Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde celebrated a Mass Sept. 16 for the victims of Hurricane Katrina at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington. The celebration was part of a larger national day of prayer called for by President Bush.

In attendance was the Tran family from New Orleans. The family of seven, led by The Tran and his wife, Loan Nguyen, spoke with Bishop Loverde after Mass. One of the daughters, Phuong Tran, a member of Christ the Redeemer Parish in Sterling, was working in the Northern Virginia area when the disaster hit. Her parents and remaining siblings came to stay with her in Sterling. Phuong hopes to find a bigger place to stay that can accommodate the large family.

Bishop Loverde remembered those who died and offered prayers for the survivors who are now faced with the daunting task of rebuilding. He chose the Gospel when Jesus fell asleep on the boat and the apostles grew afraid when the storm began.

"In the midst of the storm, they thought Christ had abandoned them," he said. "The point of the Gospel is that Christ is with us, even in the storms of life.

"Hurricane Katrina invites all of us to a deepened trust and faith, to a surrender to the Lord," the bishop said, adding that faith without works is dead. Not only is there a call to increase personal faith but a call to put that faith into action.

He praised members of the diocese who have welcomed displaced persons into their homes and schools and encouraged everyone to give generously.

"For the work of bringing new hope, for the work of creating something new out of what now is a tragedy … will go on," he said.

Diocesan parishes took up a second collection last weekend for hurricane relief. The results of that effort were not available as the HERALD went to press Sept. 20.