Dear Parishioners,
These last several weeks Southern Oregon, indeed all of the Northwest, has experienced unprecedented tragedies due to fires. Reports have said that they have displaced 10% of the entire population of Oregon. That is a hard reality to swallow. Yet, here we are. In response to our local situation, we opened up our parking lot and used the Kelly Youth Center as a command center where we were able to offer food, drink, shelter, clothing, and a bathroom. While we didn’t receive the numbers of evacuees that other shelters in our area did, we did offered our hearts, hands, and feet as an expression of faith to those who did come our way. These Corporal Works of Mercy, while predicated on the darkness that has come our way, allowed us to put into action the mission of our parish.
I am proud of our staff, parishioners, and the Grant Pass community at large for stepping up, moving aside other commitments, and simply helping out. Their generosity in helping us assist others in their time of need was an inspirational thing to observe. Many turned to prayer, an essential and important way to discern what is needed.
Others gave of their time to steward the property, some even into the wee hours of the night, making sure the evacuees were safe and cared for. Some gave food, blankets, clothing, and money. Others came in to help us organize all these gifts so that everything stayed neat and clean.
Last Sunday, we learned the Red Cross had established an evacuation site with a variety of services. So, we informed the remaining folks who were still with us that we would be shutting down. Following that, once again, staff and parishioners swooped in to clean up the KYC and the area around it.
We learned many things looking back. Some were about how to host an emergency shelter, what resources are and are not needed, how to manage security, what agencies we can partner with, what boundaries we need to keep, and how to communicate with the media so that people in need can know what we are doing.
Thank you to all who responded in faith to this important moment of ministry in our parish. This won’t be the last wildfire which displaces people. There will be other emergencies in the future. The suffering due to the fires is still ongoing. People are still trying to figure out how to put their lives back together after losing almost everything. I am confident that we will, once again, step up and do what we can. St. Anne has a reputation of generosity when there is a need, and that generous response flows from our faith. May our faith in action give all the more glory to God!
Blessings,
Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor