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Published by
the Orthodox Church in
America, September 24, 2005
OCA clergy aid
hurricane victims |
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SOUTH RIVER, NJ [OCA Communications]
— As the Rev. David Garretson returned to his
pastorate at Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox
Church here on September 17 after nine days of
ministry in the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast,
the Rev. Antonio Perdomo was making final
preparations to leave his parish of Saint George
in Pharr, TX on Sunday, September 25 to join
relief efforts undertaken by
International Orthodox Christian Charities [IOCC].
Both priests received rapid response training
through IOCC, the pan-Orthodox humanitarian
agency under the aegis of the Standing
Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the
Americas. And Father Antonio has experience
working with FEMA in New Mexico and GEMA in the
state of Georgia.
While Father Antonio has yet to personally
witness the damage caused by Hurricanes Katrina
and Rita, the latter of which hit the Texas
coast on Friday, September 23, with less fury
than initially expected, Father David returns
home with stark images of Katrina's devastation.
Biloxi, MS, where Father David helped coordinate
IOCC's relief efforts, "had a sense of
unrealness.... I've never seen anything like
that. It looked like the set of a sci-fi movie.
People were the walking wounded."
Father David, who was trained in disaster relief
after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, helped get
trailers of aid and distribute emergency
supplies from IOCC in Biloxi.
"I just think the faith-based groups are good
first responders," Father David said in an
interview with central New Jersey's Home News
Tribune, adding that IOCC and similar groups
responded to the mounting needs well before
other agencies.
Father David spent much of his time coordinating
trucks and supplies. About 30 percent of the
time he counseled people, including volunteers
whose own homes had been destroyed. He recalled
how victims, "shocked, running on adrenaline,"
dug through the remains of their homes, hoping
to find pieces of their past -- a "classic case
of innocent suffering."
Father David emphasized that, while many people
had donated clothing and stuffed animals to
hurricane victims, such things make it
burdensome to distribute essential items. The
best thing to contribute, he said, is money to a
reputable charity. Donations sent to IOCC by
faithful of the Orthodox Church in America's
parishes and funds sent to similar relief and
humanitarian agencies are essential in helping
victims rebuild their lives.
While Father David, who plans to return to the
Gulf Coast for a few days to assist new workers,
is enjoying his return to parish life, Father
Antonio is anxious to begin his temporary
ministry, knowing that in several days he'll be
joining Father David in saying, "I'm still
overwhelmed by the experience."
Click
here for photos of the hurricane relief
efforts.
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