By Dennis Sadowski
CLEVELAND (CNS) – New job in hand, Jim Richter was adjusting well to life in Minneapolis several months after leaving his hometown of Chicago.
He was enjoying his fellowship at the University of Minnesota Medical Center despite the long hours and he was coming to realize his move was a good one.
Sexually abused as a teenager by a South Side Chicago Catholic priest who had similarly assaulted other young men, Richter wasn’t expecting to hear more about the clergy abuse scandal in Minnesota.
Then news broke about Archbishop John C. Nienstedt of St. Paul and Minneapolis, who eventually resigned in 2015 over accusations he had mishandled allegations of abuse against an archdiocesan priest. Criminal charges were initially filed against the archdiocese over this, but were later dropped. Archbishop Nienstedt also faced allegations he had engaged in sexual misconduct with adults as a priest and as a bishop, claims he denied.
Richter said he felt he had been “assaulted” again when listening to news reports on the radio as he drove to work. The reports, he said, triggered a recurrence of post-traumatic stress disorder, known as PTSD.
“This was in the same sense being reminded that the church has lots of bad actors all over the place. That was something I did not need to be reminded of,” Richter told Catholic News Service.
PTSD often occurs in a person who has experienced or witnesses a traumatic event. It can last for months or years with triggers that can bring back memories of the trauma accompanied by intense emotional and physical reactions. Symptoms can include nightmares, unwanted memories, avoidance of situations that bring back those memories, anxiety or depression.
Richter, who is now 49 and who continues to practice his Catholic faith, eventually sought counseling to cope with the disorder. He acknowledged that he can experience PTSD at any time – as can any survivor.
“It could be the news, a book, a story someone is sharing,” he said.
“Triggers are very real. Victim survivors talk about them. When we talk about them they can cause a momentary disruption in or thoughts or our feelings. Sometimes it can last a day or two. Sometimes they can last a whole season,” Richter added.
Realizing he’s not alone, for the last three years Richter has helped facilitate what he calls “peace circles” – parish-based discussion groups primarily for clergy sexual abuse survivors but open to anyone interested in responding to the abuse crisis.
Richter works voluntarily. He has consulted with victim assistance coordinators in the archdioceses of Chicago and St. Paul and Minneapolis. The circles offer a safe space – originally in person but now online because of the coronavirus pandemic – to any survivor wanting to discuss their experience.
Richter’s recurring PTSD is not unusual. Mental health experts said sexual abuse survivors can experience ebbs and flows of PTSD and that it never quite goes away.
“Everyone is different. So depending on an individual’s situation anything can trigger it,” said Deacon Bernard Nojadera, executive director of the U.S. Conference of Catholics Bishops’ Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection.
The secretariat works with victim assistance coordinators in dioceses across the country to provide new information on how to assist abuse survivors who may need mental health services to respond to their traumatic experiences.
When a survivor reaches out, Deacon Nojadera said, his office or the appropriate diocesan office acknowledges “this hurt that had occurred in their lives, extending an apology.” Most importantly, though, he explained, is to listen to what the person has to say.
“We have an opportunity to continually building right relationships,” he said.
Deacon Nojadera acknowledged that PTSD can recur and has seen it in his work with military veterans in the past. He said the church is prepared to help any survivor connect with mental health services and advice.
Dioceses and eparchies have spent $143.8 million from 2004 through 2019 for therapy, living expenses and legal expenses for survivors, according to statistics compiled by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate. The figures were included in annual reports detailing diocesan and eparchial compliance with the U.S. bishops’ “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.”
From 2004 through 2013, the data show, $70.8 million in payments for therapy for survivors. Beginning in 2014, the category was expanded to include living and legal expenses, with payments to victims during that last six years coming to more than $71.9 million.
Victim advocates such as Tim Lennon, president of the board of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, told CNS others may shy away from church assistance, feeling that the institution that harmed them has no interest in making things better.
No matter to whom a survivor turns for help, Lennon, a survivor himself, said each person deserves broad support to help them weather their trauma.
Professionals in the church as well as professional psychologists almost always see an uptick in calls when a breaking story regarding abuse occurs. That happened in 2017 with the emergence of the #MeToo movement on social media following reports by dozens of women of their abuse by movie mogul Harvey Weinstein and the 2018 Pennsylvania grand jury report that chronicled abuse allegations against more than 300 priests and other church workers over a 70-year period, starting in 1947, in six of the state’s eight dioceses.
“Any time abuse and church are in a sentence and it hits the headlines or is splashed across social media, we definitely hear more,” Deacon Nojadera said.
The release of the Vatican’s report on a former U.S. cardinal, Theodore McCarrick, should be no different.
Deacon Nojadera and diocesan victim assistance coordinators said they expect to hear from more survivors – some of them reaching out for the first time – after the report becomes public.
The Vatican announced in February 2019 that Pope Francis had dismissed McCarrick from the clerical state after the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith found him to have engaged in “sins against the Sixth Commandment with minors and with adults, with the aggravating factor of the abuse of power.”
Professionals working with abuse survivors and survivors themselves contacted by CNS offered similar advice to those experiencing PTSD: remember you are not alone, that there are people – friends, family, mental health professionals, church victim assistance coordinators – who can guide you through difficult times.
Tom Tharayil, director of the Office of Assistance Ministry in the Archdiocese of Chicago, is among those who will await the calls from victims and non-victims alike.
“These stories are never presented with a trigger warning,” Tharayil said. “What happens is they’re assaulted all over again.”
His advice to survivors is to seek support from someone because having even a small network of people to discuss the challenges being faced will help in the healing process.
Beyond friends, family and professional mental health counselors, another resource Tharayil refers survivors to is The Healing Voices website at www.thehealingvoices.org. Developed by clergy abuse survivors, the site seeks to assist people reconcile their Catholic faith with the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual harm they have experienced.
Despite the recurrence of PTSD, Tharayil said he has found that “most (victims), on balance would prefer the information comes out even if this means they will be retraumatized, if you will.”
Victim survivors acknowledge that while a recurrence of PTSD can occur when high-profile news about clergy abusers breaks, it’s not all bad because “that helps raise community awareness,” Lennon agreed.
“People begin to understand that it doesn’t just happen in Pennsylvania. It happens everywhere. It brings a lot of people forward,” Lennon said.
Lennon told CNS he has received the support of his wife and twin daughters when he has a resurgence of PTSD.
Lennon, 73, who no longer practices Catholicism, said he was raped by a priest when he was 12 while growing up in Sioux City, Iowa. He said he had repressed the memory for decades until seeing a demonstration about 30 years ago outside of the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption in San Francisco calling on church leaders to address clergy sexual abuse.
“It flashed back in my mind. ‘Oh, I was sexually molested by this priest for several months,’” Lennon recalled thinking.
He said he also sought professional mental health assistance and been able to adjust to dealing with memories of the abuse he experienced.
Heather Banis, victim assistance coordinator in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, said managing PTSD is “about how to carry that burden differently” so that it does not become debilitating.
A support system is a must, she told CNS.
“It doesn’t always take the shape of a traditional family. It isn’t always as traditional as we might think. That’s OK. What matters is that you have it,” she said.
Richter said his connection to the Catholic Church has enabled him to address PTSD when it rises anew. He said the peace circles he coordinates, while not with a formal church connection, can do the same for others.
“I recognize that every day of my life is impacted by what happened to me when I was a teenager: the way I think, the way I see work, the way I approach others, the way that I talk. But it doesn’t define me,” he explained to CNS.
Deacon Nojadera said that although the church has spent millions of dollars for counseling and other mental health needs of survivors over the years, the work of helping survivors heal is far from complete. He said dioceses and the USCCB continue to seek stronger responses to the struggles of survivors in the hope of rebuilding trust.
“Will we ever eradicate this question of clergy sexual abuse and the inappropriate sins of the flesh? No. That’s part of the human condition. But our role, our mission, is to try to bring that down to as minimal as possible. And when it does occur, the church needs to know the importance of handling and stepping up to handle the situation in morally and ethically sound ways,” he said.

(Follow Sadowski on Twitter: @DennisSadowski)

By Rhina Guidos
WASHINGTON (CNS) – They came in tweets, news releases and Instagram posts from old friends, women religious and brother bishops in various languages congratulating Washington’s Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory.
The news of the country’s first African American prelate to be elevated to the rank of cardinal Nov. 28 sparked joy, as well as commentary that it was something that should have happened long ago.
“In elementary school, he asked his parents if he could become Catholic. Priests and Sisters in a Catholic school had inspired his heart. Today…look what the LORD has done….,” tweeted Bishop David P. Talley of Memphis, Tennessee, Oct. 25, the day the announcement was made public.
The Archdiocese of Chicago, where the cardinal-designate chose to become Catholic as boy after attending a parochial school (even though neither of his parents was Catholic), said it was rejoicing over the announcement and touted the cardinal-designate’s experience and contributions during difficult times for the church.

“Cardinal Gregory, who came to the Catholic faith as a student in an archdiocese grammar school, went on to become a strong leader in addressing some of the most pressing issues facing the church and society,” the archdiocese said in an Oct. 25 news release.
“In his years as president of the U.S. Conference of Bishops and beyond, he has been at the forefront of moving the church to repair the damage of child sexual abuse and confronting racism in all its forms,” the release said.
Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago pointed out the meaning of the appointment, given that it comes as the U.S. faces increasing social strife.
“While we take particular pride in this recognition of a dedicated priest, whom we are proud to claim as our own, we are also moved that Pope Francis chose this compassionate, thoughtful pastor when our nation and the world are in desperate need of healing and courageous leadership,” he said.
On a more personal note, the General Council of the Adrian Dominican Sisters recalled that the cardinal-designate “credited Adrian Dominican teachers at St. Carthage Grammar School in Chicago with inspiring him to convert to Catholicism.”
“Archbishop Gregory, soon to be Cardinal Gregory, has long inspired us – and continues ever more,” the council said in a statement. “Archbishop Gregory’s appointment is a blessing beyond measure for the entire church. As the first African American to be elevated to the College of Cardinals, Archbishop Gregory will bring the unique gifts and perspectives of Black Americans and Black Catholicism to the global church’s highest ecclesiastical body.
“As a prelate deeply committed to social and racial justice,” it added, “Archbishop Gregory will bring his courageous voice of integrity to the pope’s inner circle, speaking words of compassion and inclusivity.”
The social justice organization Pax Christi USA said the message Pope Francis was sending to the U.S. Catholic Church was clear.
“He has named the first African American cardinal in the U.S. in the midst of our nation’s reckoning with systemic racism, as millions assert that Black Lives Matter,” the organization said in a statement.
Jenny Kraska, executive director of the Maryland Catholic Conference, said in news release that he is “a pastor at heart” and “his wisdom, kindness and faith” will serve him well “as he takes on this new responsibility as a special adviser to the Holy Father and a papal elector.”
“As our state and nation continues to grapple with racial tension, the appointment of the first African American cardinal in history also has special significance,” Kraska said, adding that “throughout his ministry,” Cardinal-designate Gregory “has sought to address wrongs and bridge differences.”
On Twitter, Shannen Dee Williams, assistant professor of history at Villanova University, who specializes in African American, women’s, religious and civil rights history said that “the road to this appointment has been long” while the costs in the U.S. Black Catholic community had been tremendous.
“While global #BlackCatholics still remain grossly underrepresented in the College of Cardinals, this moment MATTERS,” she tweeted.
In the Archdiocese of Atlanta, then-Archbishop Gregory’s successor as head of the archdiocese, Archbishop Gregory J. Hartmayer, said: “Being chosen as the first African American cardinal from the United States indicates the pope’s awareness of the needs and gifts of the multicultural Catholic population throughout the United States.
“As his successor in the Archdiocese of Atlanta, I am particularly grateful for his leadership, mentoring and fraternity.”
Among his accomplishments, he said, the cardinal-designate is known for working closely with fellow bishops, clergy and women religious, promoting Catholic education, and fostering good relations with leaders of all faiths.
“It is clear that the talents and accomplishments of Archbishop Gregory will be a part of his legacy as a leader not only in the United States, but also as a member of the College of Cardinals who attend to significant issues of dioceses throughout the world,” Archbishop Hartmayer added.
Father Bruce Wilkinson, a retired priest from Atlanta, tweeted that while he was celebrating the moment, the church had to take a long hard look because after Cardinal-designate Gregory, “there will be none (no Black prelates) to follow.”
“Did it have to take this appointment to send a message by Pope Francis to be a diverse and an inclusive church in America?” he asked on Twitter Oct. 25. “I’m not trying to rain on the parade, too much, but this is … one man in one position.”palliative sedation;” obligation of care for patients in a “vegetative state” or with minimal consciousness; and conscientious objection by health care workers.

By Julie Asher
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – A Blessed Michael J. McGivney was “an outstanding witness of Christian solidarity and fraternal assistance” because of his “zeal” for proclaiming the Gospel and his “generous concern for his brothers and sisters,” Pope Francis said in his apostolic letter of beatification of the founder of the Knights of Columbus.
Representing the pope, Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin of Newark, New Jersey, read the letter in Latin during the Oct. 31 Mass of beatification for Father McGivney at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford, Connecticut. Beatification is a step toward sainthood.
In his homily, Cardinal Tobin elaborated on Blessed McGivney’s attributes as a parish priest.

“Father McGivney’s life is an illustration of how a holy priest can provide that necessary and intimate connection so crucial in the life and mission of a parish,” the cardinal said.
Blessed McGivney “knew the simple, indispensable requirement for a pastor: to love his people. He was with them in their sorrows, in times of death and bereavement. He was sanctified by doing what parish priests still do, day in and day out.”
His parish was not bound by names on his church’s registration rolls, Cardinal Tobin said. “He was not a stranger to jails and hospitals. He fostered respectful relationships with other Christian churches and civil authorities. He was a bridge-builder who shunned walls.”
In Blessed McGivney, “we see the face of a son of immigrants who gave his life in pastoral service of those most recently arrived in this country,” he said. “We meet the eldest of 13 children, who worked to keep families united in dignity and security; we are in the presence of an apostle who cared for victims of an epidemic before he himself died of the disease.
“We praise God for (the) timeliness of this celebration because 130 years after his death, the brief life of this holy man speaks eloquently to our own path to holiness.”
Jesus asks “each one of us to become a saint,” and “each one of us can certainly find encouragement in the life of Father McGivney, but none more than those of us who are called to become saints as parish priests,” Cardinal Tobin said.
The founding of the Knights of Columbus “grew out of his ministry as a parish priest,” he noted. And “long before his exhausted body surrendered to disease, he died daily to his own desires,” the cardinal added, and “he laid down his life for his friends.”
God is good for giving the church Blessed McGivney “at this moment of our common pilgrimage,” Cardinal Tobin said. “In a time of suffering and division, we glimpse his face among the ‘cloud of witnesses’ that urge us on. In Blessed Michael, we are reminded that life is not transactional, but a gift to be shared.
“We appreciate that true worship is centered on a right relationship with God and others, particularly those on the margin of society, and that Christian unity is more than simply adherence to a common belief,” the cardinal said. “We accept that like him, God calls each of us – in our own day and our own way – to be vessels of mercy and so enter into our heavenly inheritance.”
The beatification rite came shortly after the beginning of the Mass. After Cardinal Tobin read the rite in Latin, Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, the Knights’ supreme chaplain, read the English translation of the letter. A giant tapestry of Blessed McGivney’s portrait was unveiled in the cathedral sanctuary.
Michael “Mikey” McGivney Schachle, together with his parents, Daniel and Michelle, and several of his 12 brothers and sisters, carried a relic of Blessed McGivney and presented it to Cardinal Tobin. The relic was placed in the sanctuary and censed.
Mikey, now 5, is the child whose in utero healing from a life-threatening condition that, under most circumstances, could have led to an abortion, was confirmed by Pope Francis; it was announced in May as a miracle that occurred through Father McGivney’s intercession.
This miracle paved the way for the priest’s beatification. In general a second miracle is needed for canonization.
Before asking Cardinal Tobin that the beatification proceed, Hartford Archbishop Leonard P. Blair welcomed those in attendance – and all watching from afar – to “the joyful celebration of the beatification.”
The number inside was limited by COVID-19 restrictions, and those in the cathedral wore face masks and practiced social distancing.
Thousands more, in the U.S. and around the world, participated by watching the EWTN broadcast of the Mass or a livestream of it on www.kofc.org.
Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson read a brief biography of the Knights’ founder, saying that by establishing fraternal order he “presented to the church a paradigm” for an active and engaged laity.
The priest embodied the order’s core principles of charity, unity and fraternity, he said. His holiness directed him toward parish life, “not away from it,” and did not separate him from others but “drew him to their lives,” because he knew his people’s hardships firsthand, Anderson added.
Blessed McGivney (1852-1890), the son of Irish immigrants, was born in Waterbury, Connecticut, and was ordained a priest in 1877 for what is now the Archdiocese of Hartford. As a parish priest , he worked to improve the condition of his 19th-century Irish immigrant community in Connecticut.
In 1882, while he was pastor at St. Mary’s Parish in New Haven, Connecticut, he founded the Knights of Columbus to provide financial support for widows and orphans and to keep Catholic men and their families close to their faith at a time of widespread anti-Catholic bigotry.
He died of pneumonia complications at age 38 in 1890, during an outbreak of influenza known as the Russian flu in Thomaston, Connecticut. Some recent evidence, according to the Knights, indicates the outbreak may have been the result of a coronavirus.
The apostolic letter of beatification also announced Aug. 13 as the feast day for Blessed McGivney – the day between Aug. 12, the day he was born, and the date of his death, Aug. 14.

By Carol Zimmermann
WASHINGTON (CNS) – A divided Senate, in a 52-48 vote, confirmed Amy Coney Barrett as a justice for the Supreme Court the evening of Oct. 26 and soon afterward she was sworn in by Justice Clarence Thomas at a White House ceremony.
“The oath that I’ve solemnly taken tonight, means at its core that I will do my job without any fear or favor and that I will do so independently of both the political branches and of my own preferences. I love the Constitution and the democratic republic that it establishes and I will devote myself to preserving it,” Barrett said after the outdoor ceremony.
The 48-year old, who has been on the Chicago-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit since 2017, said it was a privilege to be asked to serve on the Supreme Court. She said she was “truly honored and humbled” to be stepping into this role, which is a lifetime appointment.
Barrett is now the 115th justice for the court, replacing Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died Sept. 18. She is the sixth Catholic justice on the current bench.
Thomas administered the constitutional oath to Barrett, who was to take the judicial oath in a private ceremony at the Supreme Court Oct. 27.
Reaction to the confirmation was swift and just as divided as it has been since she was first announced as President Donald Trump’s nominee just weeks before the presidential election. Congressional Democrats took to Twitter to criticize the Senate for acting so swiftly on this vote but not passing a COVID-19 relief package.
The Associated Press reported that no other Supreme Court justice has been confirmed on a recorded vote with no support from the minority party in at least 150 years, according to information provided by the Senate Historical Office.
During her nomination hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Barrett did not give direct answers on how she would vote on top issues but assured the senators that she would follow the rule of the law.
“My policy preferences are irrelevant,” she said, Oct. 13 when asked if she had intended to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, and she reiterated this same view when asked about abortion and same-sex marriage.
On the opening day of the hearings, Republican senators adamantly emphasized that Barrett’s Catholic faith should not be a factor in questioning. And although it did not become a topic of questioning, it was mentioned even in opening remarks by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina,
He asked if Barrett would be able to set aside her religious beliefs to fairly decide legal cases, which she said she could.
“I can. I have done that in my time on the 7th Circuit,” she said. “If I stay on the 7th Circuit, I’ll continue to do that. If I’m confirmed to the Supreme Court, I will do that.”

Barrett is now the first Notre Dame Law School graduate on the Supreme Court and the only sitting justice with a law degree not from Harvard or Yale. She graduated summa cum laude in 1997 and also met her husband, Jesse, there. The Barrett family lives in Indiana.
The oldest child of the couple’s seven children is a current student at the University of Notre Dame. Amy Coney Barrett began working at the law school in 2002 as a law professor focused on federal courts, constitutional law and statutory interpretation.
“On behalf of the University of Notre Dame, I congratulate Amy Coney Barrett on her confirmation today by the United States Senate as a justice of the United States Supreme Court,” said Holy Cross Father John Jenkins, university president, in an Oct. 26 statement.
G. Marcus Cole, the Joseph A. Matson dean at Notre Dame Law School, said the school is “immensely proud of our alumna, colleague and friend,” adding that for more than two decades the school has experienced Barrett’s “brilliant scholarship, her devoted teaching and her thoughtful, open-minded approach to legal questions.”
He also praised Barrett’s “exemplary kindness and generosity toward everyone she encounters” and said that while the school community would miss her presence they would “look forward to witnessing these qualities as she serves on our nation’s highest court.”
During the Senate Judiciary hearing, an open letter to Barrett signed by 100 Notre Dame professors was published online urging her to put a “halt” to the nomination process until after election. The letter emphasized this would allow “voters to have a choice” in the next judge on the nation’s high court.
An editorial published online Oct. 21 by the National Catholic Reporter, an independent Catholic newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri, similarly urged the senate to reject Barrett’s nomination.
“We at NCR do not like the prospect of five of the six conservative justices being Catholic and worry what that says about our church. In America, however, there are no religious tests for office and no senator should oppose Barrett on account of her religion.” It went on to say it was Barrett’s “bad faith in discussing the law that warrants disqualifying her.”
After the Senate vote, some Catholic bishops congratulated Barrett on Twitter.
Bishop J. Strickland of Tyler, Texas, said in an Oct. 26 tweet: “Thanks be to God that Amy Coney Barrett was approved as our newest Supreme Court Justice. Let us pray that she serves always guided by the truth God has revealed to His people. Immaculate Virgin Mary intercede for her.”
Similarly, Bishop Richard F. Stika of Knoxville, Tennessee, tweeted his congratulations and added: “Note to the Democrats. Justice Ginsburg was against packing the SC!” He was referring to a plan by President Franklin D. Roosevelt that has recently been touted by progressive Democrats to increase the number of justices on the court.
New Orleans Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond issued a more personal statement, pointing out that Barrett is from Metairie, Louisiana, and that her parents: Deacon Michael Coney and his wife, Linda, are members of St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Metairie.
“One of our own, Judge Amy Coney Barrett, has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate as an associate justice of the Supreme Court,” he said. “We pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to lead her and guide her in her service to our country.”

(Follow Zimmermann on Twitter: @carolmaczim)

By Mark Pattison
WASHINGTON (CNS) – Hurricane Delta deluged much of Louisiana with rain – as much as 15 inches reported in some areas – with damage tallies and estimates yet to be completed in the days following the storm’s Oct. 9 landfall.
In Lake Charles, one of the hardest-hit areas, churches and schools that had been damaged by Hurricane Laura in late August took a fresh beating. More than half of the diocese’s 39 churches had tarps on their roofs after Laura, according to Father Ruben Buller, vicar general, and most of those tarps blew off during Delta, soaking those churches anew.

Father Buller told Catholic News Service that he estimated recovery efforts for those churches hit by both Laura and Delta have been set back by three weeks. In the meantime, the diocese’s six Catholic schools were to stay closed the week of Oct. 12 to allow for extensive inspections for damage.
In a way, though, “we were very blessed,” said Father Buller, who doubles as “director of recovery” for the diocese, as “many of our parishes that did not receive damage the first time did not sustain damage” from Delta.
Bishop Glen J. Provost of Lake Charles and Father Buller did not evacuate, nor did most of the diocese’s priests, Father Buller said.
So many people heeded an evacuation order issued in advance of the hurricane, said diocesan spokeswoman Pamela Seal, that traffic on the highway leading to Houston, which ordinarily takes two-and-a-half hours, took 10 hours instead. “The interstate was a parking lot,” Seal said.
Weekend Masses were celebrated at Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Lake Charles despite low turnout – just 15 at some Masses. The cathedral had fresh but minimal damage, and was without power. “We still don’t have landline service,” Father Buller told CNS.
The neighboring Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana, announced the temporary closures of 23 schools, some just for Oct. 12, while others would be closed Oct. 12-13. The diocesan chancery also was closed Oct. 12.
The diocese set up an Amazon “wish list” page with items people were in immediate need of, including tarps, disinfectant, hammers, jigsaw blades, ladders, extension cords and other hardware. The site can be accessed at https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/304ZQI8OD9592.
“We beseech the good Lord for the safety of all families and their homes threatened by this hurricane,” said Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. bishops, in a Nov. 9 statement. “We pray especially for all the first responders who courageously risk their own lives to assist those in need.”
The Lafayette Diocese also was asking for donations to assist victims of both hurricanes. Donations can be made at https://secure.acceptiva.com/?cst=9fd2bc. Catholic Charities of Acadiana, which covers the Lafayette Diocese, also was seeking volunteers to aid disaster victims at https://www.tfaforms.com/4633555.
The Louisiana dioceses of Shreveport and Houma-Thibodaux reported no damage. In Houma-Thibodaux, “while there was flooding outside of our levee protection system, all our church parishes and diocesan locations reported no flood damage or wind damage from the hurricane,” said an email to CNS from Lawrence Chatagnier, editor and general manager of the Bayou Catholic, the diocesan magazine.
Hurricane Delta struck the resort city of Cancun, Mexico, Oct. 7 as a Category 2 storm. The storm toppled trees and power poles and wrecked the facades of some buildings, but didn’t do major damage, according to state and local officials. No serious injuries or loss of life were reported.
Caritas Quintana Roo responded to the hurricane by providing food to families in shanties built on the outskirts of the city, which were built by people working in informal jobs, such as vending, and had arrived from impoverished parts of southeastern Mexico in search of employment.
“In the zones with ‘invasions'” – as shanties are sometimes called in Mexico – “or ‘irregularities,’ where electricity isn’t officially connected, there’s no drainage, mud floors and small homes made of wood and laminate, there are many affected people,” said Miguel Gutierrez, director of Caritas Quintana Roo, in a WhatsApp message. Caritas belongs to the Diocese -of Cancun-Chetumal.
Hurricane Delta added to the difficulties faced by Cancun, founded 50 years ago as a centrally planned tourist destination, only to see its main industry collapse due to the coronavirus outbreak. Caritas, Gutierrez said, had been assisting 14,000 households with care packages of food prior to the pandemic, but saw that number nearly double over the past seven months.
He added Caritas was still attending to families flooded out in early October by Tropical Storm Gamma, which claimed six lives and dumped heavy rains on the Yucatan Peninsula, along with the southeastern states of Tabasco and Chiapas.
Caritas in the Archdiocese of Yucatan and Diocese of Tabasco responded to Gamma with care packages and organizing collections of food, clothing and supplies for “people who lost everything,” said Sister Eduviges Palacios, director of Caritas in Tabasco.

(Contributing to this story was David Agren in Mexico City.)

By Ann Rodgers
LOS ANGELES – Jada Fortunato was single, 19 and working her way through college when she became pregnant.
Statistically, that scenario often ends in abortion. Fortunato expected to sacrifice college to support her child. She didn’t have to make that choice, however, because a family friend told her about Mercy House, a support center for struggling families in the Archdiocese of Newark.
“Everyone was welcoming there,” said Fortunato, now 21, of North Arlington, New Jersey, as 2-year-old Giovanni babbled in the background. “When I was pregnant, I received assistance with food. And once I had the baby, I received a lot of help. I was getting formula, I was getting diapers, wipes, a car seat and one of those bouncy seats. I would definitely have struggled without their assistance.”

She was fortunate that someone in her circle told her where to find help. Because that connection is missing for many women with crisis pregnancies, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) created “Walking with Moms in Need: A Year of Service.”
The initiative calls for parishes to inventory local resources for pregnant women and young families, reach out in friendship to those who are marginalized, identify unmet needs, create solutions, and make sure parishioners know where to direct women and families in need.
“It’s the sort of thing everyone can get behind because it’s something that unites us,” said Kat Talalas, assistant director of pro-life communications at the bishops’ conference. “We love all people, we care for the vulnerable. It brings people together and helps us focus on something really important, regardless of where you fall on the spectrum of personal ideology.”
“Walking with Moms” was slated to launch March 25, the 25th anniversary of St. Pope John Paul II’s pro-life encyclical, “Evangelium Vitae” (“The Gospel of Life”).
The timing, it seems, could not have been worse. That month, much of the country went into lockdown due to the coronavirus. Parish activities shut down.
Some dioceses forged ahead, gathering information remotely. Others modified the initiative and many have suspended it until parishes are ready to move forward.
That’s all fine, because “Walking with Moms” was always intended to adapt to local situations, Talalas said. The secretariat of Pro-Life Activities has continued offering support, such as a COVID-related implementation webinar.
In the Diocese of Grand Rapids, Bishop David Walkowiak had just launched Walking with Moms when COVID struck.
“He sent the letter encouraging the priests to get involved and then everything — well, there was no follow up,” said D.J. Florian, director of the diocesan Office of Pastoral Services.
Next month, the diocese plans to pick up where it left off.
“October is a great time, with Respect Life Month already on the books,” he said.
For Charlene Bearden, coordinator of the Office of Family Ministry in the Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi, “Walking with Moms” answered her prayer for a ministry that would protect unborn children while supporting their mothers and families. A former corporate project manager with information technology skills, by February she had mapped a plan out for the diocese, customizable for each parish. Bishop Joseph Kopacz provided strong leadership.
“He is involved every step of the way. It makes a grand difference,” she said.
When COVID struck, Bearden worked from home on “Walking with Moms.” She sought intercession from Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman, a champion of social justice who Bearden had known, and compiled a 76-page resource on available social services.
She is updating it and will soon survey all parishes about their ability to move forward.
“I was never tempted not to continue with this project,” she said. “I just had this passion that it was something that had to be done and it was more necessary now than ever. What is a pregnant woman thinking now, when a lot of pregnancy care places suspended their services? They are really in need and where can they go?”
In the Diocese of Pittsburgh, where Catholic Charities runs “Walking with Moms,” information-gathering also continued during lockdown, with help from a summer intern. Volunteers will continue the work.
“It meets a great need,” said Marion Ahlers, director of marketing and communications.
“It’s not difficult work and the payout — this may sound cliché, but the payout is eternal. It’s 15 minutes on the phone to understand what’s available, what services can be provided. It’s about getting information to people when they need it. And that’s huge.”
In addition to helping women and families, the inventory is helping Catholic Charities to identify unmet needs across the six-county diocese. “There isn’t a complete or consistent breadth of services across our region. We want to understand where the deficits are,” she said.
It is also strengthening the bond between Catholic Charities and parishes as parish leaders learn about the wide array of services the agency provides to anyone in need, she said.
In the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Gina Vides, the parish engagement strategist for the Office of Life, Justice and Peace, has seen the need for grassroots networking.
A few years ago, Vides discovered that a large parish with a robust pro-life ministry was unaware of a stellar crisis-pregnancy center just down the road. The parish had been so busy with its own activities that it took no notice.
“Networking is so important and ‘Moms in Need’ pushes for it,” she said.
After pursuing networking in Los Angeles for years, she has advice for others.
While the inventory of social services must be far broader than crisis-pregnancy centers, it’s essential to listen to the directors of those centers. Their insights are so valuable that the Office for Life, Justice and Peace meets with them quarterly, Vides said. The pregnancy center directors emphasize that pregnancy itself usually isn’t the main problem.
For instance, the majority of women who have abortions in California already have children. Their biggest concern is how to care for them.
“Some women are afraid to lose their jobs,” she said. “Single women with children have one or two jobs and you’re afraid to tell your boss that you’re pregnant. You need to understand that you have rights in the workplace.”
A woman with a crisis pregnancy “needs more than counseling. She needs wrap-around services for herself, her unborn child, and any other children that she has,” Vides said.
Many programs that help pregnant women don’t carry the “pro-life” label, she said. The St. Vincent de Paul Society, which is active in many parishes, is a prime example.
“If you think of ‘Moms in Need’ and you’re not thinking of St. Vincent de Paul, then let’s promote them,” Vides said. “They regularly assist families with rent, clothes, shoes, beds, cribs. If you need diapers or milk, you call St. Vincent de Paul.”
In the Archdiocese of Newark, where Fortunato received help through Mercy House, Cheryl Riley had just taken a call from a woman who was contemplating an abortion due to economic stress.
“That’s why Mercy House was founded. Finances should never be an excuse for an abortion in the Archdiocese of Newark,” said Riley, director of the archdiocesan Respect Life Office.
“They’re scared,” she said of the women who call. “How will I feed my baby? How will I get diapers? Sometimes they just need a package of wipes. That’s what we do.”
Mercy House will also step in with rental assistance and utilities. It provides bags of food, giving away 50 one day last week alone. If someone can’t get to Mercy House, Mercy House will send help to them. The staff also encourages parents — who typically aren’t married — to engage with a parish and have their babies baptized.
“Every parish knows that, if there is someone in need, they send them to us.”
Even as the lockdown lifts, Riley sees greater needs ahead. “We are going to see a lot of COVID babies,” she said.
While “Walking with Moms” is on pause in many dioceses, “COVID-19 has highlighted the great challenges for moms in need,” said Talalas, at the U.S. bishops’ conference.
“In many cases their situation got worse with the pandemic, at the same time that many agencies had to reduce services. There is an increase in demand for help and a greater need for parishes to coalesce around helping pregnant and parenting moms. We encourage parishes and dioceses and individuals to pick up the mantle for ‘Walking with Moms’ and make it a priority.”