Announcing the Parish Partnership Program! St. Barnabas is Our Partner Parish!

The need, and therefore the work, continues: According to published reports, “North Carolina state officials have reported 96 deaths (and still counting) from Helene, which brought historic levels of rain and flooding to the mountains in late September. The storm and its aftermath caused 1,400 landslides and damaged over 160 water and sewer systems, at least 6,000 miles (9,650 kilometers) of roads, more than 1,000 bridges and culverts and an estimated 126,000 homes, the budget office said. Some 220,000 households are expected to apply for federal assistance.” The economic cost of Hurricane Helene is expected to surpass $50 billion dollars.

As the Diocese of Charlotte’s Helene response efforts shifts from emergency aid to long-term rebuilding, Bishop Michael Martin has called on parishes to form partnerships within the diocese. From Bishop Martin: “While some of the immediate needs have been cared for, our longer-term walking with the people affected … remains an important ministry of our local Church,” the bishop said. The key, he said, is for the diocese to band together to provide long-term material and spiritual support to the affected parishes and communities – accompanying them through the challenges of disaster recovery, “making a difference in that process in the months to come.”

In the program announced by the bishop, partnered parishes can hold second collections to help offset lost operating revenue in their partnered parish, offer monthly Holy Hours to pray for their partnered parish, check in with the parish regularly about the need for pastoral help or volunteers, and more. A number of our western parishes are facing financial struggles due to the income loss of many of their parishioners following the devastating impact of Hurricane Helene.

Parishes were asked to sign up for the program, with the chancery pairing up parishes based on resources and level of need. St. Paul the Apostle has been paired up with St. Barnabas in Arden, North Carolina. This is a providential pairing as St. Barnabas is Fr. Mack's home parish; the parish his family began attending after moving to North Carolina back in 1965. We are called to aid the St. Barnabas parish and will be doing so in the coming weeks and months.