HURRICANE KATRINA AND THE VINCENTIAN FAMILY

REPORTS FROM THE VINCENTIAN FAMILY...

Daughters of Charity Reports

Initial Report for Daughters of Charity West Central Province

Posted on famvin.org on Wednesday, August 31, 2005 @ 13:19:49 EDT by jbf

All of our Sisters left New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast and are safe. Property damage remains to be determined.

Sr. Marie Therese, Visitatrix, and the 4 Provincial Councillors, along with Sr. Teresa Daly, drove three vehicles to Louisiana on Tuesday to assess the situation and assist in relocating the Sisters to Community houses in other areas of the province.

Ladies of Charity Reports

Ladies of Charity Report from Mary Beth O'Brien (President LCUSA)

Posted on Saturday, September 03, 2005 @ 19:56:53 EDT by jbf

Mary Beth O'Brien writes...I have tried to reach the New Orleans President, Andrina Kappesser and cannot get through. Father Harold Dicharry, CM and Sr. Marion Brett, DC work with the New Orleans Ladies and I have not been able to reach them either. It must be horrific. Margaret Kelly from Memphis has a brother that is a priest in New Orleans and her mom is also from there. They are safe but they reported things are devestating.

She continues... We are grand -parents twice in three weeks.

Youngest daughter and son-in-law just had a little boy. She went into the hospital a week ago today and she was at risk. The Dr. could not hear the baby's heart beat and daughter had an infection. Dr's treated the infection for three days at the hospital and still the baby's heart beat was up and down, racing one minute and other times they could hardly hear it. Wednesday, the Dr. decided it would be safer to take the baby. Turns out the baby was wrapped twice in his cord and if she went full term the baby probably would not have done so well. He is a healthy baby boy named Frank.

Ladies of Charity Report from Nicky Mercado

Posted on Saturday, September 03, 2005 @ 10:06:04 EDT by jbf

This just in from Nicky Mercado reporting to the Ladies of Charity in Austin Texas

Dear Ladies of Charity of Austin,

Just to give you the good news. I have been trying to get information about our beloved Sister Blanche McDonell, also about the LOC-Mobile, Alabama, the LOC-New Orleans, Louisiana and to offer support. I have not heard anything from the Ladies, but I have good news about Sr. Blanche.

As we all know, Sr. Blanche moved to New Orleans when she retired and she lived on Canal St. until this week. I just watched some comments about the terrible conditions of Canal St. on TV.

I have been writing e-mails to different Daughters of Charity and I have made some calls until, I finally received news from Louise Ewers, a LOC who works with the Daughters in Evansville, Indiana. She learned this morning that all of the Sisters, the Daughters in New Orleans, are safe and that were moved out before the hurricane stroke, so they were all moved to inland location in other houses. She does not know exactly which house Sr. Blanche is in. The Council was going to drive down there, either today or tomorrow...some time this weekend, to see what the conditions of the missions are and if they can even go back before they send the Sisters back. It may be a couple of weeks before we can get in touch with Sr. Blanche. The most important thing is that all the Sisters are safe.

Please pray for them as well as for the rest of the victims of this terrible disaster.

In St. Vincent's spirit, Nicky

Other Reports

Preliminary Listing of Vincentian Family Institutions in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi

Posted on Wednesday, August 31, 2005 @ 08:40:50 EDT by jbf

Preliminary research indicates that there are more than 35 insititutions, residences, etc. of the Vincentian Family in Alabama (11), Louisiana (24) and Mississippi (2).

The following branches are affected...

Ladies of Charity - 7 Councils

St. Vincent de Paul Society - 11 Councils

Daughters of Charity - 11 Insititutions, Residences

Congregation of the Mission - 4 Parishes, Residences

This research is based on the first draft of a Vincentian Family database of our institutions with the approval of the national leaders of the various branches and data they have supplied.

Google Mapping of Vincentian Family in New Orleans

Posted on Wednesday, August 31, 2005 @ 09:30:43 EDT by jbf

Links to Google maps locating Vincentian Family Insitutions.

Daughters of Charity

CM

St. Joseph's

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=70112+%221025+Napoleon+Ave.%22&spn=.284266,.489887&num=2&start=0&hl=en St. Stephan]

St. Vincent de Paul Society

VINCENTIAN FAMILY MEMBERS UNACCOUNTED FOR...

Congregation of the Mission Unaccounted For

We still await word from Fr. Bob Lamy, but presume he is well as he traveled north before the storm hit. The Southern Province appreciates all the prayers and asks that you continue to pray for all the victims and survivors of this disaster. -

VINCENTIAN RELIEF INITIATIVES...

Congregation of the Mission Relief Initiatives

Southern Province of the Vincentians Establishes Relief Fund Posted on Thursday, September 01, 2005 @ 10:59:07 EDT by jbf

Fr. Dan Borlick CM announced that his Province is setting up an emergency relief fund that Perry Henry and George Weber will be distributing from Holy Trinity Pastoral Center in Dallas as needs become more specific.

Donations can be sent to:

Congregation of the Mission

NOLA Relief Fund / Fr. Perry Henry, C.M.

3826 Gilbert Ave.

Dallas, TX 75219

SJU Offering Free Enrollment to Students Affected by Katrina

Posted on Saturday, September 03, 2005 @ 14:46:04 EDT by jbf

Extending its prayers to all residents of states devastated by Hurricane Katrina, St. John’s University has launched an effort to assist those students the Hurricane has displaced from Gulf Coast colleges and universities.

The University invites New York students who are currently enrolled at the affected Gulf-area institutions to attend classes at St. John’s during this interim period at no expense. St. John’s will strive to accommodate as many students as possible as long as space permits.

For more information about this relief effort, please contact Matthew Whelan, Director of Admission, at (718) 990-2028.

St. Vincent de Paul Relief Initiatives

SVDP Appeal for Victims of Katrina

Posted on Tuesday, August 30, 2005 @ 22:03:41 EDT by jbf

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul National Council has issued an urgent call for disaster funds to immediately send to the Society's offices in Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana, for direct aid to the victims of the on-going disaster affecting millions of Americans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Contributions may be sent to: The National Council, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, 58 Progress Pkwy., St. Louis, MO 63043-3706; or, for credit card online, donate via the "Tribute" function.

Listing of all Councils of the SVDP Southeastern Region