CV NEWS FEED // In response to the devastation caused by Tropical Storm Helene, the Diocese of Charlotte is encouraging parishes to form “sister” partnerships for at least six months to foster mutual support among local churches.
Bishop Michael Martin announced this initiative in an email to the Diocese’s 160 priests on October 10, emphasizing the importance of collaboration even among parishes that experienced only minor damage, according to an October 16 report from Catholic News Herald.
“While some of the immediate needs have been cared for,” Bishop Martin said, “our longer-term walking with the people affected … remains an important ministry of our local Church.”
The program invites partnered parishes to conduct second collections to “help offset lost operating revenue” for their sister parishes, and to hold monthly Holy Hours dedicated to prayer for those affected, according to the report. Parishes are also encouraged to regularly check in on one another to assess needs for pastoral support and volunteers.
According to the Catholic News Herald, Bishop Martin said the key is for the Diocese to band together to provide long-term material and spiritual support to the affected parishes and communities – accompanying them through the challenges of disaster recovery in the months to come.
Donations to support “long-term recovery and rebuilding efforts” in western North Carolina have come in from the UK, South Africa, Japan, Australia, Canada, and all 50 states. Alongside $500,000 awarded from Catholic Charities to the Diocese of Charlotte, funds raised to support survivors have now exceeded $3.8 million.
Catholic Charities has also partnered with local Catholic churches and schools to provide distribution centers for supplies such as medicine, diapers, food, and water to survivors of the storms. Most recently, the nonprofit organization’s Florida branch opened disaster relief distribution points in several counties of the Diocese of Miami.
According to Catholic News Herald, “Monetary donations are the fastest, most flexible and most effective way to support emergency relief efforts — local responders on the ground can use the funds to help people with immediate as well as long-term needs.”
Those willing to donate to support western North Carolina victims of the Hurricanes can do so securely here.