Parish Partnership between
Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, Newburgh, NY
And
Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, Creole, LA
In 2005 Sacred Heart of Jesus
Church in Creole, Louisiana was devastated by
Hurricanes Rita and Katrina.
Sacred Heart of Jesus
Church
Sacred Heart of Jesus Life Center
Creole is a small town along
the lip of the Gulf of Mexico. This town and its Church have taken a beating
and now, more than a year later, have barely begun to recover. According to an
article in the September, 2006 issue of Extension Magazine, only about
10% of Creole’s residents have been able to return and nearly 90% of its homes
still remain as no more than “trash heaps”. Some residents live in cramped
trailers provided by FEMA and many others live in “tent cities”. Since gas
stations and convenient stores were destroyed, the residents have to drive about
twenty miles into Lake Charles for supplies, gas, and to pick up their mail.
Rev. E. Joseph McGrath is the
Pastor of Sacred Heart Church and he struggles to hold his parish community
together. Father McCarthy and his administrative assistant, Susan Johnson, and
her family live in trailers they purchased when they tired of waiting for FEMA
to provide them. They live in Johnsonville, which is not a town but simply five
trailers huddled on a plot of land north of the church.
For a few months after the
hurricanes, Mass was celebrated inside what was left of the church.
Parishioners brought their lawn chairs but the mold was making people sick, so
that had to stop.
The Army Corps of Engineers
has said that the church foundation, roof trusses and flooring are sound but it
will take about a year before parishioners can return to their church. In
the meantime, the Diocese of Lake Charles has arranged for all the Catholics in
the area to attend Mass at St. Patrick Chapel in Sweet Lake, about 25 miles
inland. The irreplaceable papers of the parish—baptismal records and other
files—were evacuated safely in the trunk of the church secretary’s car before
the storm hit and they are safely stored in the office in Sweet Lake.
Finances are a problem for the parish. So many families are fighting
insurance companies and dipping into savings to pay their daily living expenses,
leaving little for the church. The stress for parishioners is taking its
toll, especially on older parishioners. In his 22 years in the priesthood,
Father McGrath hasn’t had as many funerals in any 10-month period as he has had
since the storms.
A few months after the
storms, our parish, Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Newburgh, became parish
partners with Sacred Heart of Jesus in Creole. Three weekends every month our
Poor Box collections go to them. Since January, 2006 we have collected over
$5,000 for the reconstruction of their parish. Father McGrath corresponds with
Bishop Dominick and updates us on the progress of his parish. Recently he sent
these pictures of the devastation of his parish and his town.
Father McGrath and the
parishioners of Sacred Heart are most grateful for our donations and for our
continuing prayers for their recovery.
Creole Before Hurricanes
Creole After Hurricanes
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