My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
As another week has passed and we all share in the hard work of responding to the needs of our faithful in the wake of Hurricane Ida, I am reminded daily of a very simple yet vital attitude we must adopt and exhibit, and that is gratitude. My message to you today is mainly to reiterate those two simple words we all learned when we were a child, “thank you.”
For three plus weeks now we have shared how help might be given, and you have answered. We asked for monetary donations to support our relief efforts and suggested opportunities to adopt or partner with one of our 11 Catholic schools or 39 church parishes, especially those significantly damaged by the hurricane. Prayers, in-kind donations and financial gifts have been given to assist in meeting the ongoing needs of the thousands of our brothers and sisters whose lives have been dramatically impacted.
But, as my brother priest Father Simon Peter Engurait said, “While this might be the most significant event that has occurred in our lives, God is with us and God is bigger than Hurricane Ida.”
As our relief efforts began, we said we’d focus on a three-phased effort: Respond, Reopen and Recover. In the first phase, we utilized our diocesan disaster team in concert with Catholic Charities and a great many other partners to provide for the most basic needs of shelter, food and pastoral care. Now, as we begin to transition into the second phase, reopening involves an effort that continues all the phase one relief efforts, along with reopening schools and church parishes, as well as case management that will seek to assist our faithful with other needs.
Speaking of schools, words cannot adequately express my gratitude to our Diocesan Office of Catholic Schools, our students and their parents, as well as the hundreds of teachers, administrators and support personnel who have responded to the call to safely reopen our schools to in-classroom instruction. Right now, eight of our 11 schools are back in session providing a quality Catholic education to our students. We anticipate more of our schools hopefully being able to reopen in the coming days.
As cliché as it might sound, the phrase “it’s a marathon, not a sprint” really applies here. Our diocese and Catholic Charities are making this difficult journey with our people, and we are in this together for our long road to recovery ahead.
The destruction from Hurricane Ida is historic and devastating. But equal in response has been your generosity, the relief you’ve provided, and your prayerful support. You have been the mercy of God to those who suffer, and I express great gratitude for your generosity. I witness the powerful and restorative presence of hope each day. I know that Christ, who is our hope, makes this journey with us.
May God bless you and your families for your kindness shown to us.
(Reprinted with permission of The Bayou Catholic magazine, official publication of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux.)
Bishop Fabre is a New Roads native and the bishop of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux.