Altar Spared Tornado Hit at Church

Deacon Greg Kandra reports:

A deacon from Belleville, Illinois sent me the pictures below — before and after shots of St. Joseph Church, in Ridgeway, struck by a twister on February 29th.

You can read details here.

The deacon wrote:

You will notice the Italian marble altar that was miraculously spared.  Work is underway to salvage the altar by first protecting it from the elements, and then having it dismantled piece by piece. Thankfully, the parish priest (administrator) Father Steve Beatty, who lives in the rectory next to the church, escaped injury.  The rectory was heavily damaged. Of course the main question being asked is if the church will be rebuilt.  As of now that has not been determined.

Please keep the people affected by this tragedy in your prayers.

Earthquake: Turkey Declines Israel’s Offer of Aid

Being a stubborn neighbour will cost:

Turkey was hit by a powerful earthquake Sunday morning, leaving hundreds dead and many more injured. The 7.2 strength quake struck the Van Province region in Eastern Turkey, which is home to a large population of Kurds and is near the Turkish border with Iran.

Many neighboring countries, including Israel, offered to send assistance to the battered region, however theTurkish authorities have so far declined all offers and have opted to deal with the crisis on their own.

In 1999, when Turkey was hit with a devastating earthquake that killed more than 17,000 people, Israel sent teams to help the Turkish authorities in search-and-rescue operations. Those were much better times in Turkish-Israeli relations; nonetheless Israel was fully prepared to send an aid mission to Turkey earlier today in order to help with the victims of the earthquake.

In recent years Turkey has also come to Israel’s aid, such as when catastrophic fires devastated northern Israel in 2010. Immediately upon seeing the urgent need, Turkey sent two firefighting aircrafts which helped stop the fires engulfing the area. Israel accepted Turkey’s help, as well as the assistance offered by many European countries.

Over the years Israel has sent aid worldwide to help with disaster relief, and has been a leader in first-response rescue missions. When Haiti was struck by an earthquake in 2010, Israel set up the first functional emergency medical center equipped with a full staff of doctors and nurses as well as sterilized operating rooms. During the Asian tsunami in 2004, Israel rescue teams operated for weeks on end to help the victims.

We Israelis fully support our government’s offer to send assistance to Turkey in their time of need, despite the Turkish government’s current animosity toward us. While the Turkish government declined the help, we would have been genuinely happy to send it because we cherish life. Israel and her people will forever protect the innocent victims of natural or terror disasters around the world, regardless of the political relationship between the two countries. I believe that is what God meant when He told us to be a light unto the nations.

 

Hurricane Irene Sunday

Cross Symbolizes Faith Amid Tragedy in Joplin

Local priest: ‘At times like this, it is easy to see the face of Jesus.’ Updated numbers and look at how the Catholic community is helping.

NCR reports:

(CNS) — The devastating scene left by the massive F-5 tornado that hit Joplin the evening of May 22 can best be described as apocalyptic.

The tornado cut a swath of destruction three-fourths of a mile wide and six miles long, claiming at least 132 lives, as of May 27, with hundreds still missing. Nearly every building in its path was left in total ruin.

The powerful winds uprooted trees and tossed cars. They toppled bricks, bent steel, snapped power lines, sheared limbs and stripped bark off trees.

In a May 25 news conference for area faith leaders, Missouri Gov. Jeremiah Johnson, upon witnessing the catastrophic destruction at St. John’s Regional Medical Center, described it as a war zone.

St. Mary’s Catholic Church was in the storm’s direct path. The sanctuary, elementary school, rectory, parish hall and the St. Vincent de Paul building, the original church from 1938, were all leveled by the storm.

“Most people’s emotions are still too raw for them to begin processing this catastrophic event,” said Father Justin Monaghan, St. Mary’s pastor. “I just want to tell them, ‘Our prayers are with you, and we will rejoin you in rebuilding, healing and renewal, in the midst of the pain you are all suffering.’”

Read more here.

 

Where to Live to Avoid a Natural Disaster

In the USA that is:

Weather disasters and quakes: who’s most at risk? The analysis below, by Sperling’s Best Places, a publisher of city rankings, is an attempt to assess a combination of those risks in 379 American metro areas. Risks for twisters and hurricanes (including storms from hurricane remnants) are based on historical data showing where storms occurred. Earthquake risks are based on United States Geological Survey assessments and take into account the relative infrequency of quakes, compared with weather events and floods. Additional hazards included in this analysis: flooding, drought, hail and other extreme weather.

 

The above was in the New York Times.

Corvalles? All rather pointless though… Move to one of those ‘safe’ spots and get hit by a bus, or have a heart-attack, or fall foul of a myriad of other possible ‘disaster’s', be they natural, or not.