Pray for those lost in Hurricane Ike

For most people in the US, Hurricane Ike is old news... it is something that "just happened" and in many ways is "still happening" for those on the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coasts. I urge you to pray for those who are continuing the long, slow, and emotionally draining process of rebuilding their lives after the storm.

I also urge you to pray for those who are still missing, as well as for those who died in the storm; pray for their families and friends also, as they are facing the duty of rebuilding their lives while mounrning the loss of a loved one.

If you can afford it, please donate to either the American Red Cross or Catholic Charities to help people rebuild their lives.

By MONICA RHOR,
Associated Press Writer –
1 hr 18 mins ago
GALVESTON, Texas –

The final hours brought the awful realization to victims of Hurricane Ike that they had waited too long. This storm wasn't like the others, the ones that left nothing worse than a harrowing tale to tell.

George Helmond, a hardy Galveston salt, watched the water rise and told a buddy: I was born on this island and I'll die on this island.

Gail Ettenger, a free spirit who adopted the Bolivar Peninsula as her home 15 years ago, told a friend in a last phone call: I really messed up this time.

Within hours, the old salt and the free spirit were gone as the powerful Category 2 hurricane wracked the Texas Gulf Coast on Sept. 13, flattening houses, obliterating entire towns and claiming at least 33 lives.

The dead — as young as 4, as old as 79 — included lifelong Galvestonians firmly rooted on the island and transplants drawn by the quiet of coastal living.

Seven people drowned in a storm surge that moved in earlier and with more ferocity than expected. Nine others died in the grimy, sweaty aftermath, when lack of power and medicine exacted its toll. Eleven people were poisoned by carbon monoxide or killed in fires from the generators they used in their own attempts to survive.

Hundreds of people remain missing three weeks after Ike's assault on Texas. Local and city officials are no longer keeping their own count of missing residents, and the estimate varies wildly from one agency to another.

According to the nonprofit Laura Recovery Center, about 300 people are missing. Of those, about 200 from Galveston. However, the number "goes up and down by the minute" as people call in to remove or add names, cautioned executive director Bob Walcutt.

Some vanished during the evacuation of towns in the storm's path. Many were last heard in desperate, last-ditch calls for help.

Immediately after the hurricane, Galveston officials conducted door-to-door searches for survivors and possible victims. But the city is no longer taking an active role in the search, city spokeswoman Alicia Cahill said.

Instead, search teams of sheriff's deputies, volunteer firefighters and special K-9 search and recovery units have been using airboats and all-terrain vehicles to sift through debris fields, tangled and fetid marshlands, and the rubble left behind by Ike.

Bodies could have been tossed anywhere in the marshes, where thickets of trees are littered with the contents of houses. Refrigerators, office chairs, and television sets are scattered everywhere __ in the mud, in bushes, on treetops.

"We are definitely looking and are going to do anything we can to find them, but there may not be any answers to be given," said Galveston County emergency management spokesman Colin Rizzo. "There are definitely going to be people from Hurricane Ike that are never found."

_____

Gail Ettenger stumbled upon her house in Gilchrist by accident. But once she saw the site on the bay side of Bolivar Peninsula, she knew she would never leave.

Ettenger, a native of New Jersey, instilled the house with her own energy and style. The 58-year-old's garden bloomed with vibrant birds-of-paradise.

And Reba, an 11-year-old Great Dane hobbled by arthritis, was her baby. Ettenger loved to treat the dog to dinners of chicken and roast beef, recalled JoAnne Burks, Ettenger's neighbor and close friend.

Ettenger, a chemist at ExxonMobil, didn't evacuate, reasoning that her house had weathered Hurricane Rita in 2005 without a problem. She also did not want to leave Reba, who could no longer climb into Ettenger's Jeep.

Burks and her husband pleaded with Ettenger to change her mind. But she insisted.

Hours before Ike made landfall, Ettenger knew she had made the wrong choice. She called Burks and described the water pushing up under her feet, the propane tanks and other household items drifting by her windows, and wondered which would float better: her Jeep or her house.

Her voice was shaky with fear, Burks said.

Burks spent the next 10 days searching for her friend, calling local, county and state officials without success. She tried the American Red Cross, FEMA, even private investigators.

"I didn't want her to wind up like the victims of Katrina, who were never found or identified," Burks said.

Ettenger's body was found Sept. 23, tossed on a debris field in a Chambers County marsh about 10 miles from her house.

Amid the muck and remnants of homes, Burks found a pink leather collar. The name Reba was spelled out in rhinestones.

_____

At 72, George Helmond had ridden out many storms and thought he could take on Ike, too, neighbor Don Hanson said. "A lot of old Galvestonians are like that."

Helmond had been one of the first residents of Sydnor Lane, which overlooks a bayou on one side and a golf course on the other. A retired electrician, Helmond was a die-hard fisherman, a dove hunter and straight-shooter intensely proud of his Galveston roots.

Around 10 a.m., Helmond called Hanson, who had already left, to say the water had already slipped over the road and toward his house. The street — the only way out of the neighborhood — was already impassable.

At 9:30 p.m., Helmond and Hanson talked for the last time. By then, the water had pummeled through Helmond's garage, crushing the doors and submerging his Cadillac. Hanson begged his friend to grab a life vest at his house or to seek shelter there.

But at 2:30 a.m., for reasons no one knows, Helmond got in his pickup truck and drove off at the height of Ike's fury.

Neighbors found Helmond's body the next day inside the truck, which had slammed into the white golf course fence. The windshield was shattered.

Helmond's home suffered little damage. The water had reached above the first-floor garage, but not inside the house.

"If he had stayed home and hadn't gone out, he'd be OK, but he panicked," said Hanson, 66. "Life goes on, but I will miss a good friend and I will think about him."

_____

Even as Ike bore down on Texas, Jim Devine refused to leave his cream-colored house within sight of the bay in San Leon. Devine had moved to the fishing town after retiring and loved the tranquil way of life there, neighbors said.

The 76-year-old Devine drowned when Ike sent water barreling through his house, picking him off the second-story porch and dropping him a block away. Days later, Devine's empty home still bore the scars of the storm — shattered windows, twisted wood, and his boat, the Seabar, jammed under the front steps.

His daughter left a warning and a memorial in orange spray paint: "Jim Devine. No Trespassing."

_____

Port Bolivar held special meaning for 79-year-old Marian Violet Arrambide. She met her husband there during World War II. Many years later, he built the beach house where they could retire.

Arrambide, a retired nurse suffering the onset of dementia, lived with her daughter, Magdalena Strickland, and nephew, Shane Williams, in that beach house before Ike struck.

All three have been missing since the morning of Sept. 12, just as Ike began to come ashore.

"My sister said 'I'm walking out the door in a hurry. Everything's taken care of, I'll see you in a few hours.' That was it," said son Raul Arrambide, describing a 6:15 a.m. phone call.

Since then, Arrambide has had little luck getting help or information. Instead, Arrambide said, he's been passed from one agency to another.

"They send you back and forth until you're worn out," said Arrambide, his voice showing the strain of the last weeks.

After five days with no word and no answers, Arrambide borrowed a boat to search the area himself, but sheriff's deputies turned people away. He finally found a local contractor who is helping search for missing residents. That man found his relatives' vehicles, which had been washed off the road into a tree grove.

"I want to keep the hope that they are still alive, but by not hearing from any of them, that hope is getting smaller and smaller," he said. "They helped people all their lives. They did not deserve to go this way."

Reflections on Lessons Learned From Financial Crisis

Today, an Archbishop addressed the faithful on issues of the economic crisis, ethics, and caring.
The news of the Economic Rescue Bill in the US House of Representatives has sent shock waves across the globe... worldwide people are asking themselves, "Are we facing another Great Depression?"

Churches in New York's financial district have had greater numbers of worshippers in attendance over the past week as economic storm clouds gather on the horizon. People are asking themselves what The Church has to say about the current economic climate; the following statement by The Most Reverend Diarmuid Martin sums Church up teaching on the economy, as it pertains to the current crisis:

The economy has a social function. Economic growth, no matter how important, is never simply an end in itself. It should lead to social equity, to an equitable growth of society and to enhancing the people and the human infrastructures which strengthen society. Economic growth always brings with it social responsibility. Uncontrolled growth has rarely produced sustainability.

If I were asked for my description of uncontrolled economic growth I would turn to the biblical insight of the Tower of Babel. The biblical story talks about people who felt that they now had the ability to build a tower which would link heaven and earth. When people think that they can have uncontrolled growth, very often what happens is what happened at Babel -- the tower collapses and the people become divided.

Let me not be drawn into “I told you so”; far from it. The market is vital, but the market has an essentially social function. It can only function in an ethical and judicial framework where the vulnerable are protected and the natural arrogance of the powerful is curbed. We see today how gross and unregulated individual misbehaviour in market activity affects the stability of companies but also of countries and then of the men and women who make up the society in which we live. Irresponsible traders do not just gamble with the future of a big multinational firm -- they eventually affect the lives of people all over the world.

Government and business need to work together. Government and business have the same interest in many ways when one is talking about economic growth. This means that there can be a legitimate corporate interest in shaping aspects of the politico-economic environment. But this interest can also easily become damaging if there are insufficient regulatory mechanisms in place. Unregulated market speculation or unfair interference in competition law damage the economy. But powerful governments can also fall prey to corruption. We need both market and government.

We need the market and we need a market which has the freedom to operate as it should. We also need government. Smaller government may be more desirable than some of the past experiences of massive and unproductive government interference in society and the market. But lack of effective government is equally disastrous, just as inefficient government is. Government is essential to guarantee the ethical and juridical framework within which the market can flourish and within which ethical market behaviour will be fostered.

Some would say -- and to a certain extent rightly -- that running a good business means ensuring gain for the shareholders, making a profit through providing a quality product or service and of course that this also involves giving employment. The market involves risk, they would say, and no one should complain when the person who takes risk makes a healthy profit. That has traditionally been the way in which the businessperson looked at good business. And anyone who challenged that viewpoint would be reminded -- also rightly -- that putting yourself out of business through increasing your costs helps no one.

On the other hand there are many, myself included, whose conscience is left uneasy by a discomfort about huge profit and would stress that business is embedded in the reality of society and shares some responsibility for society. In some way, part of that profit should be directed not just to the shareholders but also to wider concerns of the society in which the business is embedded and from which it benefits. Investment will be attracted to places where a creative and innovative workforce is available. But can business simply take that for granted and the plea for a form of small government which is then less able to provide ongoing investment in the type of education and research which made strong growth possible in the first place? Everyone must assume responsibility.

We also need law and we need law enforcement and we need that today within an architecture of business which has become international and reaches beyond national boundaries, both as regards its activities and its effects. It is interesting to note that organized crime was one of the first groups to recognize the advantages of globalisation. I don’t just mean drug or weapons dealers, but also new forms of irresponsible speculation and dishonest behaviour within the business community. An ethical framework is not just pretty words on a piece of paper or in a mission statement but is something that must be integral to the way people work and their role in society. The new globalised nature of the economy requires new structures on an international level to combat irresponsible behaviour.

What can and should a religious leader say in the current situation. Should he or she just leave it to “the experts” and return to the sacristy? Can religious values influence economic and social stability?

The job of the Christian churches is to preach the message of the Gospel. This is a message that is addressed to every individual and that has social implications for the people who follow the message of Jesus Christ. The basic message of the Christian churches is about the love of God, and there are two characteristics of the love of God that I believe are particularly interesting in the modern world. One is gratuity.

God loves people without any conditions. Take the story of the Prodigal Son, who comes back home to find that his father is there, waiting for him. The son has his little negotiating speech ready, but he doesn’t have to use it. The son is just welcomed -- that is gratuity, going beyond what is expected or necessary. The other is super-abundance. The love of God surprises you -- it is so generous that it turns you head over heels.

These two values stand in opposition to a market-driven consumer society in which everything is precisely measured out. If the label says 16 ounces, you won’t get an ounce more. If we truly lived in an environment like this, where you got only what you paid for and nothing beyond, none of us would be where we are today. The world needs these values that create generosity; that make you care about another person even if that person is weak; that motivate you to make a huge investment in a person.

The market is an extraordinarily effective instrument. But there are basic human needs which do not belong in the marketplace, which cannot be bought or sold like commodities. For those we need something else. The economy will attain its role if it is complemented by effective government, but also by a society with a heart and with generosity. This last will be needed more and more in hard times.

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin is the archbishop of Dublin, Ireland. That's right. Ireland. The problem isn't just confined to the United States - although depending on where and how you recieve your news, it mightn't seem that way.

Pray a Rosary for the economic leaders of the world, so that they may take the proper action at the proper times, and protect the common good of all peoples on Earth. Pray for Peace and Social Justice for all people.

St. Thérèse of Lisieux, The Little Flower

I sense in myself the vocation
of Warrior, Priest, Apostle,
Doctor, and Martyr.


In the heart of the Church,
my Mother,
I will be love.

—St. Thérèse

Today is the feast day of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, who is also known as "The Little Flower". She is the patron of Missions, even though she herself never left her cloister. How can this be? Thérèse Martin entered the convent at the age of 15 and died in 1897 at the age of 24, yet she is one of the most popular Saints of our day.

From Saint of the Day:

All her life St. Thérèse suffered from illness. As a young girl she underwent a three-month malady characterized by violent crises, extended delirium and prolonged fainting spells. Afterwards she was ever frail and yet she worked hard in the laundry and refectory of the convent. Psychologically, she endured prolonged periods of darkness when the light of faith seemed all but extinguished. The last year of her life she slowly wasted away from tuberculosis. And yet shortly before her death on September 30 she murmured, "I would not suffer less."

Truly she was a valiant woman who did not whimper about her illnesses and anxieties. Here was a person who saw the power of love, that divine alchemy which can change everything, including weakness and illness, into service and redemptive power for others. Is it any wonder that she is patroness of the missions? Who else but those who embrace suffering with their love really convert the world?

Some people today may mock St. Thérèse and her simple love for Jesus, Mary, and Joseph; the simplicity and unobtrusiveness of her life is the very opposite of what most people in the modern world aspire towards. In the simple day to day duties of life inside a convent, Thérèse found a simple way to Jesus - which is outlined in her Spiritual Autobiography, "Story of a Soul". St. Thérèse described her "little way" as "being a lift (elevator) to the arms of Jesus". It is a simple, practical way to live a holy life in the modern world.


Novena prayer to St. Thérèse:

"St. Thérèse, the Little Flower, please pick me a rose from the heavenly garden and send it to me with a message of love. Ask God to grant me the favor I thee implore [state intention here], and tell him I will love him each day more and more."

Tradition holds that if you say the novena prayer, followed by five Our Fathers, five Hail Marys, and five Glory Be's each day for five days, you will receive a shower of roses on the fifth day.

A Special Note:
Later this month, Thérèse's parents will be beatified. Slated to take place at their daughter's shrine at Lisieux, the 19 October rites for Louis and Zelie Guerin Martin will coincide with Mission Sunday -- the same day when, in 1997, Therese became the second woman declared a Doctor of the Church.

New Years (yes, it's plural)

Today marks not only the Jewish High Holiday of Rosh HaShanah, but also the Greek New Year.

In the Jewish faith, Rosh HaShanah is a time of rebirth, blessing, and renewal for all of creation. To watch a short video about the spiritual meaning of Rosh HaShanah, click here. Not only is Rosh HaShanah seen as a New Year of the religious calendar - much like the First Sunday of Advent is within the Christian faith - it is also considered the birthday of all of nature! I am reminded of our own period of Advent and the upcoming (Oct. 4th!) Feast-day of Saint Francis of Assisi when I meditate on the meaning of Rosh HaShanah in my life.

The Greek New Year is also a time of rebirth and renewal. In the ancient Greek Faith (Hellenism), today is the day when Persephone leaves her mother, Demeter, and returns to the side of her husband, Hades, who lives in the Underworld. It was seen as a time of harvest, remebering, and getting ready for the coming winter. It was a time for families to gather together - not just the human members, but the goats, sheep, chickens, and other livestock as well. Once again, the Greek holiday - much like the Jewish one - can be found in this liturgical season's feast-days.

Resources to help you celebrate the birthday of Nature:


Dare to Dream - a short movie about the meaning and blessings of Rosh HaShanah.

US Conference of Catholic Bishops - Global Climate Change: A Plea for Dialogue, Prudence, and the Common Good.

Catholic Education Resource Center's page on current environmental issues.

A beautiful view of God's Creation

This breath-taking photo is a single exposure image that embraces the near, the far, and the in between. Astrophotographer Wally Pacholka took this photo inside one of the caves of the Canyonlands National Park in Utah, USA. In this single image, we see mother Earth, represented by the beautiful mesas in the foreground, another planet, the milky way, and deep space. In the upper left of the image we see another member of our Solar System, Jupiter. It may have been a conjunction of the planets Jupiter and Saturn in about 7 BCE (according to our way of reckoning time) that comprised the "star" of the second chapter of the Gospel of St. Matthew.

The ring of stones in the foreground is known as a false kiva, as it is merely a ring of stones on the surface without a subterranean room. It is uncertain when it was made, nor who made it. It is a class II archaeological site, which means that it is not on maps, but park personel will let you know its location if you ask in person.

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