Saving St Mary's

The mother-church of Texas Catholicism, Galveston's historic Cathedral-Basilica of St Mary still bears visible high-watermarks from the island's "great storm" of 1900. Now in Ike's wake, the venerable 1847 structure finds itself facing similar straits, as the parish secretary reports:

The island is uninhabitable and the mayor has said that those who did not evacuate should leave. Basic services like water and power are not going to be restored soon.

The church had 8 feet of water and will need to be cleaned and repaired. The pastor is taking residence in Lake Charles, Louisiana and has no access to a computer. I have evacuated to Dallas and there is nobody at the church.

We have no information of when the postal service will become operational in Galveston. We do not know when we will be able to get back either. The island is in lock down.

Donations are being accepted to aid both the basilica's repair and the parish's community rebuilding efforts. If anybody's keen to pitch in, drop a line.

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