“From the Archives” Hurricane Katrina Missions
After Hurricane Katrina devastated Louisiana and Mississippi in September 2005, Catholic churches across the nation immediately began collecting relief funds. Saint Mary’s collection in October raised $42,000 for direct relief and $60,000 for Catholic Charities’ Katrina aid programs. In addition, Saint Mary School collected more than $10,000 at its First Friday Mass in September.
Most of Saint Mary’s direct relief funding went to Saint Paul Church and school in Pass Christian, Mississippi. An old church and landmark on the gulf shore, Saint Paul was heavily damaged. The pastor, Father Paul Carver, asked Saint Mary parishioners to send letters and cards to his flock, along with prayers, to cheer them up and offer moral support. Saint Mary also sent an additional $19,000 to Saint Paul.
Saint Mary’s support went much further than the substantial monetary contributions. In July 2006, two parishioners, Carl Santillo and Al Conte, spoke at all the Masses about their experience helping rebuild houses in Biloxi with a Lutheran-organized volunteer team. They were working closely with a Catholic parish in Biloxi and suggested Saint Mary mount a parish mission to help rebuild or repair houses in that community. Frs. Dennis Kleinmann, Saint Mary’s pastor, and Daniel Hanley, parochial vicar, enthusiastically agreed to accompany parish volunteers on the planned mission. The response was overwhelming as 29 volunteers travelled to Mississippi for the work. They spent three weeks rebuilding the house of a Buddhist, Vietnamese family with three small children—a very ecumenical work of mercy.
Saint Mary’s was the first Catholic parish group to travel to Biloxi to help in the rebuilding, and the largest contingent of volunteers from one single church. Saint Mary volunteers made four more trips to Mississippi in January and July 2007, and April and September 2008. Parishioners generously contributed $25,000 before each rebuilding mission.
These trips illustrate the generosity and compassion of Saint Mary parishioners. Those who made the trip to do the hands-on work, and those who made financial contributions to make the work possible, were true “ambassadors for Christ,” as Saint Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:20.
– Kitty Guy, Parish Historian
Throughout 2020, the Basilica of Saint Mary will present “From the Archives.” It is a weekly feature online and in our bulletin spotlighting the history of the parish. All of our “From the Archives” features are located here.