Ordinariate clergy, staff and campus safe and dry

HOUSTON — The Chancery staff of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter have remained safe during the catastrophic floods caused by Hurricane Harvey.

The Ordinariate’s Chancery and the Cathedral of Our Lady of Walsingham — located just north of I-10 on the west side of Houston — were not flooded during the cataclysmic rains that began on Saturday, Aug. 26. 

All Chancery staff evacuated the Chancery campus on Friday, Aug. 25 in anticipation of the storm. 

Father John Vidal and Deacon Michael Noble, clergy of St. Anselm of Canterbury Ordinariate Community in Corpus Christi, Texas, evacuated their residences in the coastal city on Aug. 25, as well. Father Vidal confirmed he returned to Corpus Christi on Aug. 28 and found his home to be in fair condition, with only minimal damage to a fence. 

Bishop Steven J. Lopes, bishop of the Ordinariate, drove to the Dallas-Fort Worth area on Aug. 26, ahead of the flooding in Houston. There, he celebrated Mass and visited with the Ordinariate community of St. John Vianney in north central Texas. On Aug. 27, he left the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex for Australia, where he is meeting with the Ordinaries of the other Personal Ordinariates in the world and is presenting at the Clergy Assembly for the Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross. 

Ordinariate Parishes, Parochial Communities and faithful are encouraged to visit the Texas Conference of Catholic Bishops’ web page on Hurricane Harvey Recovery Relief, txcatholic.org/harvey, to learn more about ways to support those in need.

The Chancery Offices have re-opened for business, but some employees are working remotely while roadways remain impacted by floodwaters.

Please join Bishop Lopes and the Chancery staff in praying for everyone affected by the storm and in need of assistance during this natural disaster. May God protect all those who are still in danger and all the first responders working to save others.