Members of the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Women’s Club in Minetto are collecting donations to help the Maui wildfire relief effort. Donors receive beautiful handmade crosses, each one of them unique, to adorn their Christmas tree this season. From left are Lee Maniccia, Debbie Hogan and Susanne Alfieri.
By Dc. Tom Cuskey
Editor
Just as sparks from a utility power line touched off a Hawaiian disaster, the international appeal for help – and a visitor to a diocesan parish – have sparked generous donations of aid and assistance to the people of Maui.
Sister Angie Laurenzo is a Sister of Saint Joseph of Carondelet; she recently visited her biological sister, a parishioner of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Minetto in Oswego County. Sister Angie was on break from her assignment on the island of Maui, not far from Lahaina, ground zero for the horrific wildfires that ravaged the area in August and September. She is not an official Maui relief fundraiser nor was she on official business, but conversations and her presence at Mass in Minetto helped spark a parish effort to help.
Sr. Angie, a Geneva, NY native, went to work among the people of Maui in 1991 in education. She currently serves as director of faith formation for a parish in Kahului, about 15 miles east of Lahaina where the blaze first broke out on August 8. Fires burned into early September, killing nearly 100 people and displacing thousands.
Maria Lanakila Catholic Church in Lahaina on the Hawaiian island of Maui is pictured Aug. 16, 2023, untouched by the wildfire that destroyed the entire town of Lahaina Aug. 8-9. (OSV News photo/courtesy of Maria Lanakila Parish)
“After we heard about the fires, of course, the Catholic Church had to reach out to them,” she shares, speaking of the people in various parish communities. One nearby church school Sister knows of was spared by the blaze; another one was destroyed, however, displacing students from their school. Moving to a nearby mission church, classes resumed at tables under an outdoor canopy. Because of the limited space, students came to class on alternate days to accommodate them all. “They have over 100 students,” she said. “They didn’t want to lose the Catholic identity, you know, because the next closest Catholic schools about 20 miles away.”
In contact with teachers at the makeshift school, Sister soon learned that classroom supplies were needed. “They had nothing,” she adds, “but people are getting more and more school supplies to them … the people are very generous.” Temporary school facilities have been made available and the timetable to rebuild is not clear at this time. “So meanwhile, we want them to know that we are still here for them. That’s how I got involved.”
While visiting her sister in Minetto, her story helped provide impetus for the Our Lady of Perpetual Help (OLPH) Women’s Club to do something special to help. A giving tree adorned with crosses made by the parish group has been put together to help raise gifts for the relief effort. Parishioners who donate to the Maui fund receive a beautiful, handmade jeweled cross ornament as a thank you for supporting the effort. Each ornament is a unique creation.
In addition to the relief efforts, Sister Angie says the people of Maui continue to need spiritual support.
“Keep praying for them, please, that they will have hope that they will persevere.” Sister shared stories of loss and tragedy in the community. “Oh, gosh, just terrible. You just want to cry, you know, when you hear these things, and we get stories all the time. Keep giving them perseverance and hope. What else can we do?”
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Diocesan Maui collection tops $72K
Diocese of Syracuse parishes have taken up special collections at Masses to aid in the Maui relief effort. As of October 31, $72,502.47. had been received locally as part of a global Church effort to help with immediate needs and the rebuilding effort. The funds will be sent to The Hawaii Catholic Community Foundation (HCCF) which is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation to support parish and school communities. Contributions will go directly to HCCF to support relief efforts for community members affected by the wildfires.
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