August 14, 2008
By Lisa B. Hamilton

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has designated August 31 as Katrina Remembrance Sunday.

Hurricane Katrina, the costliest Atlantic hurricane ever, caused an estimated $81.2 billion in damages and claimed more than 1800 lives between August 23 and 30, 2005. Since then, thousands of relief workers have volunteered countless hours to assist survivors throughout the Gulf Coast regions of Louisiana and Mississippi.

"Katrina Remembrance Sunday is a way of remembering, of heralding the vast relief work that has gone on, and of reminding that there is still work to be done," says Neva Rae Fox, the Episcopal Church's program officer for public affairs.

Bishop Charles E. Jenkins of Louisiana reflects: "It has been said that ‘you can give without loving, but you can't love without giving,' and I understand that more deeply now than before Hurricane Katrina ripped through our lives and ministry in 2005.

"Our work…has shifted from relief and recovery to now include redevelopment and biblical justice," he says. "The needs continue [to be] great and the resources are dwindling."

According to information provided by the Diocese of Louisiana, "the opportunities to live into God's transformation are great. We invite all Episcopalians to come and join with us in the ongoing Gulf Coast recovery efforts. Many meaningful work experiences exist, including opportunities with rebuilding homes, feeding ministries and health and pastoral care. Serving together has provided a rich context for spiritual growth for thousands of volunteers."

Further information about volunteering with the Diocese of Louisiana is available at http://www.odr.edola.org/, by calling 504-895-6634 or emailing diocesan volunteer coordinator Pete Nunnally at pnunnally@edola.org. Click http://www.dioms.org/, to contact the Diocese of Mississippi. Further information about the Diocese of Mississippi's Camp Coast Care is available at http://www.campcoastcare.com/, or by calling 601-948-5954.

"Katrina Recovery: Rebuilding the Beloved Community," Episcopal Life Weekly bulletin inserts for August 31, will be available at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/95270_ENG_HTM.htm.

Suggested Prayers of the People are available online at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_99982_ENG_HTM.htm, or can be downloaded as a pdf at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/documents/8-31_Katrina_Sunday_prayers.pdf.

Episcopal News Service
The Rev. Lisa B. Hamilton is correspondent for Provinces I and IV. She is based in Sandisfield, Massachusetts and Venice, Florida.