‘Thank God for sending angels’
Members of St. Margaret Mary Church in Swannanoa take a moment to celebrate their ongoing recovery outside their church that has been a source of spiritual and material help since Tropical Storm Helene. (Troy C. Hull | Catholic News Herald)
- PARISH UNITY: After the storm, Swannanoa parish brings ‘esperanza.’ Members of St. Margaret Mary Church in Swannanoa celebrate their ongoing recovery outside their church that has been a source of spiritual and material help since Tropical Storm Helene. (Read more)
- MAKING AN IMPACT: Catholic Charities remains on point for the Diocese of Charlotte’s Helene relief efforts in Western North Carolina – its largest-ever humanitarian effort, with boots on the ground and money flowing in to help rebuild lives. (Read more)
- REBUILT HOMES: In October, Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte stepped in and began the work of bringing Alan Campos Mobile Home Park back to life. Two days after the six-month anniversary of Helene, the bulk of the work was completed and more than 200 people gathered to celebrate. (Read more)
- SISTER PARISHES: Six months after it was launched by Bishop Michael Martin, the Diocese of Charlotte’s Sister Parish Program is seeing results. More than 30 “sister” parishes raised money last winter to provide support to 20 churches in the western half of the diocese that were hit worst by Tropical Storm Helene. (Read more)
-
STORM STORIES: Stories of how Western North Carolina begins to recover. (Read more)
WESTERN N.C. — Six months after Tropical Storm Helene swept through Western North Carolina, people still weep as they recall what happened Sept. 27, 2024.
They tell harrowing stories of how wind and water took the lives of 107 of their loved ones.
How their homes and livelihoods were washed away by record rainfall that transformed scenic streams into raging rivers, sweeping away cars, mobile homes, whole houses and people – including Marisol Mireles, a wife and mother who lived to tell about her heroic rescue and her prayer to God.
They recount how it felt being cut off – without power, water or communication – and scrambling to survive.
They will also tell you about “little angels.”
That’s what Maria Elena Figueroa Luna calls all the people who have come to help.
Through donations and acts of kindness, she says, little angels arrived from everywhere.
At first, they brought food and water and basic supplies, which for Maria also meant diapers for her infant son. Then they helped sort through the ruins of her family’s auto repair shop on the banks of the Swannanoa River. Out of work, Maria got a call from Catholic Charities, offering her a job helping others like herself as the community shifts from survival toward recovery.
After a disaster, experts say recovery follows a pattern: ensuring safety, assessing damage, restoring services, cleanup and rebuilding.
Survivors say recovery is rooted in faith – faith in God, in community, in the goodness of people.
“At times like this you see the good and the bad in people, but for everything that was negative, we’ve had twice as many blessings,” says Claudia Graham, office manager at St. Margaret
Mary Church in Swannanoa, which has served as a critical relief center since the storm.
Still, says Antonio Garcia, “the need is so vast.” A Hispanic ministry coordinator for the Diocese of Charlotte, Antonio has guided Catholic Charities’ housing work in the area alongside many volunteers and groups.
“The people who have received assistance are doing well. They are moving back into their homes, and they are beginning to heal,” he says. “But there are a lot of people still suffering …waiting for relief to come to them.”
Faith, he says, has helped move people to act – and to be grateful: “People say to you, ‘Thank God. Thank God for sending angels to our communities.’”
— Story by Liz Chandler and Christina Lee Knauss
Help in the aftermath of Helene
Emergency supplies arrived from dioceses, churches, Catholic schools, religious orders, Knights of Columbus councils, small businesses, and individuals across over two dozen states.
Volunteer drivers trucked 67 deliveries of 480,000 pounds from the Diocesan Pastoral Center alone, including bottled water and nonperishable food
Parishes also received: generators, chain saws, mobile showers and laundry units and cleaning supplies
Over the past 6 months
Ongoing support has laid the foundation for lasting recovery in Western North Carolina:
- 53 homes rebuilt
- 50 more committed to be rebuilt
- Holiday assistance
- River Arts District restoration
- Rent and utility support
- $328,089 distributed through Sister Parish program
Where do we go now?
Over the next 22 months, Catholic Charities will:
- rebuild 150 homes
- provide mental health services
- offer employment assistance
- continue direct case management
CHAPEL HILL — Every Wednesday night, over 100 college students gather at the Newman Catholic Student Center at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill for “Carolina Catholic Night” – a midweek opportunity to grow in faith and friendships, with an opening activity, a student speaker, live music, and a student-cooked meal.
In January, students were delighted to be joined by Bishop Michael Martin as a guest speaker and they designed an activity with him in mind: a Charlotte Trivia contest.
The final question pitted Bishop Martin against his confrere and former housemate, Friar Tim Kulbicki, OFM Conv., pastor and director of campus ministry at the Newman Center. Bishop Martin shared that he had known Friar Tim since high school. Perhaps that explains the bishop’s overjoyed reaction when he won the round.
Bishop Martin read from the fifth chapter of Luke’s Gospel, when Jesus tells Peter: “duc in altum” (“put out into deep water”) and lower his nets. So many fish filled the nets that Peter and Andrew called their friends to help. “I think for many of us in our lives of faith, we are so afraid of what might be in those deep waters,” Bishop Martin said. “But Jesus says to you and to me in multiple ways throughout our lives: ‘duc in altum’ – ‘go deeper.’ Go deeper.”
“It meant a lot to see Bishop Mike take time out of his busy schedule and spend some time with us students,” said Patrick Jones, a junior from St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Jefferson. It was nice, he said, to “have that reminder to live our faith boldly in the middle of a busy semester.”
— Photos provided by Joseph Pham
