Hurricane Katrina: poorest dioceses hit the hardest

Dioceses in Louisiana and Mississippi face unparalleled devastation from Hurricane Katrina, reports from bishops in several of the dioceses indicate. Up to the weekend, some bishops and many churches in Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama could not be reached by telephone or e-mail, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops said. "All the bishops of the United States are concerned for the number of church personnel who are isolated, working under great adversity, and perhaps not even aware that the whole rest of the country is praying for them" Bishop Skylstad, secretary of the USCCB. "We don't even know if all of them are safe." Bishops reporting to the USCCB indicated how much dioceses had been affected. The Dioceses of Shreveport and Baton Rouge, which are just far enough north to have been spared from the storm, are working to accommodate those displaced from the stricken areas, reported Bishop William Friend of Shreveport. Archbishop Alfred C Hughes of New Orleans, who had to evacuate to Baton Rouge, reported from a parish there. He said that, assisted by Louisiana State Police, he has been going to visit shelters in the Baton Rouge, area which has taken in 100,000 people from the New Orleans area. Bishop Thomas J Rodi of Biloxi, Mississippi, reached the USCCB by cell phone and said 20 percent of the diocese's churches and a third of its schools have been destroyed. Every rectory, school, convent and diocesan building sustained moderate to severe damage, he said. He was working from his office where there was no water or electricity. Bishop Terry Steib of Memphis was stranded in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, his office said. He was safe, but his car was destroyed. The USCCB is in constant contact with Catholic Charities USA, located in Alexandria, VA, which is working with Homeland Security and the local diocesan Catholic Charities organizations to move relief supplies and equipment into the areas which are accessible at this time. Bishop Skylstad praised the response of Catholics to this tragedy and encouraged them to continue their prayers and donations for the people in these dioceses. "Most of the dioceses are Home Mission dioceses, which struggle to survive under the best of conditions," he said. "They are the least able to cope with this adversity." Home Mission dioceses are those dioceses which can not operate solely on local donations and rely on the support of other dioceses to fund even basic pastoral life. Source: USCCB