Penang Catholic Bishop Sebastian Francis said the collections from masses held from June 22 to 24 would go to the government-initiated public donation drive.
The Catholic diocese of Penang also oversees parishes in Perak, Kedah, Perlis and Kelantan.
A letter by the bishop addressed to church officials and the religious laity, which was sighted by FMT, described the circumstances faced by the government in tackling the country’s debt and economic situation as “challenging”.
He said the move to donate the collections was in solidarity with the nation.
“The first and only collection of all masses at this weekend will be for the purpose of Tabung Harapan,” he said.
“I invite you to disseminate this information to all. Please also publish it in your parish bulletins and announce it at all masses on the weekends of 10th and 17th June 2018.
“Let us continue to pray for the nation, journeying together as a Malaysian Catholic church. I thank you for your unity and generosity as I remain united with all of you,” the bishop added.
As of 3pm today, Tabung Harapan had received a total of RM18,608,925.36 or some RM18.6 million.
The finance ministry had revealed yesterday that at least RM7 million was raked in on the second day after the donation drive was launched on May 30.
The corporate sector also jumped on the bandwagon, with Malindo Air pledging to donate RM1 from each seat sold towards the fund.
The official Maybank account number for the fund is 566010626452. Donations are voluntary and tax deductible.
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