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Text Box: THE BASILIAN FATHERS (The Society of Clerks Secular of Saint Basil) NEWS AND CONVERSATIONS From Archbishop Paul, S.S.B. HYURRICANES KATRINA AND RITA: The main adverse effect of hurricanes Katrina and Rita has been the loss and displacement of loved ones. Even though someone did not die, a person can be lost through the shock of the devastation and the cruelty they received not from the storms but from family and those they counted as friends. This loss even of one person is more severe than the loss of all physical facilities and all deaths and physical injuries combined. Obviously we have experienced severely negative effects to our facilities along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. And the hurricanes and tropical storms which effected Central America causing mud slides and flooding also severely effected our facilities and brothers and sisters in that part of the world. Several of our Priests in Guatemala were caught in mud slides, but all survived. The main house at Saint Joseph’s in Guatemala was flooded but is now serviceable. Saint Mary Magdalene in Waveland, Mississippi, was totally destroyed, as can be seen from the “before” picture at the top of this page, and the “after” picture on the next page. What happened at Saint Mary Magdalene? A solid block (sometimes inaccurately called a wall) of water thirty to fifty feet high and perhaps several miles deep and many miles wide along the coast, came inland at a speed of five, ten, or even more, miles per hour, smashing everything in its path, and carrying the

Text Box: debris of its destruction inland and also out to sea as the waters receded. The loss is total. The headquarters of The Society of Clerks Secular of Saint Basil was located at Saint Mary Magdalene. All of our records were there, but not all of them were lost because at Holy Innocents we have “back up” copies of all Basilian documents and some originals. Basilian headquarters have been temporarily moved to Holy Innocents, but it is planned that it will eventually return to Saint Mary Magdalene. Because Holy Innocents was not “set up” the same way as Saint Mary Magdalene, we will be delayed in producing the end of year material we normally provide during the last and first quarters of the year. We have the basic ability to produce such things as the Liturgical Calendar and Celebrates for the year 2006 A. D. But production is hampered by the need to repair the facilities at Holy Innocents, obtain

Text Box: contractors, deal with insurance companies and adjustors, as well as provide the material. The flood insurance claims adjustor has inspected Saint Mary Magdalene, received our itemized list of contents, approved a limits of policy claim on the building and contents, and sent the approval in to be paid. However, flood insurance is paid by FEMA. FEMA ran out of money with which to pay flood insurance claims. Even with congressional approval of additional funds, it is uncertain when the claims will be paid. When the claim is paid, the funds will be banked until a decision is made as to how to proceed with Saint Mary Magdalene in light of whatever government regulations may be put into effect as a result of the hurricanes. Holy Innocents in New Orleans (Harahan), fared much better than Saint Mary Magdalene.

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