Despite adversity, parishes remain hopeful

Parochial Administrator, Father Patrick Higgins, points to where water leaks when it rains at Our Lady of Assumption Church. He said the roof was damaged from Hurricane Harvey and can’t be tarped due to the roofs flat structure. The roof will be replaced.

Corinna Longoria for South Texas Catholic
 

Devastation. Destruction. People are struggling on their own to rebuild their lives. It has become the standard for victims of Hurricane Harvey, even as we approach its one-year anniversary. 

“A lot of parishioners are struggling on their own to build and rebuild and they have no place to stay,” Gloria Scott said. “People think that we’re okay but if you look deep into the community, we aren’t. It’s just become normal.”

As the secretary and director of religious education at Sacred Heart Church in Rockport, Scott encounters many sad stories from people who are still seeking help.

“Everyday people come to the church office seeking assistance with food, shelter, utility bills and just everything you can think of,” Scott added. “Almost a year out and so many people are still doing without. I have friends who had their homes completely leveled and still haven’t been able to rebuild.”

Blue tarps abound Sacred Heart Parish, covering roofs that were ripped away during the storm. Corinna Longoria for South Texas Catholic

The parishioners of Sacred Heart were fortunate in that their church building was relatively undamaged. However, the rectory, school, office, parish hall, adult faith formation and youth activity buildings were all damaged. Blue tarps abound the church complex, covering roofs that were ripped away during the storm. Despite the damage, Sacred Heart only missed two Sundays after the storm. 

Further down the road, at St. Peter’s in Fulton, the parishioners still have not been able to return to their church. To this date, they are celebrating Mass at the Dysarz gymnastics facility nearby. The church is now fenced off to prohibit trespassers, its metal roof resembling a can that has been peeled back by a can opener. Nearly a dozen churches in the Coastal Bend were damaged by Hurricane Harvey. A year later it is still a waiting game to get their facilities restored or repaired.

Nearby in Ingleside at Our Lady of the Assumption, Rev. Patrick Higgins said he dreads rainy weather, because of the existing damage to his church. 

“Shingles were blown off the roof in large sections and the skyline was blown away during the hurricane. Every time it rains we have a waterfall in the church,” Father Higgins said. “Water keeps damaging the carpet and creates a moldy smell in the church.”

St. Peter Church in Fulton will have to be rebuilt. Much of the debris has been removed and the area has been fenced off. Contributed photo

The Ingleside parish also sustained damage to the rest of the complex, including the education building, office, rectory, and parish hall. However, they are still operable, albeit with tarps and patches to keep the rain out and limit further deterioration. 

“We were fortunate in that we didn’t sustain enough damage to close down. I know that my parishioners are frustrated and feel upset that it hasn’t been repaired yet, but I remind them it is a slow process and we are blessed to be able to still have our church.

“We are also blessed to have the help of Littleton Group [Insurance] and the diocese to get us back to where we were before,” he added. 

Even though the churches may not be 100 percent operable, they still remain ready to serve their communities. Scott said Sacred Heart does what it can to help people.

“A woman came in the other day, and she is expecting a baby. She lives in a camper tent with her two small children. She has no electricity and no running water,” she said, sadly shaking her head. “We are not back to normal here. Tivoli, Refugio, there’s been so much damage.”

Rev. James Vasquez, pastor at St. Mary Star of the Sea in Aransas Pass said that while many of the buildings at his parish complex are inoperable, the church is still serving the community however it can.

“We still can’t use the parish hall or the food bank building, but today (July 9) we were able to have a one-time food distribution with the help of the Corpus Christi Food Bank,” he said. “We haven’t been able to do that on a monthly basis. We anticipate helping 80-100 people with this distribution.”

Rev. Vasquez said many people in Aransas Pass are still displaced and have incurred extra expenses looking for housing elsewhere which restricts the repairs they can make to their homes.

“They are trying to get their homes fixed, or find a home to go to,” he said. “Catholic Charities was out here recently helping people with building materials. We try to help people the best we can or connect them with organizations that are helping.”

While the Diocese of Corpus Christi works with FEMA to restore the churches, Coastal Bend parishioners bide their time as they look for their way of life to go back to the pre-Harvey days. Despite the adversity and damage, they have seen, church officials count on evidence of their faith to remain hopeful. At St. Peter’s the statue of the Blessed Mother and Jesus stands unblemished with her eyes towards the church. Likewise, in Rockport, the statues of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Blessed Mother sustained no damage from Harvey.

“This too shall pass and all things are possible with God,” said Scott. “We are banking on that still.”