Text Box: As Catholic men, called to be fathers, we place ourselves under the loving patronage of St.. Saint Joseph, pray for us. What: East Bay Catholic Men's Conference Including lunch, Mass Confession will be available Where: directions Cathedral of Christ the Light Conference Center 2121 Harrison St., Oakland When: Saturday, October 31, 8:00am – 4:00pm Registration 7:00am – 7:55am Contact Ed Hopfner at ehopfner@oakdiocese.org or 510-267-8392 PARISH OFFICE: Our Secretary will be absent from October 5th to October 29th. If you would like to come to the parish office, please first contact Fr. Zak Stan at 510. 482.0596. Thank you. Typhoon, tsunami, quake: Agencies respond to four disasters in one week By Catholic News Service and Voice staff Catholic Relief Services, the international relief agency of the Church in the U.S., is mobilizing to respond to four major natural disasters that ravaged communities in the Philippines, Vietnam, Samoa and Sumatra last week. “These are our brothers and sisters who are in dire need,” said CRS President Ken Hackett. “We will do all we can to help.” After Typhoon Ketsana (known locally as Typhoon Ondoy) made landfall in The Philippines, Sept. 26, more than 80 percent of the capital city Manila experienced major flooding. More than 250 people died in the flooding and mudslides. “The mud is horrible,” said Luc Picard, CRS representative in Manila. “People’s houses were completely submerged, and now they’ve basically lost everything. In some towns, they’re using front end loaders to clean the mud off the streets. Figuring out what to do with all that mud will be a challenge.” Two days after dropping torrential rains in Manila, the typhoon hit Vietnam where more than 150,000 homes were severely damaged. Road washouts and mudslides have hindered emergency response efforts, CRS officials said. The following day an 8.3 magnitude earthquake triggered a tsunami that washed over Samoa where residents lost homes and livelihoods to the 15-foot waves. Then on Sept. 30 a 7.6 earthquake struck the Indonesian Island of Sumatra. As The Voice went to press, the country’s crisis center said it expects a death total of at least 1,000. “We have mobilized, and with our Caritas partners we are providing emergency assistance to families affected by all these disasters, Hackett said. Caritas is the umbrella organization of Catholic aid agencies. In Manila, Picard said that after the storm approximately 100,000 families were sheltered in temporary housing, elementary schools and churches. While some families will be able to go back home soon, others have lost everything. Text Box: How to help: If you would like to help those people who lost everything; please place your donation in a collection box which is placed in the back of the church. Thank you for your generosity! You can also send donations for typhoon, tsunami and quake victims to Catholic Relief Services: Phone: 1-877-HELP-CRS        Online: www.crs.org Check: Catholic Relief Services; P.O. Box 17090. Baltimore, MD 21203-7090