Thank you for your prayers for our brothers and their parishioners in Florida. They have shown incredible fortitude, charity, and resolve in preparing for, riding out, and recovering from Hurricane Ian. Below you will find updates on our Oblates and Apostolates in Southwest Florida:
Jesus Obrero- Jesus the Worker (Fort Myers) is dealing with the flooding of their mission church, San Jose, which took in five feet of water. The destruction there was very serious. The mitigation process of removing all sheetrock, wood, floor tiles, carpets, cabinets, insulation, and maybe even the pews themselves is in process. After this laborious work is done, rebuilding can begin. It will be some time before Masses and activities can resume at that location. Thankfully, the main Church is fine and the Church Hall, which sustained some roof damage, has become a major distribution center for assistance. Many of Father Patrick O’Connor’s parishioners are suffering from severely damaged homes and/or no work as many are in the service industry. Literally, thousands of people from throughout the wider East Fort Myers community have arrived there for aid. Others have been extremely generous in providing assistance, including a radio station in Miami that sent five trucks full of supplies! Father Patrick is putting in long hours to both lead his parish and coordinate this assistance effort. The Florida Catholic covered the parish in this article. The massive effort there was also covered by a local television station out of Tampa. Their story can be accessed by clicking here.
If you would like to support Jesus the Worker, you can send a donation to 881 Nuna Ave.
Fort Myers, FL 33905.
Saint Ann (Naples) is seeing improvement in their situation. The parish took four to five feet of water into three of its twelve buildings, including two buildings at the rectory complex and the Parish Office/Chapel. Mitigation on these buildings is coming to an end and the process of reconstruction will soon begin. Because of where the parish is located and the large storm surge there, there are parishioners of Saint Ann who suffered significant losses. Saint Ann School reopened this week with a prayer service. While the school was closed, the students, faculty, staff, and their families kept busy by collecting many items to help others in need.
If you would like to support St. Ann Parish, you can send a donation to 475 9th Avenue, Naples, FL 34012.
Our Lady of Light (Estero) is doing well. There was damage typical in a storm like this (debris, roof damage) but the parish is getting back to normal. The Parish Center is being opened to those who are in need of shower facilities and donation items that have been collected there for distribution. The parish is surveying parishioners to see who is in need of assistance and is developing a response personalized to those needs. Father Hugh McGuigan, Pastor, is particularly concerned about year-round parishioners in mobile home communities who sustained significant damage.
If you would like to support Our Lady of Light, you can send a donation to the St. Vincent de Paul Society at Our Lady of Light, 19680 Cypress View Drive, Fort Myers, FL 33967.
Saint Cecilia (Fort Myers) is in great shape. The debris has been cleaned up and parish operations are back to normal. The only remaining reminder of Hurricane Ian on the campus is the bent cross on top of the Church. Some parishioners took a hit, but even with their own challenges, are asking how they might be of help to others.
Let us continue to keep the Southwest Florida Oblates, their parishioners, and colleagues in our prayers!
