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The head of Catholic Relief Services, the international aid arm of the Catholic Church, visited the Albany Diocese last week to show gratitude for the Diocese's donation toward typhoon relief in the Philippines.

Carolyn Woo, president and CEO of CRS, came to St. Pius X School in Loudonville to receive a check for almost $311,000 and talk about the organization's emergency response and rebuilding efforts throughout the southeast Asian country, especially on the island of Leyte.

More than 400 St. Pius fourth- through eighth-graders and officials from other diocesan schools listened to Dr. Woo's description of the cyclone's 19-foot waves, which reached about as high as the school's gym, she noted.

She said the storm's aftermath left people using washed-up boats for shelter and losing the coconut trees they harvested for a living.

Right after the November disaster, CRS helped with necessities like food, water, blankets and counseling, especially for children; now, CRS is rebuilding homes using recycled wood and broken concrete, paying people to work and addressing water and sanitation needs.

Learning a lot
All of this impressed Colin Giombetti, a seventh-grader at St. Pius who participates in CRS' Lenten Rice Bowl collection every year. Colin told The Evangelist about his school's wear-your-favorite-hat fundraiser for the Philippines last fall.

"We learned a lot about Catholic Relief Services," he said after Dr. Woo's presentation. "I didn't know what exactly they were doing to help."

St. Pius School has a strong history of international fundraising: Students held a basketball tournament to support Haitian earthquake victims and will sponsor a dodgeball fundraiser for a Haitian school in a community "adopted" by St. Pius parish.

The students also made posters connecting their faith to the work of CRS and displayed them during Dr. Woo's visit. The CEO said it left her "not only impressed; I was inspired and energized. Those posters contain statements of faith that are heart-gripping."

The Diocese's $310,953 donation, raised with second collections at parishes last fall, also made an impression.

"We're deeply touched by the Diocese of Albany," Dr. Woo said, adding that 93 cents of every dollar donated to CRS goes to aid. "We recognize the incredible privilege of doing this work. The very poor seldom get a lot, so they don't deserve second best."

Dr. Woo raised the children's awareness of suffering throughout the world, telling them that, in some countries, $5 can feed a family of five for a week, and eighth-graders remain the size of fourth-graders.

"When you give, you're giving to God," she told them. "The problems that we solve in the world [are] very big problems. You're being a friend to some child overseas."

Q-and-A
Middle-schoolers asked Dr. Woo questions about CRS' involvement in non-Catholic countries. "We do the work because we are Catholic, not because they are," she answered.

They asked how else young people can help CRS and how the organization improves lives of children. She told them CRS works in refugee areas to protect girls and boys against human trafficking, educates girls in Afghanistan, works with gang members in Latin America and helps children with disabilities in places like Cambodia and Vietnam, where something as simple as needing glasses can prevent a child from going to school.

Dr. Woo told the St. Pius students to "be sure to pray for people" and "understand the problems that people have and take that into your heart."

Go home and tell your family what you learned, she added.

Bishop's comments
Bishop Howard J. Hubbard expressed his gratitude to Dr. Woo and his pride at the Diocese's donation, stating that it is the top diocese in the country for responding to extra-diocesan needs.

"Catholic people in the Diocese of Albany are very responsive to the needs of people beyond our borders," he said. The donation "captures the love and concern that the people of our Diocese have for the Philippines. We're members of the body of Christ. We know if one part of the body is hurting, the entire body hurts."[[In-content Ad]]

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