NEW YORK CITY — In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy’s destructive passage across the East Coast, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York expressed his “solidarity in love and prayer with so many who are suffering.”
“What do you say? Our hearts are broken when you see the loss of life, the grieving families, the devastation, the ruination,” Cardinal Dolan told Fox News co-anchor Martha MacCallum Oct. 31.
“But throughout all of it, too, you begin to see a glimmer of light and hope: people coming together.”
He said that people can become “selfish” and “violent” or they can “pitch in, in solidarity and community, to help one another, to help rescue one another.”
“Thanks be to God, that’s what’s happening throughout Connecticut, New Jersey and throughout our beloved New York,” the cardinal said. “The best, the most noble sentiments of people are coming out.”
The storm killed at least 80 people across the U.S. and 38 people in New York City alone, after making landfall Oct. 29. Hundreds of thousands of people in New York City remain without access to power, water, heat and transportation.
Cardinal Dolan said Catholic Charities and Catholic health-care facilities are in action and are helping those in need. He plans to visit some of the affected areas.
An iconic photo of a lone statue of the Virgin Mary (the photo shown with this story) in front of a destroyed home in the fire- and flood-ravaged Queens neighborhood of Breezy Point caused him particular concern.
“I love Breezy Point,” he said, describing its local pastor Msgr. Michael Curran as “a very close friend.”
“I’m worried because I can’t get in touch with him,” said the cardinal, who added that the priest had told the cardinal he would stay in the area “with my people.”
“I just trust he’s well,” the cardinal told Fox News.
On Nov. 1, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn also commented on the storm.
“Hurricane Sandy has left her trail of death and destruction across our city and region,” he said in his diocese’s newspaper, The Tablet.
“We all pray first and foremost for our fellow New Yorkers and their families who perished. While things may always be replaced, we are all mindful of how important our homes are in our lives, and so our thoughts and prayers turn to those whose property was destroyed or damaged.”
He announced a second collection in his diocese’s parishes to fund Catholic Charities’ relief efforts for those affected in Brooklyn and Queens, most of whom are middle-class or working poor.
Bishop DiMarzio said that the response of faith to natural disasters is “not so much about the question ‘Why is there evil?’ but the conviction that the power of God always conquers sin and evil.”
“The deep has come to us in this storm, but we must always be ready to meet the challenge and put out into the deep to meet the needs of those less fortunate than ourselves,” he said. “Please be as generous as you can to help those who are in such great need.”
Both Cardinal Dolan and Bishop DiMarzio dispensed with Catholics’ normal holy-day obligation to attend Mass on the Solemnity of All Saints in their dioceses.
Catholic Charities agencies are performing damage assessments and are reaching out to parishes to offer support. The agency is working closely with government and other disaster-relief partners.
Joan Frawley Desmond: Bishop Braxton on Belleville Diocese's Catholic Charities
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Bishop DiMarzio’s response to natural disasters as ‘evil’ deserves a much deeper and responsible answer.
For example how do we defend belief in a good God in the face of natural disasters, sometimes called ‘acts of God? Perhaps this idea was fostered through Old Testament stories of Noah and the great flood which suggested that the ensuing tragedy was supposedly triggered by the sins of humankind. Indeed people of faith during the time of Jesus still believed that disaster and suffering was God’s unfavorable judgment upon a sinful person. Hopefully, we are now learning that God is not a vengeful deity but loves his creation unconditionally. At the same time science has taught us that our planet would be uninhabitable if it were not for natural disasters. Perhaps these disasters prevent the earth from becoming a frozen block of ice or superheated planet such as Mercury. Mother Earth or ‘Gaia’ is a living and breathing planet. Not as something to be conquered, but something to be co-operated with, respected and appreciated as God’s creation. Our native peoples understood this concept very well. Unfortunately, we not only believed otherwise but sought to erase every trace of native spirituality. At the same time we continue to strip the planet earth of many of its natural resources, without regard for its impact on our climate. Bishop’s DiMarzio’s response also failed to address the all important question ‘did God create evil? While our answer will have to submit to the mystery of God, some mystics have suggested that without darkness we would not appreciate the Light.
“I have seen the One who is, and how He is the being of all creatures. God is present in everything that exists, in a devil and a good angel, in heaven and hell, in good deeds and in adultery and murder, in the beautiful and the ugly. Therefore, while I am in the Truth, I take as much delight in seeing and understanding his presence in a devil and the act of adultery as I do in an angel and a good deed.” – Angela of Foligno
Apparently the Cardinal needs to direct some attention to the plight of the people on Staten Island! Seems like most of the world forgot about them and they were some of the hardest hit with most of the deaths! PLEASE NY…..go help Staten Island!!!
It was no accident that the Blessed Mother was still standing among the ashes of Breezy Point- a strong Catholic community. She is there to let the residents that they will be with them in this ordeal. I was amazed to see her in the media - but I know she sent a message to her children that she endured and so will they!
We NEED our bishops to step up and come to the forefront of this releif effort! From the tip of Long Island to Atlantic City, NJ, the devastation is astounding. Some towns fared better than others,some are almost gone from the map but, the people are still there! This is a year of faith! Our faith is not limited to expressing solidarity and prayers! We need to show the world that our Church is alive! If our bishops take the leadership role for which they were ordained, the people of faith will step up and be Christ to oneanother!
http://www.kofc.org/un/en/news/releases/detail/hurricanesandy-relief.html
Go to the K of C (link above)- Catholic Charities gives only about 50% to the victims, the Knights give 100%.
we are committing 2% of our revenues for the month of Nov to help small businesses in NY, NJ, and Conn. We are dropping our prices 50% for all who need our small business financial services. Is their a Catholic Charities or other organizations that are set up to help the small business owner?
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