All five counties in the Diocese of St. Petersburg and our neighboring counties were directly impacted by Hurricane Idalia. To begin assisting those most affected, on Wednesday, September 6, 2023, Bishop Parkes presented Catholic Charities of the Diocese of St. Petersburg with $100,000 from the Diocese of St. Petersburg Disaster Relief Fund.

Our Disaster Relief Fund allows the Diocese of St. Petersburg to have funds immediately available to distribute to areas affected by natural disasters. “Several years ago, I had the idea of a Disaster Relief Fund collection, rather than just doing an individual collection every time that there’s a storm or an earthquake or a fire,” said Bishop Parkes at the check presentation. “Rather than doing that, I decided we’ll [Diocese of St. Petersburg] just take up a collection once a year for the Disaster Relief Fund. That way we have funds on hand which I can access immediately.”  

This donation was made possible through all who contributed to the Diocese of St. Petersburg Disaster Relief Fund. We are grateful for the generosity of all who have lent their support!

To contribute to the Diocese of St. Petersburg Disaster Relief Fund visit www.givecentral.org/dospdisasterrelief