British Catholics raise almost £1m for typhoon victims

Catholic Aid agencies have so far received donations of close to   £1 million to support the Philippines in the wake of the storm caused by this month’s typhoon.

Proceeds from emergency collections in parishes across England, Wales and Scotland last weekend are expected to swell the total in the coming days. Individuals and schools have also been sending money direct to Cafod, the agency for England and Wales, and the Scottish agency, Sciaf.

Both charities said they had been overwhelmed by the response to Typhoon Haiyan, which left thousands dead, millions severely affected and many homes destroyed after coming ashore on 8 November. By Wednesday this week, Cafod had received donations of £500,000 though this figure did not include the proceeds of parish collections, which were still being calculated. Sciaf had meanwhile raised £369,934, which included some parish donations with more yet to be received.

On Wednesday, the Disasters Emergency Committee – which is made up of 14 British charities including Cafod – said its Philippines Typhoon Appeal had raised £50 million.

Cafod this week gave £250,000 to local Caritas church partners for food, clean water, shelter, medical supplies and sanitation. The aid organisation says that 6,500 shelter kits have arrived in Cebu port to be transported to Leyte Island in the east of the country. Some 30,000 extra kits, including tents and tarpaulin, were due to arrive by the end of this week.

Cafod’s Robert Cruickshank said: “We have been overwhelmed by the generosity and compassion of our supporters since we launched our appeal; the phones have been ringing off the hook, and there were more than 2,000 donations made on our website in the first 24 hours of our appeal.”

The Archbishop of Westminster, Vincent Nichols, led a Mass for the victims in Westminster Cathedral last Friday evening. The archbishop announced in his homily that he was sending Bishop John Arnold, one of the diocese’s auxiliaries and chairman of Cafod’s board of trustees, to the Philippines  – Bishop Arnold travels to the country next week. 

Earlier, at a press conference, the archbishop said he hoped the tragedy made people “look with fresh eyes” at the Filipino community in Britain.

“We are enriched by this migrant community,” he said. “Anyone who goes to an NHS hospital – any hospital – knows that in many ways we depend on this migrant community, and we ought at this moment to salute their contribution and stand by them at this very grave hour of need.”

Sciaf’s head of international programmes, Lorraine Currie, said: “This money will make a huge difference and enable us to provide clean water, food, temporary shelters, hygiene kits, medical care and long-term support to many survivors.” The Apostleship of the Sea, the Church’s seafarers charity, has also been ministering to Filipino ship workers whose families have been affected by the typhoon.

In another development, it emerged that a chaplain to the Filipino community in London, Fr Cirino Potrido, was safe after travelling to the Philippines for a month-long visit. There had been concern for his welfare as he had been out of contact following the storm.