CHICAGO — The pastor, parishioners and church buildings of St. John Chrysostom Byzantine Catholic Parish in Houston were mostly spared by Hurricane Harvey and the floods that hit city late last month.
While the depth of the flood waters on the parish grounds and parking lot ranged from four-to-20 inches, water did not seep into the interior of the church, rectory or parish hall, said Father Elias Rafaj.
One day after the rains stopped, Father Rafaj told Horizons that only the ceiling of the 100-year-old wooden parish hall showed signs of “water stress” and some water had permeated through the roof.
“We will need to see the full extent of the damage in the coming days. As the water dries and the ground shifts, it may shift the buildings,” he said Aug. 30. A professional assessment would take a few weeks, he said.
The Category 4 hurricane made landfall Aug. 25, overflowing bayous and submerging parts of the city under as much as 20 feet of water.
Father Rafaj, pastor of the sole parish of the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh in Houston, said he is grateful that his 250 or so parishioners all seemed to be safe.
As the waters kept rising, with no end in sight for the pummeling rains of Hurricane Harvey, Father Rafaj kept tabs on his parishioners via text messages.
Aside from three families that were mandatorily evacuated from their homes as a pre-emptive measure and a couple of families that voluntarily evacuated, most parishioners were safe and dry in their houses during the worst periods of the six-day storm, said the pastor of St. John Chrysostom Byzantine Catholic Parish.
“I was trying to maintain a connection with parishioners,” he told Horizons Aug. 30, a day after the rains stopped in northwest Houston, where the parish is situated; it was not among the hardest-hit areas.
He noted that some families were isolated by the storm.
“I wanted to make sure they are safe and see what they are doing. Some of them are challenged by the storm,” he said.
Initially, Father Rafaj texted parishioners also to let them know “in case of an emergency, I could take them at the church,” he said.
But the water eventually blocked the entrance to the church parking lot during the hardest rains. Father Rafaj canceled liturgies Aug. 27 and during the week that followed and told parishioners to stay home.
“Safety supersedes the obligation of church,” he said.
Father Rafaj spent the two worst days of the torrential rains in his neighborhood, Aug. 26-27, “just watching,” he said.
“Every two hours, I would check on the property. Water was threatening to enter the buildings,” he said.
Though the water had reached the doors of the church and blocked the entryway, none of it had seeped in. By Aug. 28, the waters on the church grounds had already begun to recede.
Parishioners sent messages to check in on him as well.
“People offered to come and get me,” he said. One parishioner messaged him after the rain had subsided, offering to pick up groceries even though the supply on supermarket shelves was known to be low.
“People are looking out for each other,” he said, adding that it reflects the strength of the community.
Members of the Byzantine Catholic parish in Dallas were also in touch to offer his parishioners housing.
“It is humbling to see that kind of compassion in action,” he said.
Father Rafaj said he believed none of his 250 parishioners were injured during the hurricane, which dumped a total of 52 inches of rain in the region.
At press time, more than 60 people were said to have been killed by the storm; tens of thousands were reported to be in need of temporary shelter, and more than $75 billion was estimated in losses.
Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles, vice president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, asked bishops across the country to consider a special collection to assist hurricane victims.
He suggested in an Aug. 28 letter that the collection be taken during liturgies Sept. 2-3 or Sept. 9-10. The Eparchy of Parma announced its collection would be taken up Sept. 9-10.
Funds collected will support emergency aid and recovery efforts under Catholic Charities USA and pastoral and rebuilding support to the affected dioceses through the USCCB.
Among the most affected areas are the Diocese of Victoria and the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Numerous parishes and schools have been flooded while others have offered facilities as shelter. Parishes have also helped distribute food and emergency supplies to storm victims.
Pope Francis offered his prayers for the hurricane victims and he praised all those engaged in rescuing and caring for the thousands of people forced out of their homes.
The message was sent to Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, USCCB president, by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, and released by the Vatican Aug. 31.
Father Rafaj asked Byzantine Catholics to offer “prayers of thanksgiving” that no parishioners were hurt or suffered major losses. He also asked for prayers for people they do know who have suffered “devastating loss.”
“It breaks our hearts to know how many people around us are suffering,” he said.
— With reporting from CNS
Caption: The parking lot of St. John Chrysostom Byzantine Catholic Parish in Houston is seen completely submerged Aug. 27 by the flood that hit the city, forcing the pastor to cancel liturgies for the entire week. The parish buildings were mostly undamaged. (Photo: Father Elias Rafaj)