"...today’s on-the-ground look at this earthquake-ravaged country is the first step in what will be a long and steady commitment by U.S. Catholics to aid the recovery.Charged with oversight of a $30 million-plus fund collected from parishes nationwide, Gomez is accompanied by two other bishops for a whirlwind tour of the devastation today and Wednesday.

As the largest faith group in the country, the Catholic church is an important institution in Haiti. And like the rest of the nation, it was seriously damaged by the January 12 quake, which killed nearly a quarter of a million people and left a million homeless.

"The Catholic Church suffered major losses to parishes and its historic Cathedrale Notre-Dame de l’Assomption downtown. The grand-arching roof is now rubble on the sanctuary floor. The walls still stand, but the once-spectacular stained glass windows are riddled with holes.

Among the Catholics who died was the beloved Port-au-Prince Archbishop Joseph Serge Miot, as well as dozens of seminarians, priests and nuns."

Gomez hopes that trip will "show how much he and U.S. Catholics stand in support of the country" and said "I’m excited in the sense that I’m bringing the prayers and solidarity of the people of the U.S. and especially the people of San Antonio to the Catholics in Haiti.”

The Collection for the Church in Latin America usually amounts to $7 million to $10 million annually, but "has grown to at least $30 million this year because of the quake. All of it is set aside for Haiti, and Gomez will make recommendations about its use in coming months to the bishops conference."

Gomez is consulting with with four Haitian bishops to determine how the money could best be spent, a fact in which he takes comfort, saying “You get all kinds of reports, but you want to hear from the people in charge what are the real needs."

As a board member, Gomez has helped to bring humanitarian issues to the forefront of MATT’s outreach programs. He helped develop MATT Maestro en Casa, which teaches English to immigrants via free lessons broadcast over the Guadulupe radio network, and has also been instrumental in raising awareness for compassionate, humane, immigration reform.

We salute Archbishop Gomez for his work in Haiti and look forward to seeing how his efforts and those of the Catholic church will help in the rebuilding effort.