Society of the Sacred Heart urges two-pronged hurricane relief effort

September 3rd 2005 - Shirley Miller, RSCJ The Society of the Sacred Heart, U.S. Province, in concert with the Network of Sacred Heart Schools, is urging friends and members of the Sacred Heart family to join them in a two-pronged hurricane relief effort to assist in the transition of students from Academy of the Sacred Heart (“the Rosary) in New Orleans and to help the thousands of people left homeless and jobless in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

The province has established a Hurricane Relief/Network Schools fund to be used to assist two Sacred Heart schools in the South that are receiving large numbers of students from Academy of the Sacred Heart in New Orleans (“the Rosary”), and to assist families of students who have urgent needs related to their temporary resettlement. More than 200 students from the Rosary will be attending Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart in Houston and Academy of the Sacred Heart in Grand Coteau, Louisiana. Needs at the schools during this transition period include portable classrooms, educational materials, food and clothing for incoming students.

Friends and members of the Sacred Heart family are encouraged to contribute to Society/Network fund by sending checks to: Society of the Sacred Heart, 4389 West Pine Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63108. Checks should be clearly marked “Hurricane Relief, Network Schools.”

Donations may be made online at http://www.rscj.org (click “Supporting our Mission”). In the space provided, please note that the money is intended for Hurricane Relief, Network Schools. Please indicate your preference, if you have one, for where you wish your gift to go: to the receiving schools or to the families of displaced students. Any who are able to assist directly with practical needs, such as providing housing for displaced students and their families, may contact the schools in Houston or Grand Coteau. Information on contacting those schools is available at http://www.sofie.org.“Sacred Heart Schools.”

In addition, friends and members of the Sacred Heart family are encouraged to contribute to general hurricane relief in New Orleans and other areas along the Gulf Coast, where thousands of hurricane victims, many among the poorest in the region, have urgent, immediate needs for water, food and shelter.

The U.S. provincial team suggests contributions for general relief be made to Catholic Charities, USA, 2005 Hurricane Relief Fund, PO Box 25168, Alexandria, VA 22313-9788.

Online donations to Catholic Charities may be made at http://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/news/katrina.cfm.

The Society of the Sacred Heart, U.S. Province, is making a donation to both the “Hurricane Relief, Network Schools” fund and to Catholic Charities U.S.A. The U.S. Provincial Team is deeply grateful to the administrators, faculty members, students and families in Houston and Grand Coteau for their generous response to the needs of students and families from New Orleans.

We are grateful, too, to each of the 19 other member schools in the Network of Sacred Heart Schools, and the two affiliated schools, that have opened their doors to displaced students and families, though in fewer numbers than the schools in the South. We are also grateful for the many assurances of prayers and offers of help from friends, family members and alumnae who share our shock and sorrow over the devastation of New Orleans and other areas along the Gulf Coast and the desperate plight of so many of the hurricane victims.

Persons wishing up-to-date information about faculty, staff, students and families from the Rosary are invited to visit the discussion board at http://www.sofie.org. Persons wanting up-to-date information about relief efforts in the aftermath of the hurricane may continue to visit http://www.wwltv.com.