View of damages caused by the passage of Hurricane Otis in Acapulco, Guerrero State, Mexico, on Oct. 31, 2023. Otis smashed into the port city early on Oct. 25 with winds of 165 miles per hour, leaving a trail of destruction. / Credit: SALVADOR … […]
A shopping mall is destroyed after hurricane Otis hit Acapulco on Oct. 25, 2023 in Acapulco, Mexico. Otis made landfall through the coast of Acapulco around midnight of Oct. 25 as a category 5 storm. / Credit: Oscar Guerrero Ramirez/Getty Image
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United States Naval Research Laboratory’s infrared-gray satellite image of Hurricane Ian. / Public Domain
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 27, 2022 / 16:00 pm (CNA).
As Hurricane Ian bears down on Florida’s Gulf Coast, Bishop Gregory L. Parkes of St. Petersburg asked for prayers for “protection during the storm.”
In a message emailed to each parish in his diocese, and posted on the diocese’s Facebook page and YouTube channel, Parkes offered a prayer of his own.
“Loving God, maker of heaven and earth, protect us in your love and mercy. Send the spirit of Jesus to be with us to still our fears and to give us confidence in the stormy waters. Jesus reassured his disciples by his presence, calmed the storm, and strengthened their faith,” he said.
“Guard us from harm during the storm and renew our faith to serve you faithfully. Give us the courage to face all difficulties and the wisdom to see the ways your Spirit binds us together in mutual assistance,” Parkes prayed. “With confidence, we make our prayer through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.”
On Tuesday afternoon the Category 3 storm struck western Cuba and headed into the Gulf of Mexico. While the exact path of the hurricane is not yet known, forecasters have issued warnings for the entire Gulf Coast. Current projections are for the storm to hit between Tampa and Ft. Meyers on Wednesday.
The Diocese of St. Petersburg is, for now, to the north of the hurricane’s expected path, but dangerous flooding and damaging winds are expected for all of Florida’s west coast. Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for coastal and low-lying areas.
Tampa officials warned residents on Tuesday to take the hurricane seriously, as first responders are not sent out if winds are higher than 40 mph.
With sustained winds expected to reach 115 mph, and gusts up to 145 mph, the National Hurricane Center warned that “locations may be uninhabitable for weeks or months.”
Pope Francis makes the Sign of the Cross April 18, 2018. / Daniel Ibanez/CNA.
Vatican City, Sep 5, 2021 / 07:00 am (CNA).
Pope Francis prayed Sunday for the victims of Hurricane Ida, which has resulted in the deaths of more than 50 people in the… […]
Damage from Hurricane Ida / Diocese of Houma-Thibodeaux
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 3, 2021 / 16:15 pm (CNA).
Nearly a week after Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisiana, the Diocese of Houma-Thibodeaux is still without electricity. Many par… […]
Damage at St. Stephen’s Catholic School in New Orleans / Monsignor Christopher Nalty
Washington D.C., Sep 2, 2021 / 15:00 pm (CNA).
A New Orleans pastor whose parish school was severely damaged in Hurricane Ida is bracing himself for a “big expense,” but hopes classroom life will not be overly disrupted for students this year.
St. Stephen Catholic School, located in Uptown New Orleans, lost the roof of its gymnasium when Hurricane Ida swept through the area on Aug. 29.
“At some point during the early part of the storm, the wind got underneath the vinyl material and then just ripped everything off the roof,” Monsignor Christopher Nalty, pastor of St. Stephen’s church and school, told CNA on Thursday.
The type of roof formerly on the gymnasium “is very prone to getting destroyed,” Nalty explained. And while the full extent of the damage is not yet known, he suspects that the floor of the gymnasium is destroyed as well. He is also waiting to find out how the other wing of the school, with classrooms, fared.
“We’re going to have to replace the roof,” he said. “That’s what we’re working on now.”
In-person classes in the Archdiocese of New Orleans are suspended until after Labor Day, due to the effects of the hurricane. Many areas of the archdiocese still do not have power.
Local media reported on the significant damage at the school.
“Take a look at this. It looks like the roof came off of the school building,” said Travers Mackel, a reporter and anchor at WDSU News in a video surveying the area. “This is by far the worst damage that we’ve seen right here.”
Mackel said that most of the destruction in the surrounding area was to vegetation, and that only St. Stephen Catholic School seemed to have suffered significant property damage.
Pieces of the school’s roof were strewn into nearby trees and in the street. The church building, located next to the school, was largely spared, although part of the steeple was damaged.
Nalty told CNA that he hopes to replace the gym roof with one made out of slatted steel. He said that many Gulf Coast churches have opted to replace their roofs with similar styles after they sustained storm damage.
“I said to [a contractor] ‘That’s what I want on the school,’” Nalty said. “‘Cause I don’t want to fix this again, you know?”
The cost of the repairs is not yet clear, but Nalty told CNA that he does not think it will be cheap. The archdiocese’s insurance policy charges a 3% deductible for any damage done by a named storm, such as Hurricane Ida.
“So 3% of the value of the whole building is the deductible,” he said. “For instance, for my school, my church, I think it’s valued at $15 million. So that means I have a $450,000 deductible before any insurance kicks in.”
For Nalty, the school and its students hold a very special place in his heart, and he hopes that they will be able to return to the school before too long.
“I do a lot of different things in the archdiocese. I teach at the seminary. I’ve got three churches. Quite possibly, the most important thing I do is the school,” he said, blinking back tears.
The school was founded in 1852, and serves students from age two through seventh grade. Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, St. Stephen Catholic School became a “central school” that took in students whose schools were destroyed.
“Now our school is about 98% African-American and they are from the poorest demographic of the city,” said Nalty. “My principal is a rockstar and these kids are all on scholarship.”
The school is “such a family,” said Nalty. Students are brought to campus early for breakfast, and stay afterwards for aftercare. For the last four years, every graduate has been admitted into a Catholic high school in New Orleans, with a scholarship.
“They go to school in this family community. We have Mass every Friday,” he said. “The kids are actively engaged. They know their faith.”
The opportunities provided to St. Stephen’s students “means the trajectory of their lives has been changed.”
“Their chances are exponentially different from their neighbors that go to the public schools,” said Nalty. “It’s an incredibly important ministry to me. I just love these kids. They’re just, [the storm damage is] just hard.”
“But anyway, you know, well… We’ll get through it.”
Anyone wishing to support the rebuilding effort can do so here.
© Catholic World Report