St. Ignatius Church, Long Beach, Long Island, New York. Sister Diane Morgan, OP (Amityville), a Long Island native, is pastoral associate at the parish, which serves 2,000 families. They are continuing to have Mass on the weekends, with no heat and limited lighting.

Hurricane Sandy
Storm impacts Dominican sisters, ministries on East Coast

The sisters of Dominican congregations in New York and New Jersey—Amityville, Blauvelt, Caldwell, Hope and Sparkill—ask your prayers for the people of their area who are suffering the great devastation from Hurricane Sandy as well as the snowstorm that followed.

Sisters from each congregation have been rendered homeless. In some cases, it is a matter of electricity; in others, water damage. Sisters from Hope on the Jersey shore won’t be back into Asbury Towers until December (Read story on Dominican Sisters of Hope web site). Amityville Dominicans from Long Beach, Long Island, New York, cannot return to the convent, which suffered structural and water damage. Sisters from Coney Island lost much of their belongings, and the condition of the building is questionable. Retreat houses staffed by Dominicans and others were hard hit on the Jersey coast.

From the Dominican Sisters of the Roman Congregation who serve on Staten Island: Houses have disappeared, lives have been lost (some are not mentioned because they were illegal immigrants and they cannot identify them), some people still do not have power and refuse to leave because they hold on to their possessions. Many people (looters) take advantage of the situation. However, there are lots of good people helping those in need, and it is beautiful to see. Other Dominican Sisters in the area: Adrian, Peace, Roman, Hawthorne, Maryknoll, and Sinsinawa.

The plight of our people on the Jersey Coast, Staten Island and Brooklyn, Queens and the Nassau coastline is overwhelming. Two weeks now without power, many have lost whole houses, cars and possessions. The cold and snow seemed to be too much to bear, but with others coming to their aid, hope was sustained. Some of the biggest concerns are housing, keeping families together as holidays approach, getting children to school, and the coming of winter.

We ask your prayers, and as immediate needs are met and long-range plans get underway, we will seek your help in other ways.

Margaret Briody, OP (Amityville)
Dominican Sisters in Committed Collaboration (OPSCC)

Links

Hurricane Sandy Video: Rockaways Residents Tell Their Stories After The Storm
Huffington Post
Nov. 16, 2012

As Sandy recovery continues, parishes help meet theirs, others' needs
Catholic News Service
Nov. 15, 2012

After the Storm, Church Offers Support, Solace to Parishioners
Catholic New York
Nov. 15, 2012

People lost 'stuff' in storm but still have each other, priest says
National Catholic Reporter
Nov. 6, 2012