Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez is asking people to consider making donations to help the people of Syria and Turkey.

“Join me and other #LACatholics in continuing to pray for our brothers and sisters in Turkey and Syria, and please, whatever you might be able to offer, they need our help,” Gomez tweeted Thursday. 

All parishes have been urged by Gomez to think about holding a special collection of donations on this weekend and the next to support the needs of those affected by the earthquakes in Syria and Turkey earlier this month, according to LA Catholics. 

Two earthquakes rocked southern Turkey on Feb. 6. They also devastated large areas of Syria. Both temblors measured above 7.0 magnitude on the Richter scale, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The death toll has risen to 45,000 as of Friday, and the figure is expected to rise as rescue crews continue to scour through the rubble of collapsed buildings, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) predicted. 

Several Catholic philanthropic and aid organizations are involved in the relief operations. Caritas Internationalis, the umbrella group for national Catholic charities, quickly started a fundraising effort and made a plea for contributions of winter clothes, particularly for newborns and small children, the USCCB said.

Aid to the Church in Need, the Catholic Near East Welfare Association, and Catholic Relief Services, which is the overseas aid agency of the Catholic Church in the United States, are all collecting funds and other types of donations in efforts to assist those most affected, the bishops’ group added.