Parish roundup: Hurricane outreach; pain of mergers; abuse discussions

Sandra Guzman is pictured with her daughter, Maria Valentine Romero, in their mobile home Sept. 12. The home had a tarp instead of a roof after the passing of Hurricane Irma in Immokalee, Fla. (CNS/Reuters/Stephen Yang)

Sandra Guzman is pictured with her daughter, Maria Valentine Romero, in their mobile home Sept. 12. The home had a tarp instead of a roof after the passing of Hurricane Irma in Immokalee, Fla. (CNS/Reuters/Stephen Yang)

Editor's note: The Field Hospital blog reports on parish and other grassroots efforts across the U.S. and Canada to accompany those on the margins. Pope Francis said he sees the church as a "field hospital" that labors "from the ground up" to "heal wounds."


Catholics in Ave Maria, Florida, reach out to their hurricane-ravaged and poorer neighbors in nearby Immokalee. In the Galveston-Houston Archdiocese, Texas Catholics respond to their hurricane crisis.

A St. Vincent de Paul Society volunteer warns about homelessness in Rochester, New York.

Thanh Thai Nguyen, the only Vietnamese-American bishop, talks about his ministry to a large Catholic immigrant group and his own refugee experience when he was rescued at sea. Nguyen is the new auxiliary for Orange, California, the diocese with the largest number of Vietnamese Catholics.

Utah Catholics celebrate the contributions of those with disabilities, particularly those suffering from mental health issues.

The border town of Eagle Pass, Texas, has its first gay pride parade. The event is reflected upon by a native, who writes about the town's Mexican-American and Catholic roots.

Encuentro meetings in San Diego explore what Latino Catholics are looking for in their church.

More proof that church consolidation is more than a Catholic thing. Episcopalians in Maryland undergo a painful process. Noted here are similar concerns among Presbyterians and Jews. 

University of Notre Dame basketball comes to the rescue of a hurricane-damaged Texas parish school.

New Mexico parishes to host panel discussions about clerical sexual abuse. The goal is healing and transparency.

Don't look for help from civil courts about internal church disputes. A judge dismisses the complaint of parishioners in the Pittsburgh Diocese protesting the merger of their parish. In her opinion, the judge notes that the civil courts remain wary about imposing their views on church law.

[Peter Feuerherd is a correspondent for NCR's Field Hospital series on parish life and is a professor of journalism at St. John's University, New York.]

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