Partners in New Hope

By Bishop Paul S. Loverde
Special to the Herald
(From the issue of 10/20/05)

Just over six weeks ago, we witnessed Hurricane Katrina’s devastation along the Gulf Coast. Together we prayed, and together we began to reach out in concrete ways. As a diocese, we committed to be with these sisters and brothers in all that lies ahead —today, tomorrow and in the months and years ahead.

I am pleased to say that our diocese’s efforts to reach out — in a multifaceted, parish-based way which we have called "Partners in New Hope" — are impacting lives for the better.

First of all, while we are awaiting the final total for our second collection taken on or before the weekend of Sept. 17-18, thus far our diocese has already broken a record in generosity. With 57 of the 67 parishes reporting, over $1.9 million has been donated, surpassing the $1.8 million raised in the second collection we took earlier this year for tsunami relief. Our entire collection will be sent to assist the relief efforts of Catholic Charities USA in the Gulf Region.

Within weeks of Katrina, our diocese designated a staff person to facilitate the wellspring of generosity from our parishioners. To date, our diocese has assisted 68 displaced families (over 200 individuals) with material necessities and a wide range of services, including counseling and referrals to other agencies. Of these, 31 families (110 individuals) have been adopted by parishes which are helping evacuees with a comprehensive range of services, including housing, employment, material needs and orientation.

Our Catholic schools also became havens for displaced students. To date, at least 41 students displaced by Katrina are enrolled in our schools. Our schools also reached out to assist financially through a host of creative fundraisers — from in-class collections to bake sales, from the NCEA’s "Child to Child" fund to car washes — that brought in tens of thousands of dollars.

Christ is with us, even in the dark. Hurricane Katrina has invited all of us to a deepened trust and faith, to surrender to the Lord, to that conviction that He is by our side; it invites us, this tragedy, to turn ever more toward the Lord in prayer, that we might be transformed. It invites us, this tragedy, to faith. But faith without good works is dead, and therefore we are also invited simultaneously to Christian charity.

From the prayer we offer, from our time of being with the Lord in prayer, we must then go to serve. We must bring assistance. We must not stop. I invite you to see how you can be involved by going to www.arlingtondiocese.org. I am so heartened by the open doors and open hearts our diocese has offered to evacuees in our midst, and I pray that we will continue to offer assistance that is supportive and life-giving.

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