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CatholicVote is urging Americans to unite in national prayer and compassion after catastrophic floods in Texas killed over 100 people, including 27 girls and counselors at Camp Mystic, a Christian camp in Kerr County.
In a July 7 statement, CatholicVote President Kelsey Reinhardt expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy, which unfolded over the Fourth of July weekend when the Guadalupe River surged more than 26 feet in under an hour.
“CatholicVote joins all those mourning the tragic loss of life and the devastation caused by the recent floods in Texas,” Reinhardt said. “Our hearts are especially with the families and community of Camp Mystic, a beloved Christian summer camp for girls, where the waters claimed young lives and left others forever changed.”
“In moments like these, we are reminded of the fragility of life — and of the strength that flows from our common Christian faith, love, and solidarity,” she continued. “We extend our deepest condolences to all who are grieving, and we lift up in prayer the victims, their families, first responders, and all those affected by this disaster.”
Rescue teams are still searching for dozens of missing people across central Texas.
“As Catholics,” Reinhardt said, “we are united with all of our brothers and sisters in the shared sorrow and the shared hope that Our Lord Jesus Christ is bringing us together to pray without ceasing, to serve those in need, and to bear one another’s burdens with compassion and grace.”
“We ask every member of the CatholicVote community to pray for the repose of the souls lost, the healing of the injured, and the consolation of all who mourn,” she concluded. “In the face of tragedy, our witness as Christians is love — steadfast, self-giving, and unshaken. Let us live it boldly, together.”
Catholic leaders across the country echoed the call for prayer. During his July 6 Angelus address, Pope Leo XIV offered condolences, specifically mentioning “families who have lost loved ones, in particular their daughters, who were at the summer camp.”
Several Texas dioceses offered spiritual support to affected communities, and the Archdiocese of San Antonio held a special Mass for victims at a church in Kerrville, Texas.
Catholic Charities Archdiocese of San Antonio is also providing on-the-ground relief to displaced families and continues to accept financial donations. On July 4, the organization set up its Mobile Relief Unit at Notre Dame Church in Kerrville, offering evacuees food, water, clothing, and other supplies.
Financial donations can be made at the Catholic Charities Archdiocese of San Antonio website. Catholic Charities USA is also accepting donations, which go to the organization’s local agencies that are helping on the ground. The Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country’s Kerr County Flood Relief Fund is accepting donations for its relief and rebuilding efforts.
