By Louis Rodrigues –
Belgavi: On the call given to the Christian Community by the Bishop of the diocese of Karwar, Derek Fernandes Catholic Diocese of Karwar donated Rs. 11 lakh for the flood relief in Kodagu and Kerala. The money is expected to be spent on a series of flood-relief works taken up in the flood-ravaged Kerala and Kodagu regions.
“The contribution received as of today is Rs 11 lakh from the people from every church in Karwar Diocese out of which Rs1 lakh has been sent to the ODP (Organization for Development and Progress) Mysore, which has been carrying out relief works in Kodagu area. After having consulted the Catholic leaders in the diocese of Karwar, Rs. 10 lakh has been sent to Caritas India which is involved in the relief work in Kodagu and Kerala, as a first instalment,” Bishop Derek told the ICM. Accordingly, cheque for Rs 11 lakh was handed over to the Bishop of Karwar Derek Fernandes by the leaders of the catholic community on Friday.
Caritas India is a social wing of Catholic Bishop’s Conference of India which has been rendering service to the people of India for the past 50 years or more without discrimination of cast and creed. Its service during the influx of Bangla Refugees in 1972, Andhra cyclone, Gujarat earth quake and many other natural calamities was not only praised at that time but also being remembered today. Caritas not only deals with calamities but also developmental activities all over India for the poorest of the poor all through the year, according to Karwar Diocese.
“Having contacted the director of Caritas India, I was informed that Caritas is actively involved in the relief work along with the government agencies and the local bodies in discharging the relief work to the affected people of Kodagu and Kerala ,” Bishop Derek said thanking the faithful of the diocese of Karwar for the generous hearted people whose generosity made it possible to collect a huge amount of Rs 11 lakh for the crisis-hit people of Kerala and Kodagu.
Photo caption: Members from different churches of Karwar Diocese handing over a cheque for Rs 11 lakh to Karwar Bishop Derek Fernandes in Karwar on Friday.