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On August 29, 2005 one of the most devastating natural disasters in US history made a direct hit on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. An extraordinarily powerful and deadly hurricane, Katrina carved a wide swath of catastrophic damage and inflicted great loss of life. In Mississippi alone, some 120,000 homes were destroyed or severely damaged. More than 80,000 residents are still without
Many churches were also destroyed. St. Ann's Church in
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Claremont Harbor, Mississippi was flooded with 10 feet of water. It was one of the lucky structures: while everything inside needed to be replaced, its structure remained intact. In January 2006 members of St. John Neumann formed Friends of St. Ann's (FOSA) to assist in the repair of the church and provide aid to the parish and parishioners.
St. John Neumann's work for St. Ann's
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Since its inception, Friends of St. Ann's has sent 3 teams of volunteers to Mississippi to assist with the rebuilding effort. The number one priority was reestablishing the parish church - our first team assisted in its refurbishing. It is now serving the St. Ann's parish and (former) neighboring mission parishes that lost their churches. The two subsequent teams have worked with local contractors from the Biloxi diocese to make existing homes habitable.
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Two volunteers assisted the local Catholic Charities office process grant applications for building materials, appliances, and furniture, for needy families in the Biloxi Diocese.
Most families lost everything. Our Morale Boosters Subcommittee has assisted families in need by providing the following:
- Two computers and bookkeeping software to help St. Ann's get their parish office up and running.
- Over 100 cards and letters from children in our Religious Education classes
- 100 pristine Beanie Babies, (lovingly donated by two SJN teens), and 100 Easter candy bags for the younger children at St. Ann's. Donations from friends/family provided $15 gift cards for each of the 22 teens.
- Materials from an anonymous donor for a St. Ann's parishioner to rebuild his 640 square foot home for his terminally ill wife. St. Joseph's Parish in New Jersey provided the labor to complete the job the following weekend!
- Books, puzzles, and gently used text books for distribution as needed to families and schools.
- Gifts and gift cards for 62 children and adults from a summer "Angel" Tree of items requested by St. Ann's parishioners.
Ongoing activity
There is still so much to be done. Many families are still without homes, living in very small FEMA trailers. Locals expect that the rebuilding effort will take a minimum of 10 years.
Friends of St. Ann's is planning additional building trips. We have recently sent a check to a needy family for a building permit and hope to assist the building of their new home,
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both financially and by sending a work team. Funds will have to be raised to cover some of the costs of the building materials. This needy family of 5 was identified to the parish by their FEMA worker - their 8' x 30' trailer (recently replaced) was filled with mold and causing respiratory problems for the children and heartache for the parents.
We also need to think of the continuing low morale of the St. Ann's parishioners and plan additional means to lighten their day-to-day burdens.
To assist with this effort, please contact Susan Trainor, 703-390-2352.
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Parish Information |
Prayer & Liturgy |
Christian Formation |
Fellowship |
Social Justice & Outreach |
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11900 Lawyers Road, Reston, VA 20191 |
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703-860-8510 or info@saintjn.org |
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Copyright © 2007 St. John Neumann - All Rights Reserved
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