By CHRISTIE L. CHICOINE
CS&T Staff Writer
Since the first day in early September when evacuees of Hurricane Katrina relocated to the John Wanamaker Middle School in North Philadelphia, a temporary shelter set up by City officials, priests from the Philadelphia Archdiocese have continued to offer spiritual comfort to displaced hurricane victims.
“We wanted to make it clear that Cardinal [Justin] Rigali and the people of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia certainly welcome these people, and we’re there to be of assistance in any way,” said Msgr. Daniel J. Sullivan, pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish and vicar for Philadelphia-South. The Wanamaker School is at 11th Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue in the Philadelphia-South vicariate.
Of course, archdiocesan services include providing for the spiritual needs of Catholics evacuated from their home churches.
The archdiocesan priests’ presence serves as a reminder to Catholic refugees from the Aug. 29 hurricane that swamped the Gulf Coast that “they didn’t leave their Church behind,” Msgr. Sullivan said.
In the early afternoon on Sept. 16, he and Father James M. Oliver, the Archdiocese’s vice-chancellor and assistant to the vicar for clergy,visited the temporary shelter, which operates under Philadelphia’s “Project Brotherly Love” outreach program for the evacuees.
Among the storm victims the priests met were Tammy, 45, and Nolan, 71, of New Orleans’ St. Bernard Parish, who had arrived in Philadelphia by airplane Sept. 7.
According to Tammy’s account, as the storm swelled, she and Nolan escaped to the attic of their house, and eventually to the roof, before being rescued by boat.
There were several more days of temporary stays — at a church and aboard a ship, to name just two — before they reached Philadelphia.
During the height of the storm, there was no time to consider that their lives were in danger, nor “just how close to death” they came, Tammy said. Had they not broken through their roof, “we could have drowned in our house,” she added.
Both said they appreciated the assistance they were receiving at the shelter, and of the presence of the priests.
Edward Robinson, a Philadelphia School District police officer who had been at the shelter since 7 a.m., praised the city’s program, which, he said, “speaks for itself — ‘brotherly love.’”
Before Msgr. Sullivan had visited the temporary shelter, Msgr. John T. Conway, his predecessor as vicar who is pastor of Mother of Divine Providence Parish in King of Prussia, told Msgr. Sullivan that his parishioners were anxious to help the evacuees in any way possible.
After visiting the shelter, Msgr. Sullivan informed Msgr. Conway that socks and transportation tokens were imminent needs. So, at the next 8 a.m. Mass at Mother of Divine Providence, Msgr. Conway informed parishioners of those needs.
By the 8 a.m. Mass the following day, parishioners had collected four boxes of socks and other clothing items, as well as $220 for tokens.
Msgr. Sullivan said numerous other priests have also let him know their parishioners’ want to help Hurricane Katrina’s victims.
On Friday evening, Sept. 23, a hurricane benefit concert, which featured nine choirs from the Black Catholic community, and a talk by a hurricane survivor drew more than 500 to St. Raymond of Peñafort Church in the Mount Airy section of Philadelphia.
“The gift of sacred music is so powerful, and was shared for a good cause,” said Father Stephen Thorne, director of the Office for Black Catholics, which sponsored the concert. “The nine choirs donated their time and talent, and truly ministered to people who were hurting.”
At the conclusion of the concert, many left St. Raymond’s “saying they were so proud to be Catholic,” Father Thorne added.
The Philadelphia Archdiocese is also working, through Catholic Charities USA, with individuals and institutions across the country to identify temporary housing for those displaced by the hurricane. The program, titled “Operation Home Away from Home,” uses Catholic Charities’ expertise and national network.
According to Msgr. Joseph A. Tracy, the Archdiocese’s Secretary for Catholic Human Services, the agency under which Catholic Social Services [CSS] operates, CSS has been receiving numerous offers from area Catholics to house evacuees temporarily.
Personnel in CSS are collecting the information and forwarding it to a national database for social work case managers in Katrina’s affected areas. Temporary housing, he said, should be available for the evacuees for a minimum of three-to-six months. [For more information on how to participate, call CSS. See phone number on page 31.]
The archdiocesan agency is also working directly with displaced hurricane victims now in the Philadelphia area, providing them with the help they need to get back on their feet.
For a member of one family, an immediate need was dialysis; CSS made sure that the individual, who was also hampered by a language barrier, received adequate medical attention and an interpreter, said Karen K. Becker, director of CSS’ Family Services.
The Philadelphia Archdiocese’s Nutritional Development Services (NDS), an agency of Catholic Human Services, donated $20,000 from its Operation Rice Bowl program to Catholic Community Services of Baton Rouge to be used for food aid to hurricane victims. “We wired the money down to Catholic Community Services in Baton Rouge as soon as we could get a phone call through,” said Patrick F.E. Temple-West, director of NDS. “Not much else was getting to them. Within four hours of our sending it, they were feeding people with it.”
CSS has also made available to the Philadelphia Department of Human Services its network of group homes and foster care services, to aid the young who may arrive in Philadelphia without an adult.
Three CSS staff members — two counseling supervisors and one social work supervisor — are ready for deployment to the Gulf Coast.
Long-time staff members with extensive experience in clinical counseling and case management, the three have made themselves available to Catholic Charities USA, which is coordinating the relief efforts of all Catholic dioceses in the United States.
James Amato, Deputy Secretary for CSS, commended the outpouring of help to Katrina’s victims by Catholics across the Archdiocese.
“We see evidence of the generosity of the people of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in both the local works of charity and in the national works of charity,” Amato said. “We give our sincerest appreciation to all who have helped those in need.”
Catholic universities and schools across the Archdiocese have accepted students from the South who have been displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
Additionally, in the Philadelphia Archdiocese’s parish religious education programs, 194 parish elementary schools and 21 archdiocesan high schools, each student has been asked to contribute a dollar that will be earmarked for the educational needs of the young people in the areas affected by Katrina. The collection is operated by the National Catholic Educational Association.
Cardinal Justin Rigali has also asked the 274 parishes of the Archdiocese hold a special Sunday Mass collection to assist with Archdiocese hold a special Sunday Mass collection to assist with relief efforts.
In parishes where the collection has already been conducted, pastors report sizable contributions. All the funds will be forwarded by the Archdiocese to Catholic Charities USA.
Commissioned by the U.S. Catholic Bishops to represent the Catholic community in times of domestic disaster, Catholic Charities responds with emergency and long-term assistance by connecting the Church’s social service agencies and disaster planning offices across the nation.
On Sept. 9, Cardinal Rigali celebrated a Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul for all affected by Hurricane Katrina; and on Sept. 15, the Cardinal led an interreligious vigil prayer service at the Cathedral in conjunction with the National Day of Prayer and Remembrance for hurricane victims called upon by President George W. Bush.
CS&T Staff Writer Christie L. Chicoine may be reached at (215) 587-2468 or cchicoin@adphila.org.
For more information about “Home Away from Home,” the Catholic Charities USA relocation effort, call the Archdiocese’s Catholic Social Services at (215) 587-3900.
For more information about outreach by the Archdiocese’s Nutritional Development Services, call (215) 895-3470 or e-mail nutrdevl@chs-adphila.org.
For information about “Child to Child: A Catholic Campaign to Aid Education,” access the Web site www.ncea.org.
For more information about the Philadelphia Archdiocese’s special collection for Hurricane Katrina’s victims, contact your local parish.
For information about the Office for Black Catholics’ relief efforts, call (215) 587-3634.
For information about additional outreach opportunities, contact Catholic Charities USA online at www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/news/katrina. cfm or call (800) 919-9338.