By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
Included in the devastation caused yesterday by the deadliest tornado to hit Missouri since 1953 was a Catholic hospital and parish church, both of which took direct hits from the deadly twister.
Spero News is reporting that Catholic Bishop James V. Johnston Jr of Springfield-Cape Girardeau MO is asking for prayers for the victims of yesterday’s disaster, which is said to have claimed at least 116 lives and destroyed a third of the town of Joplin. Utility poles were uprooted by the storm, which cut all telephone and electrical service. Natural gas service was also cut in some areas. Efforts to locate survivors in the rubble are being hampered by continued rain and wind which lessens the scent which is relied upon by trained dogs to locate humans trapped within piles of debris.
The Catholic Church was not spared by the twister, which tore through St. John’s Mercy Hospital and inflicted major damage to the building. It is not yet known if anyone in the building was killed, and patients have now been moved to other facilities.
The parish of St. Mary’s also suffered a direct hit. The church, school and rectory buildings were completely destroyed.
According to Leslie Anne Eidson of the diocesan newspaper, St. Mary’s pastor Father Justin Monaghan was unhurt after riding out the storm in a bathtub.
Thankfully, nearby St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church in Joplin was untouched by the storm and its parishioners are now aiding victims of the storm.
The other Catholic church in Joplin, St. Peter the Apostle, was untouched by the storm while parishioners are aiding the victims of the storm.
Father John Friedel, the pastor of St. Peter’s, wrote on his Facebook page after the storm: “Just got back from closing down the Catholic high school, which was opened as an overflow triage center. Our area of town was untouched, though the neighboring parish (20 blocks away) has probably lost their entire physical plant. … I know you’ve all seen the footage of St. John’s, our Catholic hospital, which is probably also a total loss!”
“Please keep our community in your prayers,” he continued. “. … There has been and will be much suffering. Such destruction and violence. … Thanks, everyone, for your calls, texts and messages of support. Going to sleep now, so we can be at it again in the morning.”
Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri is seeking donations to aid tornado victims, while the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is coordinating its own relief effort.
One of the most dramatic accounts of the storm was posted on YouTube by a survivor who was in a Fastrip convenience store when the twister hit. Although there is little to be seen in the video except occasional flashes of lights and shadowy figures, the violence of the storm can be heard on the audio along with the sound of children crying, people calling out to God, and loved ones saying their final goodbyes.
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