Churches rally to aid refugees (Archbishop escapes with 2 sets of clothes)

2TheAdvocate ^ | September 1, 2005 | WILLIAM TAYLOR

[NYer]

Roman Catholic Archbishop Alfred Hughes, himself a New Orleans refugee with maybe two changes of clothes, can't go home either, but he could minister Wednesday to fellow victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Hughes and Bishop Robert W. Muench of Baton Rouge went to pray with those in the makeshift shelters.

There they encountered tears of sadness and uncertainty and witnessed volunteers from the young to the retired reaching out to feed and care for others.

Books have been written to explain why bad things happen to good people, but Muench said the volunteers he saw provide a more-tangible answer to questions of where God is in a tragedy.

"In the midst of this disaster we are seeing a great deal of goodness that people are demonstrating to their neighbor and a great deal of care in that we see the work of God to have a neighborly response to one another," he said.

Communities of faith of all sizes are responding this week by opening up their buildings to house and feed refugees and distributing clothing and supplies.

However, with the needs more likely to increase than subside in the weeks and months ahead, leaders of various faiths said they would have to work together and receive outside help to meet the challenges and ministry opportunities Katrina has delivered to Baton Rouge.

Worshippers will be called upon to sacrifice and give, they said.

"The scope of it, I don't think anybody quite knows," said Rabbi Stanton Zamek of Beth Shalom Synagogue. "We don't know how many people are going to end up being here and how many people are going to be here for how long."

Leaders of his synagogue plan to meet today with those from B'Nai Israel Synagogue.

The synagogues' resources are limited -- they are small buildings with tiny kitchens -- so the leaders expect to team with others to address needs.

"No institution will be able to go it alone," Zamek said. "We will have to get together."

Downtown churches were already coordinating efforts, with St. James Episcopal Church agreeing to be a drop-off point for clothing and items such as towels and coloring books and First United Methodist Church collecting food. First Baptist Church was housing a large group of mothers and families of newborn babies.

Elsewhere, University United Methodist Church was collecting supplies, and many other churches were providing daily meals for refugees.

For example, Healing Place Church on Highland Road was expecting to feed about 1,200 people a night indefinitely and Shiloh Baptist Church on Eddie Robinson Street was feeding about 300 each afternoon.

Keeping that up won't be easy, but Shiloh Baptist can do it, its pastor predicted.

"That depends on the generosity of the people," the Rev. Charles T. Smith said. "We have an opportunity with Sunday coming up to make an appeal. We are hopeful, confident really, that our people are going to respond in a very generous way."

Shiloh has also agreed to take in about 50 refugees.

Sleeping them on mattresses and cots in its fellowship hall and some classrooms will require some changes on Sunday morning.

"Some areas we are going to have to double up classes and things of that sort," Smith said. "These kind of unexpected things call for on-the-spot adjustments."

Miracle Place Church in Baker has had 250 families sleeping in its sanctuary. Ministers and volunteers worked Wednesday afternoon to distribute donated supplies and help refugees find services, such as doctors and public agencies.

Many of the refugees were concerned about Social Security checks due in the mail today. Several said they had no money.

Kathy Rogillio, a pastor with her husband, Danny, at Miracle Place, said the displaced men and women also need temporary jobs since they won't be able to return home for a while.

In Baton Rouge, Emily Morrow, public relations coordinator at Healing Place, said many organizations are coming together to provide services.

Outside the city, other organizations were also mobilizing.

The Rev. John L. McCullough, executive director of New York-based Church World Service, was expected to be in Baton Rouge by Wednesday night to begin assessing the situation, according to a statement e-mailed by the humanitarian organization.

Fund-raising efforts had already begun in anticipation of the largest U.S. relief and recovery effort in history, McCullough said.

The Louisiana Baptist Convention also issued a statement about its plans.

Those include opening the Louisiana Children's Home in Monroe to children displaced by the storm.

Mobile kitchens, many from other states, and chain-saw crews were also coming, convention officials said.

Muench is calling upon area Catholics to donate during special offerings the next two Sundays.

He also expects the churches to work alongside government agencies and civic groups in efforts to address needs.

"This is an opportunity and a challenge for us all to work together for everyone," he said. "If we achieve that goal, greater good can even overcome these horrendous losses."

[NYer]

Archbishop Alfred Hughes of New Orleans bestows a blessing upon 80-year-old Edward Barconey, a New Orleans refugee sheltered Wednesday at the Baton Rouge River Center. Barconey, a diabetic, requested the Roman Catholic blessing after a short prayer. 'I need it,' he said, adding he fled his home as the flood waters rose.

[NYer]

Donations to victims can be made through:

CATHOLIC CHARITIES USA

Catholic Ping - Please freepmail me if you want on/off this list

[pieces of time]

Nearly 90 cents of every dollar donated to Catholic Charities agencies goes directly to programs and services, making the Catholic Charities network one of the most efficient in the country. (from the Catholic Charities Website)

[Puddleglum]

God bless these refugees. I can think of nothing better to help them than giving to any church that is honest and has a presence down there. They will know the people and the needs. I know the Catholics will do a good job.

[angkor]

Here's a comprehensive list of charities for Katrina victims:

http://www.networkforgood.org

[angkor]

The Vietnamese Dominican Sisters in Houston is currently caring for more than 100 Vietnamese-American refugees from Katrina. I just called and they expect to have them there for "a long time, their houses are gone."

http://www.nutudaminh.org/html/history2.htm

Vietnamese Dominican Sisters
5250 Gasmer Dr.
Houston, TX 77035
(713) 723-8250

[Salvation]

Links to Salvation Army, Catholic Charities and Red Cross on this thread:

AS HURRICANE KATRINA ROCKS GULF, CATHOLIC CHARITIES PREPARES FOR MASSIVE RELIEF EFFORT

[old and tired]

The Knights of Columbus are also taking donations which will go directly to the lodges in the affected areas. I like the idea of donating to the Knights as the money will benefit middle class family people - there but for the grace of God...

Sitetest, I think you've mentioned you're a Knight. Do you have more info on this? I looked for an address to post but couldn't find one.

[choirboy]

Archbishop escapes with 2 sets of clothes

Dang it! When I first read this I thought the Archbishop was looting.

[Pyro7480]

Knights of Columbus Establishes Relief Fund for Victims of Katrina

[sitetest]

Dear old and tired,

S/K sitetest, PGK, reporting for duty.

The Knights' money is already on the way. The Supreme Knight has already cut the first check for $40,000. That is the first drop in the bucket that the Knights will send.

If you want to help make that $40,000 into some very large multiple of $40,000, you can do that. The Knights gave over a million dollars after September 11.

The Knights already have a fully-functional charitable infrastructure, so when you send money to the Knights for the victims of the hurricane, all the money goes to help the victims. Here is a quote from the Knights of Columbus website:

"One hundred percent of contributions will go directly to hurricane relief, and all donations to Knights of Columbus USA are tax-deductible."

If you want to donate, here's how:

Donations should be sent to:

U.S. Donors:

Knights of Columbus
Charities USA, Inc.
Gift Processing Center
PO Box 9028
Pittsfield, MA 01202-9028
Attention: Hurricane KATRINA Relief


Canadian Donors:

Knights of Columbus
Canada Charities Inc.
Gift Processing Center
PO Box 7252 Station A
Toronto, ON M5W 1X9
Attention: Hurricane KATRINA Relief

And if you're a Catholic man who would like to serve God and the Catholic Church with other like-minded Catholic men and families, FR mail me, and I will assist you.


Thanks, old and tired, for the ping.


S/K sitetest, PGK

[victim soul]

God bless The Knights of Columbus!!!

[Barnacle]

My money is going to Catholic Charities.

[Desdemona]

There's a second collection on Sunday. That's where mine is going.

[NYer]

"One hundred percent of contributions will go directly to hurricane relief, and all donations to Knights of Columbus USA are tax-deductible."

Thanks for posting that! I am copying Jim Robinson in hopes that he will add the Knights link to the primary one set up on FR for donations.

[Talking_Mouse]

Dang it! When I first read this I thought the Archbishop was looting.

LOL. Thanks, I needed that laugh this morning.

[sitetest]

Dear NYer,

Thanks.

I posted the information to the relief thread:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1473520/posts?page=19#19


sitetest