To: All Parish Priests, Major Superiors of Religious Institutes and Societies of Apostolic Life

In order to express our solidarity with, and our appreciation of, frontline doctors, nurses and other health care staff who are working round the clock to look after those who have contracted the atypical pneumonia (SARS), Bishop Joseph ZEN, SDB, is appealing to all parishes to take up a special collection on any day from Holy Thursday (17 April) to Easter Sunday (20 April), by any convenient means (such as placing a donation box in the church, taking up a special collection during a Holy Week liturgical function, etc.).

The donations should be sent to the office of the Diocesan Commission for Hospital Pastoral Care (address: 6/F., Wai Yan Block, Caritas Medical Centre, 111, Wing Hong Street, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon) by cheques made payable to that Commission, with the indication " In Support of Health Care Workers" at the back. Individual faithful may also send their donations to the above office, indicating their names and addresses for the issuance of receipts.

All the donations will be reserved for procuring the necessities of health care workers, such as towels, sets of shirts and trousers for ward use, plastic boots, etc.. The work for getting ready these necessities and distributing them will be co-ordinated by the above-mentioned Commission.

The special collection in question, which should be dealt with separately from the Lenten Campaign donations and from those to be taken up for the Holy Land on Good Friday, may carry on so long as the atypical pneumonia epidemic persists.

Bishop ZEN is also appealing to parishes, deaneries and the faithful at large to continue praying for the government departments involved in combating the current epidemic, for frontline health care workers and their families, for those diagnosed with the atypical pneumonia and their families, for those from different professions and social strata adversely affected by the epidemic, as well as for the general public. Let us pray that with the merciful help of God, and with the joint efforts of all members of society, Hong Kong will be able to overcome her present crisis and resume a life of peace and prosperity as soon as possible.

Given at the Chancery Office,

16 April 2003.