Catholic san Francisco Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper
Josephite Father Bartholomew Endslow displays a wooden cross he found amid the debris scattered across the parking lot of Mother of Mercy Parish in Pass Christian, Miss., Sept. 9. National Guardsmen from Indiana assisted the priest in recovering items from the church and rectory which were severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina.
Catholic Charities USA brings relief to the streets in Biloxi, Miss. By Carol Zimmermann
(CNS PHOTO BY ED FOSTER JR.)
BILOXI, Miss. (CNS) — More than anything else, people wanted bleach. That’s what the Catholic Charities USA disaster relief team found as it drove its caravan of vehicles through Biloxi and the surrounding area hard-hit by Hurricane Katrina. Victims of the hurricane were happy to get food and water, but above all they wanted bleach and other cleaning supplies such as mops and paper towels to begin the long, arduous process of cleaning up. One woman literally broke down in tears when she was handed a bottle of bleach. Others simply glanced at other giveaway items in the back of the pickup truck, not interested in bread, power bars, fruit and water, just hoping for a big bottle of Clorox. Catholic Charities USA set up a disaster relief center Sept. 8 in the parish hall at St. Mary’s Church in Woolmarket, just outside Biloxi, to provide immediate relief to the thousands of people with damaged homes. The parish center was also a base of operations for World Outreach Ministries International, a nonCATHOLIC CHARITIES, page 3 denominational aid group.
Vatican delegation tours devastated regions of Gulf Coast By Carol Zimmermann BILOXI, Miss. — Archbishop Paul Cordes, the Vatican’s top humanitarian aid official, urged Biloxi Catholics Sept. 12 not to lose hope in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and assured them that with God’s help they would “be able to overcome” the struggles they faced from the devastation. The archbishop, who is president of the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum,” which coordinates charity efforts, was sent to the Gulf Coast region by Pope Benedict XVI as part of a delegation visiting the hurricane-devastated areas of the United States.
He was accompanied by Washington Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick and Father Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA, for a threeday visit that included visiting evacuees in Baton Rouge, La., going on a helicopter tour of New Orleans and driving through hard-hit areas in Biloxi. Archbishop Cordes said his visit was “a sign from the pope that he’d like to be close to you and show his compassion.” Area bishops who joined the delegation included Baton Rouge Bishop Robert W. Muench, Archbishop Alfred C. Hughes and Auxiliary
Bishop Roger P. Morin of New Orleans, and retired New Orleans Archbishop Philip M. Hannan. Bishops John H. Ricard of PensacolaTallahassee, Fla., and Thomas J. Rodi of Biloxi met the delegation in Biloxi, and Archbishop Oscar H. Lipscomb of Mobile, Ala., met them in Baton Rouge. The delegation met in Baton Rouge Sept. 10 and toured New Orleans by helicopter. The next day, after Mass at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Baton Rouge, they visited local shelters and a hospital to speak with evacuees from New VATICAN DELEGATION, page 6
INSIDE THIS WEEK’S EDITION News-in-brief . . . . . . . . . . . 4 New I-Hotel opens . . . . . . . 5 USF enrolls Katrina refugees. 7 Editorial & columns . . 12-13 Evolution debate . . . . . . . . 15
Daughters of St. Paul leaving San Francisco ~ Page 8 ~ September 16, 2005
Interfaith delegation visits San Quentin ~ Pages 10-11 ~
‘The Exorcism of Emily Rose’ movie review ~ Pages 17-18 ~ SIXTY CENTS
Datebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Classified ads . . . . . . . . . . 19
www.catholic-sf.org VOLUME 7
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No. 27