Our brothers and sisters in Florida have battened down the hatches in the wake of Hurricane Milton.
The category-four storm made landfall yesterday evening and follows Hurricane Helene, which left a $38 billion trail of destruction through the southeast up to North Carolina and claimed 227 lives, making it the deadliest mainland U.S. hurricane since Katrina in 2005.
Since Hurricane Helene’s destruction, Catholic Charities has been hard at work in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee. The dedicated efforts have only intensified in the Diocese of St. Petersburg, which will be the hardest hit by Hurricane Milton.
Catholic Charities Diocese of St. Petersburg has partnered with other Catholic Charities organizations across the country to mobilize services in response to Hurricane Helene, offering supplies, wellness checks and medical attention to communities in need.
In the wake of Hurricane Milton’s approach, however, distribution centers have begun closing in order to keep clients, staff and the community safe. They are slated to remain closed until after the storm passes, but the need will only be greater at that point.
“In response to the devastation that impacts our brothers and sisters in Christ through natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes and tsunamis, the Diocese of St. Petersburg has established a Disaster Relief Fund,” Catholic Charities Diocese of St. Petersburg says on their relief fund webpage. “Through this fund, generous donors are invited to offer assistance by making a gift that will benefit those working to assist those who have found themselves in desperate need due to unforeseen, and often tragic, circumstances.”
For those of us across the country and safe from the storm, the Disaster Relief Fund of Catholic Charities Diocese of St. Petersburg is the direct means to offer financial, practical support to our brothers and sisters in Hurricane Milton’s path.
The Gospel reminds us time and time again that we are indeed our brothers and sisters’ keepers, and calls us to love our neighbor, especially amid great suffering and devastation. Whether that Gospel call is fulfilled through our prayers, fasting and intercession or our financial, physical, direct support of affected communities, the fact of our call remains.
The Archdiocese of Denver unites ourselves to our brothers and sisters across the southeastern United States in prayer, interceding that the Lord may calm the storm as he once did in the Scriptures, that he might preserve life and property, and that he might bring about greater community among his children–in the wake of disaster and every day.
To support Catholic Charities Diocese of St. Petersburg’s Disaster Relief Fund, visit their website.
For a powerful prayer in the midst of a storm, consider praying these prayers from Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers or the Divine Mercy Chaplet. Read more about the connection between the powerful prayer of mercy and serious storms in ChurchPop’s recent article.
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