In the coastal cities of Palu and Donggala, home to about 350,000 people, the church has been washed away and so has almost everything else. 

On Friday, September 28, an earthquake hit the island of Sulawesi. The 7.5 magnitude quake devastated the northern part of the island and triggered a tsunami. Water smashed into buildings and washed away homes. The people are traumatized and helpless. Their lives are shattered, and their homes and possessions are just piles of debris, broken wood, cement, and mud.

Seventeen thousand people are homeless. They are without electricity, water, food or transportation.

Right now, only God knows those who were buried alive. Recovery efforts are slow due to conditions and lack of heavy equipment and personnel. 

Unlike most children in other places who are joyfully looking forward to Christmas, many children in Palu and Donggala are trying to find their parents, and parents are searching for missing children. 

Many people are still missing, and 1,260 bodies have been recovered from the rubble.

The Christmas message of hope is needed now more than ever for these sisters and brothers in Indonesia.

You can bring them hope. You can help them survive this natural disaster!

Our Franciscan missionaries from the Province of St. Michael the Archangel in Indonesia are there providing food, water, medical treatment and shelter to the desperate children and families left homeless and isolated by this tragedy. But we need your help today!

Father Michael Peruhe, OFM, the Franciscan Provincial Minister of the Province of St. Michael the Archangel, and friars of the province are providing food, water, clothing and shelter to the survivors of the tsunami. 

But the need is so great. There are so many displaced people, that Fr. Michael has sent out an urgent request to the worldwide Franciscan Order for support in this great undertaking!

Could you offer a special gift to help Fr. Michael and our Franciscan missionaries ease the suffering caused by this earthquake and tsunami?

I do have some good news to share! A group of special friends has offered to match your generosity dollar for dollar!

Think about this for a Christmas donation! Pray about this one need. 

We can accomplish so much together! If you give generously today, your gift will be DOUBLED by this wonderful pledge.

Your gift of $10 would be $20 to help purchase blankets for the survivors. A gift of $50 would be a $100 to buy a tent to provide emergency shelter. A gift of $100 is really $200 and would help provide fresh drinking water and food for so many displaced people. And a miraculous gift of $2,500 would pay $5,000 to help provide emergency medical care.

We can do this together! Every dollar raised will be matched to help ease the suffering of these sisters and brothers before Christmas!

On their behalf, I’m praying and striving to raise the necessary funds. We can do this “if only” you will help. Any Christmas gift you send would be a blessing, and any gift you send will be doubled!

Please offer a merciful gift today, in honor of our Savior who was born homeless, to help provide shelter, food, water and medicine for a poor Indonesian families left homeless by this earthquake and tsunami. 

Your generosity is the image of God’s mercy and reflects the hope and peace of Christmas to the poor!

God bless and reward you for the great charity and kindness of your heart.

Peace and blessings,

Bro. Andrew Brophy, OFM

Executive Director