Posted on 08/30/2017 4:50:49 PM PDT by Salvation
A family evacuates their Meyerland home in Houston, Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017. Rescuers answered hundreds of calls for help Sunday as floodwaters from the remnants of Hurricane Harvey rose high enough to begin filling second-story homes, and authorities urged stranded families to seek refuge on their rooftops. (Credit: Mark Mulligan/Houston Chronicle via AP.)
As Houston continues to be pounded by rainfall related to Hurricane Harvey, a Catholic priest returning from watching the big fight between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor Saturday night couldn’t get home, and spent the night sleeping in his truck on an overpass.
On Sunday Morning, he woke up ready to do what every priest does that day, which is to say Sunday Mass. In his case, however, his conveyance to get there was a little unusual: He used a kayak to navigate the city’s flooded streets, hoping to find people stranded along the way. He saw many Hispanics stranded, and was drawn to them as there are many Hispanics who attend services at his parish.
Father David Bergeron of the Catholic Charismatic Center in Houston, in an interview with a local Houston ABC affiliate station told a reporter, “I’m French Canadian …. this is how the Americas were evangelized, with a canoe.”
Technically, of course, it wasn’t a canoe but a kayak, but for Bergeron the spirit’s the same.
“I hope that can bring a smile to a few people, and obviously I’m praying for everyone who is in need,” he said.
His plan to say Mass was complicated when he found an open liquor store, went in to buy wine for the liturgy, and found that it’s illegal to buy alcohol before noon on a Sunday in Houston. Laughing, he said that he didn’t usually buy alcohol in the morning, so he didn’t know the rule.
Afterwards, he said, he didn’t have enough time to gather people for Mass before he had to get to the location for his interview, since images of him paddling up and down flooded streets had already made him something of a local insta-celebrity.
He said he was getting texts from parishioners who had seen him on TV, and who told him, “I guess we’re alive, and the Lord is alive, and the Lord is always with us as well.”
Now, Bergeron said, there’s one focus of his prayer above all: For the strong rains to end.
“There are a few psalms that implore the grace of God and the washing rain, but now we have enough rain, so we just want to repent for whatever it is we need to repent for and go on,” he said.
Ministry Ping in Houston!
There are going to be people with sepsis from that flood water.
That is NOT anything people should be wading in.
Too many other waterborne diseases, too.
That said, very creative of the priest.
The liquor store could give him wine anytime.
Very true but this water came to them and there wasn’t much they could do.
Its funny but good for him...I don’t think the authorities are going to care that much...
I’m surprised nobody’s had an encounter with an alligator or a poisonous snake...
Yeah, but walking through neck deep water does not seem like the wisest thing to do.
I can see an epidemic breaking out.
Sewage? They are surrounded by it and buried in it. So much for sewage treatment plants.
“Catholic Charismatic Center”
All I need to know, Another charismatic stunt.
I have a feeling that the picture posted is NOT of the priest mentioned in the article. And if you don’t have any way of getting from your house to a canoe or boat, one has to wade or swim.
Then youre really going to “like” this...
on FOX theyre showing people who were FISHING in the flood waters in Beaumont, today...
Looking through Twitter posts with photos this morning, there was one with two gaters looking over a woman’s largely submerged fence. Not monsters but big and very intimidating.
And where was Fr Bergeron planning on getting hosts? Store bought wheat bread is usually adulterated with salt, sugar, preservatives, and other matter rendering it unfit for the Eucharist. He wouldn’t be doing anyone a favor by attempting to celebrate with doubtful matter. Getting wine is the least of his challenges.
Isn’t there a dispensation to use regular bread when there are no pre-packaged hosts available?
He had a backpack in the kayak, so I assumed he had the hosts to consecrate.
Uh-huh....
Well said.
No.
Maybe, but it’s odd that he’d be traveling with spare hosts but no wine.
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