Diocese responds to Hurricane Harvey

‘Need is overwhelming,

but the help is overwhelming’

The strongest hurricane to hit the South Texas Gulf coast in decades made landfall in Rockport on Friday, Aug. 25, at about 10 p.m. leaving in its wake death and destruction of epic proportions.  Hurricane Harvey’s strong winds, clocked at 130 mph, and gushing rain inflicted extensive damage on the communities north of Corpus Christi, including some 42 churches, parish halls, schools and rectories in the Diocese of Corpus Christi.

Virtually untouched, however, were statuary of the Saviour, the Blessed Mother and other saints. A tour of many churches and schools around the diocese found statues standing erect, both outside and inside.

The response to the tragedy was quick, with federal, state and local governments moving in to provide search and rescue operations, as well as to help with the clean up. The response from non-profit and church organizations was also swift, as were the initiatives of many individuals. Help was on its way immediately after the storm moved north, causing further damage.
 

Bishop Michael Mulvey meets with Fulton Mayor Jimmy Kendrick at the Fulton Volunteer Fire Department building next to City Hall. The bishop told the mayor that the Church would be present to the community for the long term. At left is Deacon Mark Arnold, appointed by the bishop as Disaster Relief Coordinator for the diocese. Father James Stembler, VG  for  South Texas Catholic

“The need is overwhelming, but the help is overwhelming,” Bishop Michael Mulvey told a gathering of pastors, parish administrators and deacons meeting to discuss a coordinated response to the storm’s impact.

As the center of the hurricane’s landfall was Rockport, not surprisingly it received the most damage in the Coastal Bend. Sacred Heart Church was spared major damage but the same could not be said of the parish school, rectory and offices. Sixty five percent of the school’s roof caved in under heavy rains and the roof at the church offices were completely blown away causing extensive water damage inside the structures, said Orlando Zepeda, Construction Manager for the diocese. These buildings may have to be replaced or undergo substantial reconstruction.

While repairs are underway, Sacred Heart School students who relocated to the Archdiocese of San Antonio, the Diocese of Austin or the Diocese of Dallas will be able to attend school in those dioceses at no or reduced cost until they are able to return to their school. Schools in the Diocese of Corpus Christi are offering Rockport students the same offer, according to school superintendent Rosemary Henry.

A couple of miles down the road, in Fulton, St. Peter Parish suffered even worse damage; in fact the church and residence are considered a total loss.
“Speechless. Absolutely speechless,” is how Bishop Mulvey described his reaction upon witnessing the devastation to St. Peter.

Amazingly, a statute of the Blessed Mother in front of the church appeared pristine. Inside, the devastation was severe but the Crucifix remained intact behind the altar and statutes of the Holy Family, tucked away in the Cry Room at the rear of the church were also intact.
 

Bishop Mulvey visits with Bradford Boehme (at left) and John Paul Woitena with the San Antonio Fire Department. The two men were deployed to Refugio County for two weeks as part of a saw team with the Alamo Area Wildland Strike Team. Hundreds of volunteers poured into the area to assist victims of Hurricane Harvey. Father James Stembler, VG for South Texas Catholic

Discussions are underway to determine what steps to take to care for the parishioners at St. Peter. In the meantime they held Mass outdoors, but have been asked to look to attend Mass at other parishes, which in the weeks following the disaster was difficult.

Sacred Heart, two miles away, was not celebrating Mass there and parishioners were asked to attend at St. Mary Star of the Sea in Aransas Pass. The chapel at Lamar did not appear to have experienced severe damage. The chapel and buildings at Schoenstatt were badly damaged.

Other of Rockport’s neighbors also saw serious loss of property.  In Port Aransas, on Mustang Island, St. Joseph Church suffered extensive water damage, as did the parish hall and rectory. Still, the parish held Mass two weeks later with Bishop Mulvey celebrating the vigil Mass on Saturday, Sept. 9. St. Mary Star of the Sea in Aransas Pass also suffered extensive wind and water damage. In nearby Ingleside, the story was much the same, with water damage to the church, hall and rectory.

As the storm moved inland, the damage was not as severe but it was still intense. In Bayside, on the western shore of Copano Bay, the church suffered water damage to its floor but the community experienced extensive damage.

Bishop Mulvey visited many communities in the wake of the storm, including Bayside and Fulton, two of the worst hit. He assured mayors in those cities that the Church was going to be there for the long term.

“They may not all be Catholic or belong to the local church, but they are all our people,” Bishop Mulvey told pastors and deacons.

The bishop said that the storm afforded the Church an “opportunity to rediscover ourselves as a diocese.” It was an opportunity to bring the Gospel and the mercy of God in a new way to people. It is an opportunity, he said, “to reach out to the periphery” as Pope Francis has called.

“Wherever the Church is not, that is the periphery,” the bishop said.
Roads from Bayside to its mother church in Woodsboro, St. Therese of the Little Flower, were closed to traffic. Power lines, fallen trees and debris peppered roads throughout the counties of Aransas and Refugio. While St. Therese fared well, its rectory faces demolition and will have to be rebuilt.

Parishes in Refugio—Our Lady of Refuge and St. James—suffered water and wind damage. St. James is not operational and parishioners are attending Mass at Our Lady of Refuge. St. Catherine Mission in Blanconia suffered a gaping hole in its roof causing water damage. A similar fate befell St. Anthony of Padua Mission in Austwell where the church’s cupola was ripped off by strong winds and water entered the church. At nearby Tivoli, at Our Lady of Guadalupe, the rectory suffered extensive water damage.

Throughout the horrific winds and rains, the local Catholic radio station KLUX remained on the air—the only local radio station that continued to provide hurricane related information from local authorities to the public. General Manager Marty Wind, Director of Broadcast Operations Russ Martin and Production Manager Richard Luna literally made the station their home for 48 hours.

The diocese’s insurance agent with Catholic Mutual quickly went out to visit parishes to assist pastors to assess the damages and to warn them of unscrupulous companies that will come in after a disaster. Bishop Mulvey designated Deacons Mark Arnold and Richard Longoria to head up a Diocesan Relief Team that includes Linda McKamie with Catholic Charities, Superintendent Henry with Catholic Schools, Stephanie Bonilla with Office for Safe Environment and Child & Family Resources, Deacon Michael Mantz of the Diaconate Office and Zepeda with Building Construction.

Bishop Mulvey said he established the relief committee to help pastors and the people. He asked pastors to take care of their parishes, but if they needed help or if they had no damages and wanted to help another parish, to coordinate through the committee by contacting Deacon Arnold.

“Our desire is to reach everyone, as many as possible,” the bishop said, explaining that the diocese was in a position to know the needs throughout the affected area and thus in a better position to coordinate the relief effort. “The view I have is everyone,” he said.

Manpower and supplies came in fast and in great quantities. The long-term recovery would take a longer more concerted effort, the bishop said. “It is massive destruction. It is going to take a long time to recover,” he said.

The long-term needs, such as rebuilding, would require a major infusion of funds. Here too, Bishop Mulvey anticipated, the help would be there. The diocese set up a link on its website where people could donate funds. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops called on all bishops in the country to hold a disaster relief collection to assist diocese affected by Hurricane Harvey.

“Our desire is to reach everyone, as many as possible,” Bishop Mulvey said. Not just church buildings or school buildings but the people that are suffering. Not only those who go to church, but even those who don’t go to church, or who don’t have a church.”