In response to the tragic events of 11 September 2001 in New York, Washington, D.C. and rural western Pennsylvania, the Beirut staff of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA) has donated 10 percent of their September salaries to the American Red Cross for the victims and their families.
“I was deeply moved by their generosity,” stated Msgr. Robert L. Stern, Secretary General of CNEWA, after hearing the news. “Our Beirut staff – most of whom joined CNEWA during the worst days of Lebanon’s civil war – knows all too well the horrors of terrorism and urban violence.
“Tragedies of this size rend our hearts – we’re alternately angry, saddened and frightened,” Msgr. Stern continued. “Yet we often find ourselves responding with generosity, hope and even forgiveness.”