[StBernard] Two Years After Hurricane Katrina, Catholic Extension Parish Partners Steadily Restore Hope on Gulf Coast

[Westley Annis]

Two Years After Hurricane Katrina, Catholic Extension Parish Partners
Steadily Restore Hope on Gulf Coast  
Posted on : 2007-08-17 | Author : Catholic Church Extension Society 
News Category : PressRelease  
 

CHICAGO, Aug. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Two years after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
displaced thousands and destroyed countless homes and churches, a program of
the Catholic Church Extension Society has been making steady progress to
revitalize parish life and restore hope to the devastated Gulf Coast.

Catholic Extension's Parish Partnership Program was created in September
2005 to provide a central place to coordinate donations and volunteers from
churches around the country who wanted to help the recovery efforts in the
Gulf Coast. Since then, 317 donor parishes from 113 different dioceses
enrolled in the program have sent approximately $1 million to help their
Parish Partners.

Catholic Extension President Father Jack Wall made a recent visit to
Mississippi and Louisiana and experienced mixed emotions about the
devastation and rebuilding. "You realize, amid all the heartbreaking
destruction that still exists, that the Church is the place where people go.
It's a rallying point for people, and the hope, care, and compassion that
you see are very impressive," he said. "If New Orleans is going to be
rebuilt, it is going to be done largely through the efforts of the Church
and programs like our Parish Partnership Program which joins great people
who are compelled to respond to great need."

A Catholic Extension survey of 113 of the most seriously affected Catholic
churches in the Archdiocese of New Orleans, and the Dioceses of Biloxi,
Lafayette, Lake Charles, Houma-Thibodaux and Beaumont found the following:

59 have been restored and reopened, 4 are open while repairs are ongoing, 6
are holding services in temporary quarters such as the parish center or
modular buildings, and 44 are closed either permanently (because they were
completely washed away) or until enough parishioners return.

A "parish-friendly" website experience

Catholic Extension has now launched a new website
http://www.parishpartnership.org/ that will make it even easier for donor
parishes and their parishioners to connect with their Parish Partners or to
sign up. This is especially helpful as the program recently broadened its
outreach efforts. In addition to the Gulf Coast parishes that still need
help, the program also includes struggling parishes in other mission areas
of the country. There are currently 120 mission parishes in need of a Parish
Partner.

"The Parish Partnership Program provides a unique opportunity for parishes
to connect with mission parishes that urgently need their help," said Father
Wall. "These invaluable partnerships will undoubtedly impact the lives of
all those who participate, and our new website for the program should serve
as an important resource for all new and existing partnerships."

The website features an interactive map of mission parishes where visitors
can read more about the conditions and challenges facing these faith
communities that need outside assistance to survive. The site serves as a
central point for Parish Partners to share stories and photographs, as well
as access important resources for establishing and maintaining a lasting
partnership. Through this site, inquiring parishes can learn how the program
works and register online.

"An aspect of the program that is so important is its built-in flexibility,"
said Parish Partnership Program Director Bridget Monahan. "A parish can
decide the type, duration and extent of support, whether it be a one-time
gift or ongoing relationship. We facilitate communication, coordination and
accountability of Parish Partners -- and donors can be assured that 100% of
all funds will be distributed as directed by them."

Parish Partners: Fine examples of stewardship

Parishioners of St. Eleanor in Collegeville, Pa., made it a special
Christmas for the children of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish and its school,
St. Vincent de Paul, in Long Beach, Miss., where the church and buildings
were completely destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

St. Eleanor's schoolchildren collected Christmas gifts for every child in
pre-K through 6th grade so that they might receive one or more wrapped
gifts. St. Eleanor parishioners arrived at the school (a former skating rink
that now serves as the church and school) donning Santa hats and visited
each classroom to distribute the gifts to the excited and greatly
appreciative group of children. The Pennsylvania parish is already making
plans to host the same program this Christmas.

St. Paul Parish in Florence, Ky., put its stewardship to action on behalf of
the hurricane-damaged parishes on the Gulf. It was among the first to become
a Parish Partner in November 2005 and has sent more than $25,000 to help Our
Lady of Prompt Succor in Chalmette, La. The parish printed special envelopes
and included reports from their Parish Partner in the bulletin to keep the
needs of the devastated Gulf Coast parishes on the minds of its
parishioners.

And parishioners at Our Lady of Lourdes in DePere, Wis., partnered with St.
Leo the Great in New Orleans, La., making two service trips to help the
parish get back on its feet. For each trip to New Orleans, a group of women
from the parish brought handmade quilts. St. Leo's parishioners were moved
by such generosity and thoughtfulness."

"We are deeply gratified by the support and outreach of Catholics across the
country to do their part in helping their brothers and sisters in need,"
Father Wall said. "And now, with the expansion of the program and our
interactive website, more people are learning about the many Americans who
struggle to live their faith in mission areas."

To become a Parish Partner, visit http://www.parishpartnership.org/ or call
Bridget Monahan at 1-800-842-7804.

For high-resolution JPEGS of photos and for information about parishes in
your local area that have joined the Parish Partnership effort, email Mark
Andel at andelm at catholicextension.org.

ABOUT CATHOLIC EXTENSION:

For more than 100 years, the Chicago-based Catholic Church Extension Society
has supported Catholic missions in the U.S. by funding church construction,
religious education and seminary formation, campus and outreach ministries,
evangelization, and salaries for missionaries. Catholic Extension is the
leading supporter of Catholic missions in the U.S. and has distributed more
than $450 million over its history. To sign up to receive a year of
EXTENSION magazine free of charge, write to Catholic Extension, 150 S.
Wacker Drive, 20th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606, call 1-800-842-7804 or visit
http://www.catholicextension.org/. 

Catholic Church Extension Society