Knights of Columbus donates $100,000 to Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Key Bridge fund

The largest Catholic fraternal service organization pledged to donate $100,000 to an Archdiocese of Baltimore fund to support those affected by the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse.

The Knights of Columbus’ donation is in addition to about $70,000 raised by the Archdiocese to support the families of the six construction workers who died when the cargo ship Dali struck the bridge on March 26, sending them and the span into the Patapsco River. The workers who were filling potholes on the bridge overnight were originally from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

The Catholic Review, an archdiocesan publication, reported the Knights of Columbus’ donation.

The Archdiocese’s Key Bridge fund, which supports the ministry at Highlandtown’s Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, will also aid workers who have lost wages while the wreckage of the bridge blocks shipping access into the Port of Baltimore.

“From emergency relief, accompaniment and economic hardship due to lost wages, Sacred Heart will help those impacted rebuild their lives, offering a hand to those in despair and working with other trusted community partners, especially the Esperanza Center,” according to a description of the Archdiocese’s fund.

Sacred Heart of Jesus is a largely Spanish-speaking parish in Southeast Baltimore. Bilingual case managers at the Baltimore-based Esperanza Center have been helping the victims’ families as they navigate challenges like arranging for bodies to be sent overseas for burial.

Father Ako Walker, the pastor at Sacred Heart of Jesus, has provided ongoing pastoral support to relatives of the six fallen workers. Carlos Alexis Suazo Sandoval, brother of Maynor Suazo Sandoval, said he sought solace from Walker this week as he arranges his brother’s funeral and copes with his grief.

Sacred Heart of Jesus held a prayer service and candlelight walk in honor of the six victims Monday. On Saturday evening, it will host a vigil and funeral mass for Dorlian Castillo Cabrera, the 26-year-old worker found in a submerged truck on March 27.

The Baltimore archdiocese has also raised about $25,000 for Apostleship of the Sea, the Catholic ministry supporting the Dali’s crew members, according to an archdiocese spokesperson.

The Archdiocese’s fundraising is one of many ongoing efforts to support six workers’ families, some of which lost fathers when the men plunged to their deaths. The City of Baltimore and the workers’ employer Brawner Builders are also coordinating donations for the families.

Key Bridge collapse: How to help through donations, volunteerism