A Collect in Time of Disaster
(Hurricane Katrina, Baton Rouge)

"Lord, God of the Universe, Creator and Sustainer of all life: grant us the serenity to respond to disaster in bold faith, seeking not certainty, but rather the assurance of your abiding presence.

"Grant us hope when we spiral into despair and fill our broken hearts with the love with which you surround us.

"As we rebuild, guide each hammer and nail with a ring of hope; bless each bandage and conversation with the balm of healing and strengthen each resolve with the blessed assurance that all manner of thing shall be well, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen."

September 22, 2005
by Bob Williams

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – With this prayer, Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold led the House of Bishops, convening here September 22, in response to the presentations of Gulf Coast bishops who are rallying after Hurricane Katrina even as the nation braces for the imminent landfall of Hurricane Rita.

"I'm aware that several of our meetings have taken place against the background of something large and disturbing," Griswold told the 120 bishops assembled with spouses, recalling House of Bishops sessions held shortly after the terror attacks of September 11, 2001; other environmental disasters; and the declaration of war on Iraq. "These larger events – some natural and some caused by humans – remind us of the context in which we live and move and have our beings."

Outcome of the bishops' sessions included clear beginnings of a long-term plan for Episcopal dioceses and congregations to partner effectively with dioceses and congregations hardest hit by hurricane damage.

This inter-agency response coordinates the work of Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD), the Office of the Bishop Suffragan for Chaplaincies, Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM), and the offices of program and communication at the Episcopal Church Center in New York.

As the bishops convened, fellow Episcopalians – including Texas Diocesan Bishop Don Wimberly – together with other Houston-area residents were traveling to the diocese's Camp Allen for refuge as Hurricane Rita forced evacuation of Galveston and contiguous regions.

Of the work of the church at present, "one can see dimensions of community that transcend points of view" politically, theologically and otherwise defined, said Griswold – who arrived in San Juan after meeting in Mississippi and Louisiana for two days prior with Hurricane Katrina survivors.

Griswold spoke of the "abundance of Christ's presence" as he observed Louisiana senior warden Elvia James open a ciborium (consecrated vessel holding Eucharistic wafers) in the flooded but largely intact St. Luke's Church, New Orleans.

The Presiding Bishop and his wife, Phoebe, joined Louisiana Bishop Charles Jenkins and Episcopal Chaplaincies Bishop Suffragan George Packard on a first post-hurricane visit to St. Luke's, where the group shared in Holy Communion inside after clearing felled branches to gain entry to the church building.

Louisiana's Jenkins, in his remarks to his fellow bishops, spoke of the "church responding to the immediate needs of the people" and doing uniquely the work of the Episcopal Church's baptismal covenant: "to respect the dignity of every human being."

Thanking fellow bishops for their outpouring of support, Jenkins also praised the immediate response of Episcopal Relief and Development and colleagues from the Episcopal Church Center in New York.

Jenkins said that his diocese's offices, now housed at St. James' Church in Baton Rouge, are not yet ready to receive volunteers to assist in relief; noting that there is no water, housing, food, sewage system and other infrastructure to support such efforts. "I ask your patience," Jenkins said, noting that a future time will be right for hands-on assistance.

Jenkins also pointed to the issue of racism surfaced amid the Katrina disaster. He said that new awareness has been raised by the issues at hand, emphasizing that societal and cultural responses are emerging among national priorities.

Jenkins said 27 of his diocese's 51 congregations have been affected by wind and water. He said that rebuilding will have to take into account demographic shifts within the region.

More details about the Louisiana diocesan response can be found online at http://www.connectedola.org/.

Mississippi's Bishop Duncan Gray opened the session describing the virtually complete destruction of six parish buildings, but emphasizing that the church is "still standing" given the stalwart dedication of local clergy and parishioners. (Please see related ENS reports online.)

Gray pointed to the coalescing impact of an all-diocesan rally – a first-ever "tent meeting" held August 20, some nine days before the hurricane hit. There, the baptismal covenant – even a sense of "troubling the waters" – was emphasized, Gray said, in sermon texts and reflections. The rally had a sense of galvanizing the diocesan mission before disaster struck, he noted.

More on the Mississippi response is available at http://www.dioms.org/.

Bishop Philip Duncan of the Pensacola, Florida-based Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast, told the bishops that his diocese continues to rebuild after the devastation of last year's hurricane season. He thanked the bishops for their support for regional re-building, including his own residence, in areas of greatest impact.

Duncan said industry, especially fishing, is struggling to make a come back under current conditions.

For more diocesan information on the Alabama and Florida congregations, Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast, visit: http://www.diocgc.org/.

Nancy Duvall, wife of retired Central Gulf Coast bishop Charles Duvall, said that bishops' spouses were mobilizing practical responses such as gift cards to Target and other major retailers. "The gift cards also help keep business and jobs in the region," she said.

Duvall was among spouses who heard a lunch-time presentation by Louise Jenkins, who with her husband, Louisiana's Charles Jenkins, is a New Orleans evacuee. Her talk enumerated priorities for practical response.

Meanwhile, presenters addressing the bishops included David Pitts of the Church Pension Group, who said that Hurricane Rita's landfall could bring the area of devastation to some 200,000 square miles.

Pitts said the Church Pension Group is prepared to offer long-term response to constituents affected by the disaster.

Echoing the realities of long-term response, presenters addressing the bishops included ERD President Robert Radtke, EMM director Richard Parkins, and chaplaincies suffragan Packard. (An additional, forthcoming ENS report will detail their observations.)

Hospitable, pastoral welcome

Welcoming the bishops to San Juan in their opening session was the Rt. Rev. David Alvarez, bishop of the Diocese of Puerto Rico, and religious and civic leaders including Senate President Kenneth McClintock-Hernandez, an Episcopalian who attends St. Stephen's Church, Guaynabo. That congregation's vicar, the Rev. Emily Morales, was moderator for the diocesan presentation to the bishops.

Alvarez's wife, Maryleen, and daughter, Tairis, joined in welcoming remarks to the bishops and spouses.

A multimedia presentation outlined the extensive ministries of the diocese, based in San Juan – the oldest city in the United States – and composed of 37,000 baptized members in 44 congregations and the largest health-care system on the island. (A full ENS report on the Diocese of Puerto Rico will follow.)

Alvarez and other diocesan leaders will welcome the bishops on Sunday to Ponce, where Eucharist and a visit to one of the diocese's three major hospitals is planned.

The House of Bishops' six-day meeting will adjourn September 27.

Episcopal News Service
Canon Robert Williams is director of communication for the Episcopal Church.