FSSP Dallas Holds Holy Hour for Hurricane Victims

Mater Dei Parish in Dallas, Texas, held a Holy Hour on Thursday, September 7, for the victims of Hurricane Harvey, which has devastated the Houston area near the southern coast of the Lone Star State. The Holy Hour was held in response to Bishop Edward Burns’ call to the 74 parishes of the Diocese of Dallas to hold a Holy Hour with Eucharistic Adoration for the victims on the evening of September 7; the good Bishop personally presided at the Holy Hour at the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe in downtown Dallas. The Bishop asked that the parishes ring the bells five minutes before the Holy Hour began, and he also asked that the Rosary be prayed before Masses on Saturday and Sunday, September 9th and 10th. Donated Rosary beads were distributed before Mass at the various parishes, including Mater Dei, and collected to be given to evacuees with the message that the prayer had been offered for them and all the hurricane victims.

Bishop Burns said: “This is an opportunity for Catholics to come together to pray for those affected by the hurricane, and in particular for those who have lost their lives. This is something that is being done, to the extent possible, in every diocese in Texas as an act of solidarity and prayerful support with our suffering brothers and sisters.”

Cynthia Bates, the Digital Media Strategist for the Diocese of Dallas and a parishioner of FSSP Dallas, spoke to us regarding the Diocese’s concern for those in Houston and for all those suffering from the slew of natural disasters that are currently affecting the United States. “The Catholic Diocese of Dallas stands in solidarity with those who have lost so much in Houston and the 54 counties affected by the devastation of Hurricane Harvey. We give thanks for those whose lives were spared from the rushing floodwaters, and pray for the souls of those who were not. We also join our prayers with those who are begging protection from Hurricanes Irma and Jose and the wildfires of the northwestern United States. We ask God for the strength to offer both spiritual and corporal works of mercy to those who have been affected by these natural disasters, and place ourselves under the protective mantle of our Blessed Mother as we continue to face the many challenges that lie ahead.”