Catholics responding to challenges of Isaac cleanup

As Gulf Coast residents continue the recovery process following Hurricane Isaac, Catholic groups throughout the South have begun organizing disaster relief services for victims.

“These people who have been affected and certainly those who have lost so much need our prayerful support,”  Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond of New Orleans said at a Sept. 4 press conference.

In order to convey the archdiocese’s prayers and commitment to providing assistance for victims,  Archbishop Aymond visited badly damaged areas Aug. 31 to Sept. 1.

Hurricane Isaac, which made landfall Aug. 28, dropped more that 15 inches of rain, flooded parts of  Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and Alabama and has killed at least seven people in the U.S.

Immediately following the hurricane, Catholic Charities of New Orleans and the archdiocese-run Second Harvest food bank were on site offering food and water to victims. Since then, Catholic Charities has begun offering counseling and spiritual support in the form of prayer.

Archbishop Aymond has called on young adults and high school students throughout the archdiocese to volunteer in areas where help is most needed the most this upcoming weekend.

Young people, he said, should come together “not only not only to offer their prayers, but to offer their hands and their hearts” for hurricane victims.

As the New Orleans Saints host the Washington Redskins Sept. 9, attendees will be able to donate non-perishable food items to restock Second Harvest, the archbishop announced.

“We ask anyone who is coming to the game to bring a can of food,” he said.

Catholic Social Services of Mobile has been working to determine “how best our agency can respond to this particular disaster,” said John Wilson, who heads disaster preparation and response efforts for the Archdiocese of Mobile. [More]

SOURCE

CNA