The Catholic Church has designated December 25 and 26 as national days of prayer for those affected by Typhoon “Odette.”
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) urged dioceses to use the dedicated days to pray for the recovery of typhoon-affected communities.
Dioceses are also encouraged to hold a second collection for typhoon victims at all Masses on Christmas Day and the following day.
The “Alay Kapwa Solidarity Fund,” according to CBCP president Bishop Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan, will be used for the Church’s collective emergency response.
“We encourage everyone to remit all collections to Caritas Philippines that will then plan and implement our overall response,” David said.
He also stated that the church’s social action arm will provide regular reports and updates to the dioceses.
“May this season of giving offer us more opportunities to do consistent acts of Alay Kapwa (offering of oneself),” he further stated.
The national Caritas report shows that the typhoon had severely impacted at least ten dioceses in the Visayas and Mindanao regions.
Odette became a super typhoon before making landfall on the island of Siargao in Surigao del Norte on Thursday, forcing a mass evacuation in low-lying areas.
The 15th typhoon to hit Philippine territory this year brought maximum sustained winds of up to 195 kilometers per hour, destroying homes and displacing thousands of families.
The country’s second-most powerful typhoon of the year also knocked out power and communication lines in the affected areas.