ST. CLOUD, Minn. – March 1, 2010 – The 135 parishes of the Diocese of Saint Cloud have raised more than $300,000 through special collections at church services over the last month. Additional funds have been sent directly to the Propagation of the Faith Office in St. Cloud for relief efforts in Haiti. Numerous parishes and Catholic schools across the diocese also have been spending time in prayer, collecting supplies for relief workers and packaging food for the people of Haiti. All the funds will be given directly to Catholic Relief Services for use in Haiti after the recent earthquake.

“I am so very saddened to view the devastating destruction in an already-suffering nation; however, I am grateful to see the compassionate response from the faithful in the Diocese of Saint Cloud. This outpouring of support illustrates parishioners’ kind and generous hearts,” says Bishop John F. Kinney. “We continue to ask God to bless all those affected by the earthquake, including the people of Haiti and the relief workers.”

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Cloud encompasses 16 central-Minnesota counties, with an estimated total population of 500,000, including 150,000 Catholics.

For more information about this specific topic or the Diocese of Saint Cloud, contact Director of Communications Rebecca Kurowski at (320) 251-0558 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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