After the winds from Hurricane Ida peeled off the roof of the seven-story apartment building in Metairie, Louisiana, Aug. 29, St. Francis Xavier Church — across the street from the apartment building — was transformed into an emergency shelter for 34 residents, even though the parish had also lost electrical power.
With most of South Louisiana cut off from electrical power due to the 150-mph winds of Hurricane Ida, the Archdiocese of New Orleans announced Aug. 30 that all schools, along with its main administrative offices, would remain closed until at least Labor Day, Sept. 6.
Hurricane Ida wreaked havoc, fear, and destruction in southern Louisiana on Sunday, Aug. 29, as one of the most powerful systems to hit the region since Hurricane Katrina made landfall in 2005.
A state judge has halted an order by Texas Governor Greg Abbott barring non-government vehicles from transporting migrants. This paves the way for Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley and other organizations to continue their work.
In Tijuana, on the Mexico side of the U.S.-Mexico border, Father Pat Murphy assesses at least 2,000 migrants camping on a cement pavilion outside of an immigration facility. His migration shelter is full, and even more people are living on the streets.
Henry Kersten was pacing back and forth inside his family’s home in Waverly Aug. 21 when he saw the backyard shed being carried off by the flood waters. His wife, Leslie, was trapped inside.
Some New York State lawmakers are unsure if Andrew Cuomo can be impeached after resigning from office. Others, like Assemblyman Ron Kim of Queens, believes Cuomo can and should be impeached to prevent him from making a political comeback.
Cardinal Raymond L. Burke remained hospitalized for COVID-19 but as of Aug. 21 he was taken off a ventilator that he had been on for some days and taken out of the ICU to be returned to a regular hospital room, according to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse.
After seeing the Taliban’s sweep through Afghanistan to retake governing control, Colleen Kelly wonders if accountability for the death of her brother in the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York 20 years ago and the subsequent war in Afghanistan will ever be achieved.
While Pope Francis, Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles, and other prelates emphasize the Catholic Church’s pro-COVID-19 vaccination stance, what remains murky is its position on vaccination mandates and religious exemptions.
