Palmerton parish raises $4,090 for Haiti relief

Relief efforts are on the rise amid the devastation faced by the victims of the recent Haiti earthquake.

With that very thought in mind, the Sacred Heart Parish in Palmerton has raised its game a notch to the tune of $4,090.

Pastor William Campion announced last weekend's second collection for relief efforts for the victims will be sent onto the diocese to provide direct service for the poor.

Campion lauded the parish for their goodwill, and added this was one of the largest second collections in recent times for his parish.

"Every church shows it's real Christianity for what it does for other people," Campion said. "To do (over) $4,000 for people that you'll never see, never know, I really feel they're living the Gospel."

Campion said he's proud of the generosity of the parishioners and in their recent efforts for help the clients of St. Vincent De Paul Society, Catholic charities and Victims of Domestic Violence.

"It just shows the compassion people have when someone is in need," he said. "I think that's our American spirit."

In addition, the Sacred Heart parish hopes to be one of the church communities to be part of the "Promise" program to provide assistance for the homeless of Carbon County.

Earlier this month, Haiti was struck by a magnitude 7.0 earthquake, the country's most severe in over 200 years.

It has been estimated that the death toll could reach 200,000.