Victims of tornado-ravaged Kentucky to get help from Diocese as recovery continues

OWENSBORO, Ky.  During the evening hours of Dec. 10, violent tornadoes ripped through Western Kentucky leaving catastrophic damage to residential homes and businesses. In response, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney is asking the faithful in the Paterson Diocese to assist in the tornado recovery by aiding the Owensboro Diocese in Kentucky as they face a long road ahead to rebuild their communities.

Donations given by those in the Paterson Diocese will be sent to Catholic Charities, Diocese of Owensboro, to help with the long-term recovery. Catholic Charities, serving in that area, expects the overall recovery to take two to four years. Currently, FEMA registrations are at 14,800 and will close on Feb. 11. Catholic Charities is assembling and coordinating with Long Term Recovery Organizations (LTRO) in each of the affected 12 counties. The Diocese of Owens­boro serves 78 parishes in Western Kentucky and was founded on the same day as the Diocese of Pater­son — Dec. 9, 1937.

“We are partnering with a number of other organizations through voluntary organizations, FEMA, St. Vincent De Paul network, and others,” said Susan Montalvo-Gesser, director of Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Owensboro. “We hope to receive a list of FEMA registrants, along with a list of registrants through the American Red Cross. We also will gather any lists that our parishes have, as many may not have reached out to FEMA or the Red Cross due to their immigration status.”

According to Montalvo-Gesser, Catholic Charities case managers and other volunteers with the LTRO for each county will call and assess needs. Catholic Charities will have a volunteer coordinator and a case manager who will work with volunteer teams to repair or rebuild homes. The first repairs will be the smaller ones that would allow people to get back into their homes. Case managers will assist families to get into therapy and/or receive food and employment assistance.

“As already mentioned, we anticipate this to be a two- to four-year recovery effort with the goal of repairing/rebuilding 350 homes. Money will be needed for lumber, materials, lodging for volunteer crews, counseling for survivors, and other needs,” said Montalvo-Gesser.

Father Carl McCarthy, pastor of Christ the King in Madisonville, Ky., told The Beacon, “While physically our church has not been affected, emotionally we have been affected. We’ve had parishioners who lost their homes. One of our teachers at our parish school lost her home. With so many being affected in these last six weeks, there has been an outpouring of support and I thank everyone who has reached out to us.”

Even with so many homes lost, the Kentucky spirit is on full display in the Bluegrass State, according to Father McCarthy. He said, “We’re Kentuckians. We’re full of heart and character. We make up many small town communities and we have a great sense of family and pride. We have a great connection with our neighbors and friends and this gives us the drive and hope to rebuild.”

For many pastors, this disaster is the largest ever in the Diocese of Owensboro and the community has truly come together. Father Ryan Harpole, pastor of St. Joseph Church in Bowling Green, said, “It doesn’t matter what you believe, what side you fall on politically, people were here to help. The response has been overwhelming. So many who are coming to help don’t know who I am or who my parishioners are but they want to help us. It’s truly that generosity that God has called us to give to each other.”

The idea for the Diocese to assist the Owensboro Diocese came from Karen Kemmerer, a parishioner of Corpus Christi in Chatham Township. “Hearing it on the news and seeing the images of the devastation and thinking this was happening before Christmas, it was important to me to reach out,” she told The Beacon.

Immediately after the tornadoes during the days before Christmas, Catholic Charities in Owensboro was still handling assistance at distribution sites such as food and clothing to take care of immediate needs.

Scott Milliken, CEO of Catholic Chari­ties, Paterson Diocese, said, “Collectively, Catholic Charities agencies across the U.S. comprise the largest social service network in the country. As members of Catholic Charities USA guided by Sister Donna Markham, here in the Diocese of Paterson we are honored and proud to be a part of that network. Being the recipient of assistance from other agencies during disasters over the years with 9/11, Hurricane Sandy, or food insecurity, it is a privilege to be able to assist others across our nation in their time of need and I thank Bishop Sweeney and all here who assist in this effort to our brothers and sisters in Owensboro.”

To assist financially in the relief efforts, the faithful of the Paterson Diocese can send a gift in one of two ways: online directly to the Diocese of Owensboro at https://owensborodiocese.org/give/ Donations can be restricted for this need by designating it specifically to “Tornado Relief-Catholic Charities,” or mail a check, payable to the Diocese of Paterson with “Tornado Relief Fund” in the memo line, to: Diocese of Paterson, Tornado Relief Fund 777 Valley Rd., Clifton, N.J. 07013. These individual checks will be deposited and one check totaling all donations will be forwarded to the Diocese of Owensboro for Tornado Relief.

Bishop Sweeney said, “I find, more and more, that the phrase, ‘God works in mysterious ways’ is so true. As I have been privileged to witness the great generosity of the people of our Diocese, reflecting on my conversation with Karen Kemmerer a few weeks ago, I was so happy to hear that her contact with Tim Potter (diocesan chief development officer) and Catholic Chari­ties of our Diocese is leading to an opportunity for us to help our sisters and brothers in the Diocese of Owensboro. When I learned that our two Dioceses were founded on the same day, 85 years ago, I once again marveled at the working of God’s Providence — how God can and does ‘work in mysterious ways.’ ”

To donate: https://owensborodiocese.org/give/ or mail check to: Diocese of Paterson, Tornado Relief Fund, 777 Valley Road, Clifton, N.J. 07013. Memo line: Tornado Relief Fund.