The December 10-11 tornado outbreak in Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Tennessee, and Kentucky left at least 76 dead.

“It is heartbreaking to see the destruction and devastation brought by the tornadoes,” said Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City, chairman of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development. “During this Advent season where we await in joyful anticipation for the birth of our Lord, we pray for those who have been injured, for those who have lost their lives, and for their grieving families and communities.”