, Giver of Life and Love, hear our prayers and let our cries come unto you. We weep with your people. We hear the cries of orphaned children and laments of bereaved parents. We feel the desperation of those searching for loved ones. We behold the silence of vanished villages. We see the devastation. We are overwhelmed by the enormity of it all. Our hearts are hushed, our minds are numb. Let not our hands be stopped, our voices dumb. God of the universe, Open our hearts to feel your compassion. Galvanize in us the act of continued giving. Bond us to our sisters and brothers in need. Comfort and heal the injured, the bereaved, the lost. Strengthen the aid workers and medical personnel. Bolster the resolve of governments and those with power to help. Open through this tragedy pathways to partnerships and peace. In your name of mercy and healing and compassion we pray, Amen. From Xavier University's Jesuit Resource Center.