Recovery from the Eaton and Palisades Fires which hit the Archdiocese of Los Angeles on Jan. 7 is well underway, with parishes, schools and other facilities affected engaging in repairs, rebuilding and reopening.  

The epic disaster has been devastating to the city of Los Angeles, resulting in the deaths of at least 29 people and the destruction of 16,000 structures in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena communities.  

Retreat Center Still Stands

Among the Catholic sites most severely affected include the Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center in Sierra Madre, which is just east of Altadena and backs to the Angeles National Forest. The center, founded in 1924, encompasses 83 acres and is operated by four Passionist fathers and one Passionist brother. Today, it offers a variety of retreats and is open to the general public for prayer and one weekly Mass.

Sixty of the Passionists were on retreat the evening of Jan. 7, reported retreat center director Father Febin Barose, adding, “The hill was aglow with fire. We got the order to evacuate, and we had to leave quickly.”

All left the center safely. However, the next day when Father Barose returned to assess the property, he discovered the damage was extensive, and “the whole area was filled with smoke and ash.”

Employee apartments, the hermitage and a garage had burned down. A second-floor administrative office had major water damage, from being sprayed with fire hoses, and its ceiling had collapsed. The facility’s beautiful pathways and gardens had been badly burned. Equipment stored in the center’s garage was lost. The power was off for two weeks, and while the water remained on, it had to be tested to ensure it was safe for drinking. Fortunately, the main retreat center building was still standing.

Father Barose said the Passionists, lay staff and volunteers began working “24/7” over the next month to reopen the facility, including cleaning, clearing debris and meeting with public officials and private contractors to rebuild the destroyed structures.  

The facility partially reopened to those on retreat on Feb. 7; and on Ash Wednesday, March 5, the center was again reopened to the general public. Father Barose explained that “gaps” in insurance coverage mean not all costs of reconstruction are covered and invited public support. He estimated that it will be two years before the center can fully recover. “It has been a journey of hope, under the shadow of the cross,” he said. “We’re keeping a positive attitude, and recovering with the help of others.”

In response to the fires, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles has set up an online donation portal, the Wildlife Victims Emergency Relief Fund, and Catholic Charities has a second donation site to accept donations to aid victims. Additionally, in the weeks after the fires, multiple parish and school sites were set up to offer immediate relief. The archdiocesan Department of Catholic Schools shared that 915 students in 76 diocesan schools were displaced; most have returned to their schools, while some have been accepted long-term into nearby campuses.

Besides material relief, Archbishop José Gomez has worked to address the spiritual needs of his flock, reminding his community early on, “[Jesus] has only one will for our lives: that we grow in holiness and love and become saints who share his love here on earth and live forever with him in heaven.  Everything that happens, everything he allows, comes from his love for us and his desire for our salvation.”

Parishes closed due to modest fire damage or not usable due to soot, smoke and ash have been repaired, cleaned and reopened; St. Rita parish in Sierra Madre and St. Elizabeth of Hungary parish in Altadena, for example, reopened in March. Beautiful and historic St. Elizabeth would most certainly have been lost except for the heroic intervention of the parish’s elderly permanent deacon and a few volunteers, who made use of a garden hose to douse the flames. 

 

Destroyed by Fire, Encouraged by Faith

One parish that will not reopen for years to come is Corpus Christi of Pacific Palisades, the only one of the archdiocese’s 287 parish churches to be completely destroyed by fire.  

Corpus Christi was established 75 years ago to serve the affluent Los Angeles community of Pacific Palisades; on Jan. 7, the Palisades Fire destroyed the site’s church, rectory and convent and damaged its school. Most of the structures around it burned down too, as well as 80% of the homes of parish families.

Msgr. Liam Kidney, Corpus Christi pastor for the past 25 years, recounted that on the morning of Jan. 7 he could see the flames coming towards the parish and everyone evacuated the site. When he was able to return and observe the extensive damage, he recalled, “I thought it was a dream. I could not believe it.”

In the months since the fire, he and fellow parish clergy have relocated to a nearby Santa Monica parish rectory and celebrate Sunday Mass for the Corpus Christi community in the early afternoon in nearby parishes on a rotating basis. Parish leadership is working with authorities to prepare the site for rebuilding; EPA workers have cleared the site of toxins, and the Army Corps of Engineers will come and remove debris. Insurance representatives will then come to inspect the site.

Msgr. Kidney said the community has resolved to completely rebuild the parish, but he admitted, “That’s a long way down the road. We don’t know for sure how it will all work out. Right now, we need prayer and empathy and money later for rebuilding.” (There is also a rebuilding fund for the school.)

Archdiocesan authorities have been generous in offering support, he said, as well as Catholics in the surrounding communities. It has been a strain, he said, but he has found solace in his faith: “I’m putting everything into the hands of the Lord. I have confidence that the Lord loves me, and I’m doing my best to be a good pastor.”

Now, relief efforts are also turning to those impacted by the devastating tornadoes that tore through the Midwest and South in recent days, leaving at least 40 dead.

Lexington Diocese Spared Serious Damage in Recent Flooding 

Eastern Kentucky experienced catastrophic flooding in mid-February, killing 23, damaging or destroying hundreds of homes and business, closing roads and interrupting power and water service.  Gov.Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency.

While there were a few instances of damage and loss in Kentucky’s Diocese of Lexington — Holy Cross Parish in Jackson had flooding in its basement and Father Rob Adams, pastor of St. Francis Church in Pikeville, had his car swept away — most Catholic properties and parishioners were not heavily affected, reported Shelli Gregory, executive director of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Lexington.  Catholic Charities has distributed gift cards to a few who had made requests, she said, and was reaching out to those outside the Catholic community who were more severely affected.