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In this Sunday, April 26, 2015 photo, Yagya Rokaya, left, a teacher, and Nisha Battarai, a nurse, attend to an elderly woman with head wounds in Thuman village near Nepal’s Langtang National Park, about 37 miles north of Kathmandu, the morning after a massive earthquake hit the region. The woman was weaving a belt outside her stone house when she was struck by rocks as the house collapsed. The 7.8-magnatude quake killed more than 5,000 people, injured twice that many and left tens of thousands homeless.

In union with Pope Francis and fellow bishops in the United States, Bishop Joseph C. Bambera is asking parishioners in the Diocese of Scranton to respond to the needs of the people of Nepal who have been affected by the devastating earthquake that struck that country last Saturday.

Bishop Bambera has authorized a special collection to be taken up at all Masses of obligation in parishes of the Diocese this weekend, May 2-3.

The funds will be used to support the efforts of Catholic Relief Services as that agency addresses the immediate emergency needs for such necessities as water, food, shelter and medical care as well as the long-term needs to rebuild the communities in the regions hit with widespread destruction.

A CRS team is already on the ground in Kathmandu, the capital city and one of the most affected areas, and its local partner Caritas Nepal has started distributing food and shelter.

“I also ask everyone to pray for the victims of this humanitarian crisis, and for the ethnic Nepalese refugees who have settled in our community with the help of Catholic Social Services – many of whom have family members still living in Nepal,” Bishop Bambera said. “In solidarity with our brothers and sisters in need, we can provide prayerful and tangible assistance as they begin the long and difficult road to recovery.”