Reaching Out to Cagayan De Oro

Right before Christmas, when everything was festive and expectant of a merry celebration of the birth of our Savior, people in Metro Manila was oblivious of the effects of typhoon Sendong, which ravaged in the middle of the night, Cagayan de Oro and Iligan and neighboring places in Mindanao.  Though we were having scattered rainshowers at the time, we did not know how badly the rains caused major landslides that wiped out thousands of homes and caused much loss of life. 

On December 27, Abp. Loren Hines and Bishop Ariel Santos, went to Cagayan de Oro to take a first hand look.  They found our church in CDO to have been spared from major damages.   Though only a handful of the members had some damage to their property, two families were rendered homeless.

During the day-trip, the sight which they found was very pathetic… a gym full of homeless families with insufficient water supply… long lines of people washing up in the streets from a single hose that was connected to a schoolyard … the stench of decay pervaded the air as a reminder of how many more are missing despite the numerous bodies that have already been recovered.

Abp. Hines, prior to the trip, had opened the opportunity to the members of the Archdiocese to be of help to the victims.  He was touched with the overwhelming pour of support from various churches and members of the Cathedral community.  Cash donations were given to the Parish Church of the Resurrection in Cagayan de Oro for them to be able to continue ministering to the needs of the people, not only to members of the church.

The pictures accompanying this article should speak for themselves.  They tell us how much more work is needed in rebuilding the community.  The instruction from Abp. Hines is to contain the assistance to a smaller group that could make an impact, rather than spreading the help too thinly which may not result to much.  Likewise, we, at the Cathedral, will continue on sending our support as they are needed to accomplish this goal.

We may have sent some help already.  But, much more is needed to get things back in place.  Let us continue to not only pray for them but to demonstrate our love tangibly with our means.