None of the priests of the Missionary Society of St. James the Apostle were serving in the area most affected by the earthquake that struck Peru, society director Msgr. Finbarr O’Leary told The Pilot Aug. 16.

Though the St. James Society has a strong presence in the Lima area, the epicenter of the magnitude 8 quake was located over 100 miles south of the capital. The society does not currently have any missions active in that area, Msgr. O’Leary said.

As of Aug. 17, more that 500 are known to have been killed and more than 1,500 injured in the earthquake which struck in the evening of Aug. 15.

In his blog post of Aug. 17, Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley offered his prayers for those affected by the tragedy and said a special collection will be taken up for victims at the Masses of Sunday Aug. 26.

“Boston has a long standing tradition of great generosity with the victims of natural disasters, and Peru is very close to our hearts through the works of so many Boston priests who through the years have ministered there serving to poorest among the poor in Peru,” the cardinal said in his blog post.

Details on the special collection are expected to be provided to parishes in the coming days.