Parishes proved to be places of refuge during, after storms

No storms were in sight when Sarah Bowman stepped out of her car and walked toward St. Columbkille Church in Papillion for Mass.

A radio announcer, however, had just warned that dangerous thunderstorms were on the way and that people should take cover.

Still, Bowman was not terribly worried.

But as the 5:30 p.m. Mass on July 31 began, rain and wind could be heard pelting the church and its roof.

Soon the lights began to flicker and then went completely out.

The Mass, led by Father Tom Greisen, pastor at St. Columbkille, continued in candlelight but still with the aid of microphones.

Bowman recalled that a skylight above the altar rattled in the pounding storms, and police and rescue sirens could be heard outside as emergency vehicles passed by.

Yet everyone around her, including Father Greisen, remained calm, trusting in God, she said. And she was reassured.

The priest and the small congregation prayed for everyone’s safety. When the brief weekday Mass was over, the pastor encouraged people to head to the church’s lower level for safety.

Bowman and others found a place of refuge at their parish that day. And in the days that followed, Catholics and others continued to turn to parishes in the Omaha metropolitan area for refuge and help.

Power outages were widespread after winds reached up to 90 mph. Initially more than 200,000 homes and businesses were without power in the Omaha Public Power District, the utility reported. It was the largest outage in OPPD history.

Crews work to restore power near Christ the King Parish in Omaha. SUSAN SZALEWSKI

Some homes and buildings were damaged, including the Archdiocese of Omaha chancery, which sustained serious roof and water damage. The building remains closed as repairs continue.

Perhaps amazingly, no injuries from the storms were reported.

“I’m so grateful to God that nobody got hurt,” said Father Mark McKercher, administrator of St. Robert Bellarmine Parish in Omaha. “God was awfully good to us.”

He also was celebrating Mass when the storms broke out on July 31.

The lights flickered during the 5:30 p.m. Mass, he said. Though he was able to use a microphone, Father McKercher had to raise his voice to overcome the sound of the rain and wind outside.

Then the roof began leaking in spots, including over the altar.

“It was definitely interesting,” he said of the situation, but Mass went on as usual, as he was careful to protect the Eucharist from the drips.

After Mass people hunkered down inside the church until the worst of the weather was over.

Some trees on parish property were stripped of large limbs, Father McKercher said, but no buildings were damaged. St. Robert Bellarmine parishioners, including youths seeking service hours for school, helped with cleanup on the day after the storm.

In the hot, humid days that followed, many people went to the parish to cool down in air conditioning and charge their electronic devices, he said.

On social media, Father McKercher offered people a chance to take a break from the heat, charge their electronic devices and have their sins forgiven in the sacrament of Reconciliation – all in one stop. At least two people told him that they went to Confession after seeing his offer.

Christ the King Parish in Omaha also offered cooling relief and a place to recharge. Father John Pietramale, pastor, offered people a place to eat their drive-through restaurant meals, recharge their phones and other devices, as well as refrigerator space and free ice from the parish’s ice machine to keep food from spoiling.

The parish itself lost electrical power for a day and a half, but a week later many parishioners still lacked electricity in their homes.

Many people praised the quick work of OPPD and its contractors for their quick work in restoring power. On Aug. 8, a week and a day after the storm, nearly all electricity had been restored.

At St. Columbkille, parishioners stepped forward to help clean up tree limbs and debris the day after the storms, with more volunteers than were necessary, Father Greisen said.

Parish employees and parishioners helped when the Papillion community offered free meals for people without power.

Overall, people seemed to “roll with the punches” during the storm and the recovery, he said. But still, he worried about people who couldn’t afford to throw out the food they had in their refrigerators.

Parishes – and their Society of St. Vincent de Paul conferences – will continue to be there to help, he said.

READ MORE FROM THE CATHOLIC VOICE: