Parish finds 'sister' in south

Situated on the fringes of the French Quarter in New Orleans, Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos parish barely escaped the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

While it suffered extensive wind and rain damage, parishioners experienced more severe losses when their homes were submerged beneath 12 feet of water.

More than a thousand miles away, Rev. Joseph Cebula, pastor of Our Lady of the Assumption parish in Schenectady, decided to do something to help.

Sisters

"We've wanted to establish a sister-parish relationship for a while now," the priest explained, "and Blessed Francis Xavier parish seemed to be a good fit for us."

Father Cebula called his counterpart, Rev. Joseph Benson, to determine the immediate needs of the parish. They decided Father Cebula should visit New Orleans to met with the parish staff.

"Father Benson told me that, before the hurricane, he had a staff of 11," Father Cebula recounted. "When I visited, there were only a few staff members working -- the pastor, the youth minister and pastoral associate."

Fleeing

Father Cebula learned that the parish lost about half of its membership.

"Many people returned [after the storm,] but only to save what they could and then leave again," the priest said. "Very little has been rebuilt."

Blessed Francis Xavier was established as the first -- and one of the largest -- parishes for hearing-impaired Catholics in the country. Up to a third of its membership has hearing difficulties.

Linkage

When the Schenectady pastor returned home, he presented the needs of the New Orleans parish to the pastoral council.

"Right away, they recommended that we begin as soon as possible to help the parishioners there recover from the effects of the hurricane," Father Cebula said. "We are sending $250 a month for items related to that recovery."

However, their relationship isn't only monetary, he added. "This is their need right now. The parishioners are hoping to establish a deeper relationship in several ways."

Teen connection

The youth ministry group at Assumption is planning to hold a car wash, with some of the proceeds being sent to the youth group in New Orleans.

"Our youth might actually be able to travel there to meet some of their teens as well, to establish friendships," said the pastor.

Students who attend vacation Bible school in July at Our Lady of the Assumption are planning a collection of items for the children at Blessed Francis Xavier.

"We are hoping that our relationship with Blessed Francis Xavier parishioners will continue. We're hoping for exchanges of friendship with the people of the parish there. Right now, we're able to help them get through a tough time. We would like to see more interaction in the future."

(4/26/07) [[In-content Ad]]