Prayers for Hurricane Season

Prayer for Hurricane Season     

O God, Master of this passing world, hear the humble voices of your children.  The Sea of Galilee obeyed your order and returned to its former quietude; you are still the Master of land and sea.  We live in the shadow of a danger over which we have no control.  The Gulf, like a provoked and angry giant, can awake from its seeming lethargy, overstep its conventional boundaries, invade our land and spread chaos and disaster.  During this hurricane season, we turn to You, O loving Father.  Spare us from past tragedies whose memories are still so vivid and whose wounds seem to refuse to heal with the passing of time.  O Virgin, Star of the Sea, Our Beloved Mother, we ask you to plead with your Son in our behalf, so that spared from the calamities common to this area and animated with a true spirit of gratitude, we will walk in the footsteps of your Divine Son to reach the heavenly Jerusalem where a storm-less eternity awaits us. Amen. Originally dedicated to the victims of Hurricane Audrey in 1957.  - Fr. Al Volpe, Cameron Parish, LA  

Prayer for Protection against Storms and Hurricanes

Our Father in Heaven through the intercession of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, spare us during this Hurricane season from all harm.  Protect us and our homes from all disasters of nature.  Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hasten to help us.  We ask this through Christ our Lord.  Amen.  

Prayer to Avert Storms and Hurricanes 

Father, all the elements of nature obey your command.  Calm the storms and hurricanes that threaten us and turn our fear of your power into praise of your goodness.  Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.  Amen.

Images of Our Lady miraculously spared by storms

Cardinal Dolan sees heartbreak, hope in Sandy's wake

The following comes from the CNA:

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy’s destructive passage across the East Coast, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York expressed his “solidarity in love and prayer with so many who are suffering.”

“What do you say? Our hearts are broken when you see the loss of life, the grieving families, the devastation, the ruination,” Cardinal Dolan told Fox News co-anchor Martha MacCallum Oct. 31.

“But throughout all of it, too, you begin to see a glimmer of light and hope: people coming together.”

He said that people can become “selfish” and “violent” or they can “pitch in, in solidarity and community, to help one another, to help rescue one another.”

“Thanks be to God, that’s what’s happening throughout Connecticut, New Jersey, and throughout our beloved New York,” the cardinal said. “The best, the most noble sentiments of people are coming out.”

The storm killed at least 80 people across the U.S. and 38 people in New York City alone after making landfall Oct. 29. Hundreds of thousands of people in New York City remain without access to power, water, heat and transportation.

Cardinal Dolan said Catholic Charities and Catholic health care facilities are in action and are helping those in need. He plans to visit some of the affected areas.

An iconic photo of a lone statue of the Virgin Mary in front of a destroyed home in the fire- and flood-ravaged Queens neighborhood of Breezy Point caused him particular concern.

“I love Breezy Point,” he said, describing its local pastor Msgr. Michael Curran as “a very close friend.”

“I’m worried because I can’t get in touch with him,” said the cardinal, who added that the priest had told the cardinal he would stay in the area “with my people.”

“I just trust he’s well,” the cardinal told Fox News.

On Nov. 1 Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn also commented on the storm.

“Hurricane Sandy has left her trail of death and destruction across our city and region,” he said in his diocese’s newspaper The Tablet.

“We all pray first and foremost for our fellow New Yorkers and their families who perished. While things may always be replaced, we are all mindful of how important our homes are in our lives and so our thoughts and prayers turn to those whose property was destroyed or damaged.”

He announced a second collection in his diocese’s parishes to fund Catholic Charities’ relief efforts for those affected in Brooklyn and Queens, most of whom are middle class or working poor.

Bishop DiMarzio said that the response of faith to natural disasters is “not so much about the question why is there evil but the conviction that the power of God always conquers sin and evil.”

“The deep has come to us in this storm, but we must always be ready to meet the challenge and put out into the deep to meet the needs of those less fortunate than ourselves,” he said. “Please be as generous as you can to help those who are in such great need.”

Both Cardinal Dolan and Bishop DiMarzio dispensed with Catholics’ normal obligation to attend Mass on the Feast of All Saints in their dioceses.

Catholic Charities agencies are performing damage assessments and are reaching out to parishes to offer support. The agency is working closely with government and other disaster relief partners.

In Hurricane Isaac's wake, prayers and help for victims

The following comes from the CNA:

Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond of New Orleans prayed for victims of Hurricane Isaac, as the archdiocese's Catholic Charities affiliate assesses damage and helps those affected. 

 “We consciously place ourselves in God’s presence and ask him to give us his protection,” Archbishop Aymond said. “God has always promised to protect us in challenging times, and we ask that God does that now, especially with those who are struggling. Bless us and help us reach those in need.” 

 His prayer came in an Aug. 29 conference call with the leadership of New Orleans' Catholic Charities, according to the archdiocesan newspaper The Clarion Herald. 

 In another prayer published by Catholic Charities, he asked God to bless those awaiting rescue, the elderly, and the emergency crews. Hurricane Isaac made landfall in the U.S. on Aug. 28. It dropped more than 15 inches of rain and flooded parts of Louisiana and Mississippi, killing at least six. 

Although the storm knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of people, New Orleans did not suffer major damage, the Associated Press reported. However, Catholic Charities said damage assessments are underway and many residents in the Archdiocese of New Orleans will need assistance. The agency’s leaders and Archbishop Aymond are finalizing their response plan. The agency’s crisis counselors and case managers are working with evacuees while other teams will spread into the affected areas. 

 “Residents of Plaquemines Parish, the towns of Slidell, LaPlace, Madisonville and Mandeville have suffered the most damage, but the situation remains fluid and assessments continue to identify damage,” the local agency said Aug. 30. 

 Archbishop Aymond has feared that Assumption of Our Lady Mission in Braithwaite, La. to New Orleans’ southwest sustained heavy flooding. He visited first responders in the affected area on Thursday afternoon, The Clarion Herald reported. 

 Before the storm made landfall, Fr. Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA, said the national organization is “ready to meet the needs of those who will be most affected by this storm.” Experience and investment, he said, will make relief efforts “more effective and better prepared” than they were in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. 

 The archdiocese plans to provide direct financial assistance to those most affected by the storm. Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New Orleans is seeking donations on its website www.ccano.org.