Assistance efforts have been mobilized in the Archdiocese of Chicago following the devastating Jan. 13 earthquake that struck El Salvador.

St. Jerome Parish, 1709 W. Lunt Ave., which has a large El Salvadorian community, is planning to send a relief team to the stricken area as soon as possible. Pastor Father Thomas Bradley said the parish has opened a special El Salvador Relief Fund at the LaSalle Bank, 7516 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL 60626.

In addition, Elena Segura of the archdiocese’s Office for Peace and Justice, said Catholic Relief Services also is responding to the need for food, clothing and medical supplies.

El Salvador’s capital, San Salvador, was extensively damaged in the quake, and hundreds are dead or missing after the quake caused a landslide that wiped out a portion of the town of Santa Tecla.

Donations for relief can also be sent to a special archdiocesan/CRS fund: El Salvador Earthquake, 155 E. Superior St., Chicago, IL 60611. For more information call (312) 751-5333, or by e-mail to [email protected]

Pope John Paul II also offered prayers for victims, and the Catholic charity Caritas pledged to help earthquake relief efforts.

The pope said he was deeply saddened by the tragedy, and urged the international community to mobilize quickly. While praying for the hundreds of dead, the pope also encouraged survivors not to lose hope and called on other countries to send aid to the region.

The quake, which measured 7.6 on the Richter scale, was centered off El Salvador’s coast and was felt from Nicaragua to as far north as Mexico City. Most of the damage occurred in and around El Salvador’s capital, San Salvador.

The death toll topped 600 and was expected to rise as rescue workers continued to pull bodies from the rubble. More than 500 were missing and presumed dead. Landslides and mudslides triggered by the earthquake and its aftershocks worsened the disaster’s effects, burying people inside their homes.