St. Henry Catholic Church

Church Office CLOSED due to Hurricane Laura damage. Supplies available at Community Center M-Sat 10am-2pm.
For EMERGENCIES call 337-240-1144.

 

click link below to read Bishop's Pastoral Letter
http://www.lcdiocese.org/3-news/2999-pastoral-letter-of-bishop-provost-outpouring-of-support

The following letter is from Fr. Cormier and Fr. Caraway.

Dear People of God of St. Henry Catholic Church,
Last Thursday morning, our lives were turned upside down. As the winds subsided and the sun rose, we were able to see the devastation. On that same morning, however, the first psalm to be prayed in Morning Prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours (the official prayer of the Church) was Psalm 57 which begins “In the shadow of your wings I take refuge till the storms of destruction pass by”. My friends, the storms of this life will pass. In the Hurricane Prayer that we all know by heart we pray to “reach the heavenly Jerusalem where a storm-less eternity awaits us.”
I know that many of you have lost much. Some have lost their homes. Fr. Caraway and I are in the Parish with you our people. We have been gradually meeting more of you since the storm and hearing your stories, praying and crying with you. We have driven through the neighborhoods handing out water and food. We have seen the destruction of our parishioner’s homes and businesses and our hearts ache with you. But remember, the storms of this life will pass.
Offers of assistance are pouring in constantly. The generosity of our neighbors is extraordinary. Catholic churches and organizations from Beaumont, Winnie, Lafayette, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Metarie, and Mowata have reached out to St. Henry’s specifically to offer to bring supplies, send work crews, cook hot meals, take up collections, and anything else they can do. We are profoundly grateful. There are so many offers coming in that we are having to make a schedule. On Tuesday, St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church from New Orleans was here at the Community Center cooking and handing out meals. More are coming. Next week, 30-40 seminarians from Notre Dame Seminary will be coming to assist us and the Bishop has directed us to send them out into the communities to help the people directly. We are working with the pastors of the parishes here in central and north Lake Charles to determine those parishioners who are most in need of that type of assistance, especially the homebound, elderly, and widowed.
Know that all of our church buildings are still standing. Some received more damage than others. I will not bother you with those details now. Just know that it is being taken care of. Our insurance company sent Balfor Restoration to us through the Diocese to assess the damage, clear the debris, tarp roofs, provide power to essential buildings, and repair the church property. They will be here until the job is done. They have already made tremendous progress. I know that many of you want to help clean up your church home, but we know that have your own homes to see about and this is why you put money in the collection every week—so that we can pay for the insurance to provide these types of services. The church building did very well in the storm. We are able to have Mass. 
Like everyone else in Lake Charles, our phone lines are down. If you need to reach us, send a message to the church on our Facebook page. Also, if someone is need of the Anointing of the Sick or is in danger of death, please call 337-240-1144
As we continue through this incredible year of 2020, we could easily get discouraged and even despair. I am reminded of the closing words of one of my favorite hymns, “O God Beyond All Praising”,
“And whether our tomorrows
be filled with good or ill
we’ll triumph through our sorrows
and rise to praise You still.”

Fr. Matthew Cormier and Fr. Joseph Caraway

St. Henry, pray for us!
St. Peter Claver, pray for us!
Our Lady Star of the Sea, pray for us!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4V-AQbKyg48