Torrential rains and devastating flash flooding have brought disaster to parts of central Texas, with over 100 people including children at Camp Mystic killed as the search for survivors continues.
I remember as though it were yesterday the catastrophic damage experienced by the people of New Jersey, especially along the Jersey Shore, as a result of Hurricane Sandy when it made landfall on Oct. 29, 2012, leaving over two million households, parishes, churches, schools, hospitals and nursing homes without power. Hurricane Sandy claimed the lives of 38 people in New Jersey and some sources cite even a higher number depending on how indirect fatalities were counted.
With the help of state police, first responders and government agencies, I visited some of our parishes along the Jersey Shore. During one of those visits, I recall celebrating Sunday Mass at St. Rose Church in Belmar with no electricity, joining parishioners in praying for needed relief for families and all those affected by the superstorm in New Jersey.
The Catholic Church in our Diocese responded with incredible generosity along with considerable support offered from dioceses across the United States. What a tremendous witness to the Gospel call to love our neighbors! Once again, the Gospel reminds us to reach out in love, charity and prayer to the victims of a natural disaster, this time in Texas.
At his Angelus message this past Sunday, July 6, our Holy Father Pope Leo XIV prayed for the victims and families of the recent devastating floods in Texas. Speaking in English, Pope Leo XIV expressed his heartfelt condolences “to all the families who have lost loved ones – in particular their daughters who were at summer camp – in the disaster caused by the flooding of the Guadalupe River in Texas in the United States. We pray for them.”
As always, Catholic Charities USA was quick to mobilize a response. Here in the Diocese of Trenton, we cannot forget how people – Catholics and otherwise – reached out to us in New Jersey in our time of devastation and need 13 years ago: dozens perished; 346,000 homes damaged or destroyed; entire neighborhoods flooded or swept away; billions in economic losses. Now is the time for us to respond in prayer and generosity to yet another national tragedy. The people of Texas need our help.
Please donate today to Catholics Charities USA (catholiccharitiesusa.org) – all funds will support local recovery. May God be with the people of Texas in their time of devastation and need.
Bishop O’Connell