Parishes pitch in to assist hurricane victims

Parishioners at St. Ambrose Church in Latham have given the gift of hope to people they don't even know: members of St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Gulfport, Mississippi.

Through a parish partnership program developed earlier this year by Catholic Charities USA, the Latham Catholics have connected with the Gulf Coast parish that sustained extensive damages from Hurricane Katrina.

"We had been considering doing something to get our people more involved in community service, and this seemed like the perfect way to begin," said Rev. Francis DuBois, pastor of St. Ambrose. "It is a long-term project, not just something we do for the present."

Connections

In November, Father DuBois made a trip to Gulfport to see the damage and meet Rev. Louis Lohan, pastor of St. Thomas, whose church was completely destroyed.

Since then, the Latham parish has sent money, and five pallets of tools and supplies for rebuilding. In addition, students from St. Ambrose School participated in a coin collection that netted more than $3,000. That money plus a single donation of $1,500 made it possible to purchase a trailer St. Thomas had requested.

In April, 37 parish teens and adults traveled from St. Ambrose to St. Thomas to celebrate Easter in the demolished church. Another contingent of parishioners visited in June.

Father Lohan traveled to Latham for Memorial Day weekend, meeting the parishioners who had rallied to help his parish.

"This partnership really is a win/win situation," said Father Dubois. "We're committed to this partnership. We're going there to help them now, but it may not be that way in the future. With this partnership, our two parishes can help each other whenever the need arises. We're viewing this opportunity as a gift from God for both parishes."

Nassau's role

At St. Mary's Church in Nassau, Dom and Annie Devaney are wrapping up a year-long Katrina effort that involved the entire parish.

Last year, they began a one-year pledge program to support a family that suffered the death of a relative and the loss of all of their possessions when Hurricane Katrina hit Biloxi, Mississippi.

Mr. and Mrs. Devaney initiated the process by calling the Diocese of Biloxi. They were given the phone number of David and Yvonne Husley, who, along with their 12-year-old son Jack, were parishioners at St. Mary's in Biloxi.

Mr. Husley's handicapped brother drowned when their home was flooded to the rafters and the family was forced into the attic to escape the rising waters.

Recovery

Mr. Devaney reported that the Nassau Catholics have donated more than $10,000 to help the family.

With money from an insurance settlement and a small business loan, the Husleys paid off the mortgage on their home before it was razed. Nothing remains but the concrete slab it stood on.

"They were going to rebuild," Mr. Devaney said, "but they were told that they could no longer use the original cement pad. It had to be torn out. In April, they were able to dig a new foundation, and they are currently in the process of framing their new home."

The couple renovated their detached garage into a temporary home while their new house is being built.

Memories

When Jack, now 13, returned to school last fall, he and his classmates were asked to write about their hurricane experiences.

"We got up in the attic," Jack wrote. "There was 3 feet of water in our house. We got my dog, my mom, and me in the attic. My dad punched out the ceiling so my uncle could get up there.

"My uncle said, 'Help.' It was hard to hear with all of the wind and water splashing. My dad ran over to him. He was in the water, so my dad jumped in and got him up 2 times; but the 3rd time, my dad was too weak and could not find him.

"The water was about 7 1/2 feet deep in the house. When it went down, we found my uncle and covered him up. The End."

(The Albany Diocese helped after Katrina in many ways. For example, volunteers from the diocesan Cemeteries Office went to the Gulf Coast to reclaim a cemetery from the destruction. Read about it by searching for "touchette" at www.evangelist.org.)

(8/31/06) [[In-content Ad]]