Bush Praises Catholic Hurricane Aid
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, AUG. 30, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Speaking on the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, President George Bush highlighted how Catholic Charities is helping rebuild the lives of hurricane victims who have returned home.
During an address given in New Orleans today, the president recounted the story of Samantha George and how Catholic Charities walked with her on the road to recovery.
George, a 28-year old mother of four, lost everything to Katrina’s flood, and as a last resort she approached Catholic Charities.
“She found help and love” in Catholic Charities, Bush said.
Over the past year, Catholic Charities has helped over one million people, and still continues its post-Katrina assistance.
At present its efforts are centered on long-term reconstruction of the affected areas.
Thousands of workers and volunteers of Catholic Charities have made available emergency aid, temporary shelter, employment services and financial help to evacuees, in addition to managing the official aid entrusted to it by the federal government, explained the organization on Monday in a communiqué.
The financial capacity of U.S. society made it unnecessary for Catholic Charities to appeal for help from the Caritas international network. Financial assistance to victims came from private funds and federal contributions.
Historical response
The Knights of Columbus have also contributed over $10 million and hundreds of thousands of hours of volunteer work to victims of the hurricanes which struck the Gulf Coast.
The Knights response “has been one of the most dramatic in our 124 year history,” said Supreme Knight Karl Anderson, in a communiqué to ZENIT.
The Knights of Columbus Gulf States Disaster Relief Fund was supplemented by thousands of volunteer hours of service by Knights in the immediate area and throughout the United States and Canada, who collected clothing, food and other staples for victims of the storm.
The Knights also provided badly needed resources to the Catholic Charities offices in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama, when they were overwhelmed with thousands of people who escaped the storm with little but the clothes they were wearing.
The Knights of Columbus also made significant contributions to the restoration of Catholic education in the affected areas, making it possible for 83 of the city’s Catholic schools to reopen.
One year after Katrina’s assault on the U.S. coast, Anderson said that “it is clear that much remains to be done. But it is also clear that the response to the crisis by faith-based volunteer organizations like the Knights of Columbus was a bright spot in the wrenching aftermath of this immense natural disaster.”
Dioceses in need
The U.S. bishops’ conference launched last weekend the “Help Rebuild Church, Rebuild Hope” donations drive to support hurricane relief efforts in the Archdiocese of New Orleans and Diocese of Biloxi.
The two dioceses are still in a state of need, according to a press statement of the conference of U.S. bishops.
The bishops said the collection will be used to rebuild churches, schools, and other essential parts of the parishes’ infrastructure.
Tags: Disasters