Francine's Impacts in the Diocese of Baton Rouge
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September 9, 2024Tuesday, 17 September 2024; 8:00AM Update
Francine Recovery Updates
All Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Baton Rouge will be fully open on Tuesday, 17 September 2024.
We thank all of our partners and community members in assisting our parishes, schools, and apostolates in their efforts for mitigation and remediation and their help to safely return our campuses back to their normal operations.Sunday, 15 September 2024, 10:45AM Update
Francine Recovery UpdatesAll Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Baton Rouge will open on Monday, 16 September 2024 with one exception.
Ascension Catholic Diocesan Regional School in Donaldsonville received moderate to significant damage to some facilities. School administration is developing a plan to temporarily house primary school students in other areas of the campus. To fully assess and finalize this plan, there will be no school for pre-K through 6th grades on Monday, September 16th. The high school (grades 7-12), however, will proceed with classes as usual.
The goal is to have classes resume for all students at Ascension Catholic on Tuesday, 17 September 2024. The safety and well-being of our students is our top priority.Thursday, 12 September 2024, 9:30PM Update
The Diocese of Baton Rouge, less than 24 hours after Francine's landfall, has been assessing the needs of its parishes, schools, apostolates, and the faithful and is prepared to mobilize its full efforts to assist those in need.
Bishop Michael Duca, Father Jamin David, Dr. Patricia Davis, and Mrs. Mary Woodruff have personally reached out by phone and electronic means to all of our active pastors and principals to assess their situation "on the ground." While power remains out in many locations, there seems to be less damage than anticipated to parish and school structures with the most damage reported in Assumption, St. James, Ascension, and Livingston civil parishes.
Our team at Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Baton Rouge is currently planning its outreach efforts to the faithful in our diocese and to also assist our nearby dioceses affected by Hurricane Francine.
Reopening and Continued Closures
The Catholic Life Center Campus will open during normal business hours (8:30AM until 4:30PM) on Friday, 13 September 2024.
The following is our list of schools reopening and those that will remain closed. Please check your local school's websites and social media pages for more information about each location:
Opening Friday, 13 September 2024
Catholic High School - Baton Rouge
Catholic Interparochial of Pointe Coupee - New Roads
Holy Family School - Port Allen
Host Ghost School - Hammond
Mater Dolorosa School - Independence
Most Blessed Sacrament School - Baton Rouge
Our Lady of Mercy School - Baton Rouge
Sacred Heart of Jesus School - Baton Rouge
St. Aloysius School - Baton Rouge
St. Alphonsus Liguori School - Greenwell Springs
St. Francis Xavier School - Baton Rouge
St. George School - Baton Rouge
St. Jean Vianney School - Baton Rouge
St. John Primary School - Prairieville
St. John the Evangelist School - Plaquemine
St. Joseph School - Ponchatoula
St. Joseph's Academy - Baton Rouge
St. Jude the Apostle School - Baton Rouge
St. Michael the Archangel Diocesan Regional High School - Baton Rouge
St. Theresa Middle School - Gonzales
St. Thomas Aquinas Diocesan Regional High School - Hammond
REACH Program - Baton Rouge
Remains Closed through Friday
Ascension Catholic Diocesan Regional School - Donaldsonville
Redemptorist/St. Gerard School - Baton Rouge
St. Elizabeth School - Paincourtville
St. Peter Chanel Interparochial School - Paulina
St. Thomas More School - Baton Rouge
Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hasten to help us!
Thursday, 12 September 2024, 9:30AM UpdateLeadership at the Diocese of Baton Rouge has been monitoring the aftermath of the storm throughout our communities that have been impacted by Hurricane Francine.
There are extensive power outages stretching from the South Deanery through the East Central Deanery and the Northeast Deanery. Some 400,000 households in Southeast Louisiana have lost power. As of 930PM last evening, the following rates of power loss are indicated throughout the diocese:
Assumption – 80% of customers
Ascension – 52% of customers
St. James – 47% of customers
Iberville – 34% of customers
Livingston – 22% of customers
Tangipahoa – 13% of customers
East Baton Rouge – 8% of customers
St. Helena – 5% of customers
West Baton Rouge – 5% of customers
East Feliciana – 4% of customers
West Feliciana – 1% of customers
Pointe Coupee – 1% of customers
Flooding has taken place in some extremities of our Diocese but is especially affecting the Archdiocese of New Orleans; surge has caused problems with our neighbors in Houma-Thibodaux along with tree loss and some infrastructure damage; 92% of Lafourche Parish is without power. Several interstates and major arteries throughout southeast Louisiana are closed due to high water or fallen trees and/or power lines.Information about openings and recovery efforts will be posted on our website. Thank you for your leadership and witness!
Wednesday 11 September 2024, 4:00PM UpdatePreparing for Francine's Landfall
Francine continues to develop in the Gulf of Mexico. Storm surge, hurricane, and tropical storm watches and warnings are in effect throughout southeast Louisiana, and there will inevitably be impacts throughout the Diocese of Baton Rouge.
What follows is important information regarding parish and school closures and our response to the impacts from Francine:
Due to the impacts of Francine, The Catholic Life Center Campus will be closed on Wednesday, 11 September 2024 and Thursday, 12 September 2024. We expect to reopen on Friday, September 13, 2024. Further closures of the campus may be announced as the week progresses.
School Closures
The following schools will be closed and/or will dismiss early; please check your local school's websites and social media pages for more information about each location:
Ascension Parish Schools - Ascension Catholic Diocesan Regional School; St. John Primary, Prairieville; St. Theresa of Avila, Gonzales (Wednesday, 11 September through Thursday, 12 September)
Assumption Parish Schools - St. Elizabeth School, Paincourtville (Tuesday, 10 September through Thursday, 12 September)
Catholic High School, Baton Rouge - (Wednesday, 11 September through Thursday, 12 September)
Central Schools - St. Alphonsus Liguori School, Greenwell Springs (Wednesday, 11 September through Thursday, 12 September)
East Baton Rouge Parish Schools - Most Blessed Sacrament; Our Lady of Mercy; Redemptorist-St. Gerard; REACH Program; Sacred Heart of Jesus; St. Aloysius; St. Francis Xavier; St. George; St. Jean Vianney; St. Jude the Apostle; St. Michael the Archangel Diocesan Regional School; St. Thomas More - (Wednesday, 11 September through Thursday, 12 September)
St. Joseph's Academy, Baton Rouge - (Wednesday, 11 September through Thursday, 12 September)
Iberville Parish Schools - St. John the Evangelist School, Plaquemine (Early dismissal Tuesday, 10 September; Closed through 12 September)
Pointe Coupee Parish Schools - Catholic Interparochial of Pointe Coupee, New Roads (Wednesday, 11 September through Thursday, 12 September)
St. James Parish Schools - St. Peter Chanel Interparochial School, Paulina (Wednesday, 11 September through Thursday, 12 September)Tangipahoa Parish Schools - Holy Ghost, Hammond; Mater Dolorosa, Independence, St. Joseph, Ponchatoula; St. Thomas Aquinas Diocesan Regional School, Hammond - (Wednesday, 11 September; Thursday, 12 September - TBD; Mater Dolorosa closed both Wednesday and Thursday)
West Baton Rouge Parish Schools - Holy Family, Port Allen (Wednesday, 11 September through Thursday, 12 September)
Catholic Charities Prepares for Our Response to Hurricane Francine
The Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Baton Rouge (CCDBR) office will be closed on Wednesday, September 11, 2024, prioritizing the safety of staff and clients.
However, our commitment to serving our community during this critical time remains unwavering.
“As the leading disaster recovery agency in our area, CCDBR remains committed to serving the communities, particularly the most vulnerable, during times of crisis,” stated Stephanie Sterling, CCDBR executive director. “Similar to our response with Hurricane Ida, we'll be there to provide immediate relief and long-term recovery support after the storm passes. Often times, the elderly, poor and disabled are disproportionately affected with disasters, and we work to ensure those vulnerable populations are cared for.”
CCDBR is prepared to:- Deploy Rapid Response Teams as soon as conditions allow to assess damage and provide immediate relief.
- Work closely with local and state government agencies, as well as other disaster response teams, to combine resources and maximize support for Louisiana residents.
- Set up points of distribution in the heaviest hit areas to provide essential items to those in need.
- Actively update our website and social media channels with the latest developments and how you can help. Please keep an eye out for these updates.
- To volunteer, please click here or complete the Disaster Volunteer Form found on CatholicCharitiesBR.org.
- To make a monetary gift to help provide hope to Hurricane Francine survivors, click here or visit CatholicCharitiesBR.org.
