Touched by Tragedy

PATERSON  Shortly after midnight on March 31, a fire drove more than 20 tenants of a three-level home on Main Street in Paterson into the darkness of the night. Several members of these six families — three from Our Lady of Victories (OLV) Parish here — fled so quickly that they escaped into the street without shoes and wearing only pajamas.

Within hours, OLV began mobilizing a collection of needed items for these families displaced by the fire — from clothes and shoes and toiletries and housewares to gift cards. Almost as quickly, OLV put out the word and received help from other parishes of the Diocese for these families that lost everything — and the parish is now asking for assistance from the wider Church of Paterson.

“It was a miracle that no one was hurt in the fire. I was upset and cried about what happened. I have worked at OLV for 17 years. I know not only the 15 children from the parish’s religious education program, who were affected by the fire, but also some of their parents from when they were younger,” said Ivannia Vega-McTighe, director of OLV’s religious education and youth ministry programs. She initiated the collection of items and noted that Confirmation students and other volunteers organized the donations so that the families could “go shopping” at the church this past Saturday, followed by a lunch. In addition, she asked faithful in the Diocese “to lift all these families up in your prayers.”

OLV is asking parishes and faithful throughout the Diocese to donate items for these families, such as clothing, including shirts, pants, coats, underwear and shoes; furniture and other housewares; toiletries; and gift cards and monetary contributions. Also, the children need book bags and school supplies, said Vega-McTighe, who also serves as associate dean of evangelization at St. Paul Inside the Walls: the Diocesan Center for Evangelization at Bayley Ellard, Madison.

“Thank you! The help and support we get from these wonderful people is something I can’t explain,” said Kimberly Mejia, a teenager from one of the three OLV families that the fire affected. “Throughout this crisis, people from our parish — and people who I don’t even know — have been sending us clothes, shoes and food. That is something I won’t ever forget — the relief and support my family has received. Everyday I thank God for the blessings. He has sent us these wonderful, helpful and nice people,” she said.

OLV started to mobilize hours after firefighters responded to the apartment building, extinguishing the fire by 1:32 a.m. Officials are continuing to investigate the cause of the blaze, said Deputy Fire Chief Pablo Del Valle, in published news reports.

In the fire’s aftermath, members of the families from OLV accepted invitations to stay with other parishioners, while some members of the other families affected by the fire went to stay with relatives. Two of the children from OLV were teenagers, but most of them were under 10, including a 1-year-old, said Vega-McTighe, who noted that the building sustained fire damage on one side and water damage on the other.

Later that same day, Vega-McTighe got permission from Father Raimundo Rivera, OLV’s administrator, to conduct a drive for the displaced families. Confirmation catechist Elizabeth Vazquez-Crawford gave the families the number for the Red Cross, which gave them gift cards. She also asked families for their clothing sizes. Vega-McTighe typed up a list and the next morning, she distributed copies of the list to the parents, during religious education classes. By the afternoon, several parents —poor themselves — started to drop of donations at OLV. The catechists also got out the word by making announcements at Mass, while Vega-McTighe posted the request and list of items on social media, she said.

“The response has been amazing. The love that people have shown has been wonderful,” Vega-McTighe said.

Also, contributions have been rolling in from parishes around the Diocese, including St. Patrick, Chatham, which has established a “twinning” relationship with OLV; St. Agnes and the Cathedral of St. John, both in Paterson; St. Anthony of Padua, Passaic; St. Kateri Tekakwitha, Sparta; and Holy Spirit School, Pequannock, which Vega-McTighe’s daughters, Sarah and Hannah, attend. Colleagues at the work of her husband, John — the social work department at Ramapo College in Mahwah — also have contributed, McTighe said.

Touched by tragedy, Rosangela Tumminia of St. Anthony’s and her father delivered about 10 bags of clothes and shoes that her family donated to the displaced families. She said that she responded to a text with the list of items, sent by Lori DiGaetano, the Passaic parish’s youth ministry coordinator.

“My focus was on the kids who were displaced. I just bought a house. I was trying to imagine what it must be like for them to lose their house,” Tumminia said.

People can bring their donations to OLV or they can mail gift cards to the parish to Vega-McTighe’s attention at 100 Fair St., Paterson, N.J. 07501.

[Information: Our Lady of Victories Parish (973) 279-0487.]