{"id":68516,"date":"2026-01-14T06:05:37","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T06:05:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/?p=68516"},"modified":"2026-01-14T06:05:37","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T06:05:37","slug":"catholics-mobilize-in-caribbean-following-category-5-hurricane","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/pt\/learn\/catholics-mobilize-in-caribbean-following-category-5-hurricane\/","title":{"rendered":"Cat\u00f3licos mobilizam-se nas Cara\u00edbas ap\u00f3s furac\u00e3o de Categoria 5"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n Residents help move food supplies at a community center before distribution to the Whitehouse community in Westmoreland, Jamaica, one of the areas most severely affected by the passage of Hurricane Melissa, on Nov. 2, 2025. \/ Credit: Ricardo Makyn\/AFP via Getty Images<\/span>\n<\/div>\n

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 6, 2025 \/ 14:15 pm (CNA).<\/p>\n

Catholic leaders and agencies have mobilized to help communities left devastated after Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica.<\/p>\n

The Category 5 hurricane swept through the Caribbean with sustained winds of 185 miles per hour and claimed up to 50 lives<\/a> after making landfall on Oct. 28. Jamaica suffered the largest impact, but neighboring nations also experienced immense effects including flash flooding and landslides.<\/p>\n

In Jamaica, practically no buildings along the country\u2019s southern coast remain intact. Areas have experienced structural failures, immense roof damage, floods, power outages, and communication disruptions. Families have a long road to recovery after many lost loved ones, property, possessions, and livelihoods.<\/p>\n

To help communities suffering from Hurricane Melissa\u2019s aftermath, Catholic agencies are on the ground supporting relief efforts and fundraising across the globe to provide aid. <\/p>\n

Providing aid <\/h2>\n

Dominican friars with St. Martin\u2019s Missions<\/a>, an initiative that supports communities in Jamaica and Grenada, are working to help communities most affected. Father Bede Mullens, OP, one of the friars working in Jamaica, told CNA they are based in Kingston, \u201cwhich mercifully was left largely unscathed by the hurricane.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNonetheless, some of our poorer parishioners in August Town, an impoverished neighborhood, did lose roofs, walls, and in one case pretty much the whole house,\u201d Mullens said. With the help of donations from across the globe<\/a>, St. Martin\u2019s will purchase and provide materials for repairs and food.<\/p>\n

Mullens explained that \u201cafter recent panic-buying, some food items are hard to come by, and food prices on the whole are set to go up in the coming months, as the part of the island hardest hit is a major agricultural area.\u201d<\/p>\n

This Friday, Nov. 7, the friars will distribute 300 meals to students at the University of the West Indies in Mona, Jamaica, and to several less-well-off parishioners. Mullens said: \u201cWe are trying to arrange sponsorship from local benefactors for students in need to receive support for food and personal hygiene items.\u201d<\/p>\n

Across the island the friars have been able to contact some parishes near Montego Bay, which suffered great damage. \u201cOne of the churches is currently operating as a shelter with just half a roof,\u201d Mullens said.<\/p>\n

The friars have also coordinated provisions of basic building materials and essentials including water and baby food that will be transported to Sacred Heart Church near Montego Bay and St. Agnes Church in Chester Castle.<\/p>\n

When the roads reopen and the friars are able to make contact with more parishes in other areas, they plan to also assist their rebuilding efforts and support the local community needs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is, of course, a massive need for material assistance, but for us it is very important that St. Martin\u2019s bears witness to our worldwide solidarity in the body of Christ,\u201d Mullens said. \u201cWe belong to a Church that is at once truly Catholic and truly one, at once global and personal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Franciscan Friars Charities<\/a> (FFC), the charitable arm of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe, activated the Franciscan Relief Fund<\/a> to help the people in western Jamaica recover from extensive damage.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe friars in Negril have quickly mobilized to assess the community\u2019s needs after the storm,\u201d FFC said in a statement. \u201cEach day they ground their hearts in faith through morning prayer and daily Mass before heading out into the community to provide vital services.\u201d<\/p>\n

The friars are serving warm meals daily at St. Anthony Kitchen, a soup kitchen in Negril. They anticipate a significant increase in the number of people coming to the kitchen, expecting approximately 400 to 500 people a day.<\/p>\n

The friars are cleaning the Revival Health Clinic, which provides basic medical care, and are looking into creating a mobile clinic to visit remote areas. They are also visiting parishioners, many of whom have lost their homes, and providing them with immediate relief including water and food.<\/p>\n

\u201cCommunicating with our friars in Negril has been difficult because there\u2019s no electricity and the cellular services are down,\u201d said Brother Jim Bok, OFM. \u201cThere\u2019s just unbelievable destruction. It\u2019s going to take years to recover. A tremendous amount of outside support will be needed to help deal with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Organizations respond with action <\/h2>\n

Hospital Sisters Mission Outreach<\/a>, an Illinois-based organization that partners with organizations, hospitals, and clinics around the world, is working directly with Food for the Poor <\/a>and other organizations transporting and distributing aid.<\/p>\n

After learning there was an urgent need for diapers, Mission Outreach\u2019s warehouse team mobilized to send out 4,000 it had available. It also shipped out a 40-foot container to Jamaica filled with requested medical supplies and equipment.<\/p>\n

A number of Catholic relief organizations including Cross Catholic Outreach<\/a> (CCO) and Catholic Relief Services <\/a>(CRS) are fundraising to send food, medicines, and housing supplies to ministry partners in Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Cuba.<\/p>\n

CCO disse<\/a> it is \u201csending shipments of recovery supplies to the Compassionate Franciscan Sisters of the Poor and will airlift medical supplies into Montego Bay when conditions are safe enough to do so.\u201d It is also working to help the Diocese of Mandeville to rebuild St. Theresa Kindergarten, which was destroyed in the storm.<\/p>\n

CRS is working to help on the ground with \u201ca team of 100 staff in Haiti and local partners in Jamaica and the region,\u201d the organization reported. \u201cCRS and the Catholic Church are committed to walking with families through every phase of recovery \u2014 from immediate relief to long-term rebuilding.\u202f\u201d<\/p>\n

The U.S. State Department\u2019s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs will coordinate with the Catholic Church to distribute $3 million<\/a> in humanitarian assistance. The funds will go directly to helping those impacted in eastern Cuba by the devastation of Hurricane Melissa.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/267651\/catholics-mobilize-in-caribbean-following-category-5-hurricane<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Residents help move food supplies at a community center before distribution to the Whitehouse community in Westmoreland, Jamaica, one of the areas most severely affected by the passage of Hurricane Melissa, on Nov. 2, 2025. \/ Credit: Ricardo Makyn\/AFP via Getty Images Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 6, 2025 \/ 14:15 pm (CNA). Catholic leaders and [\u2026]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":75024,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[100],"tags":[],"series":[],"class_list":["post-68516","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-christian-news"],"mb":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Catholics-mobilize-in-Caribbean-following-Category-5-hurricane.webp?fit=800%2C533&quality=75&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":67996,"url":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/pt\/learn\/cubas-national-marian-shrine-damaged-by-hurricane-melissa\/","url_meta":{"origin":68516,"position":0},"title":"Cuba's national Marian shrine damaged by Hurricane Melissa","author":"Christian Pure Team","date":"Dezembro 1, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Hurricane Melissa severely damaged the Cuban shrine to Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre. \/ Credit: Courtesy of Diocese of Cienfuegos ACI Prensa Staff, Oct 31, 2025 \/ 16:48 pm (CNA). 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On the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, two U.S. bishops called on Catholics to remember the victims of the tragedy\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Christian News"","block_context":{"text":"Christian News","link":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/pt\/learn\/category\/christian-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"20 years after Hurricane Katrina, bishops call for renewed commitment to racial justice","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/20-years-after-Hurricane-Katrina-bishops-call-for-renewed-commitment-to-racial-justice.webp?fit=800%2C533&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/20-years-after-Hurricane-Katrina-bishops-call-for-renewed-commitment-to-racial-justice.webp?fit=800%2C533&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/20-years-after-Hurricane-Katrina-bishops-call-for-renewed-commitment-to-racial-justice.webp?fit=800%2C533&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/20-years-after-Hurricane-Katrina-bishops-call-for-renewed-commitment-to-racial-justice.webp?fit=800%2C533&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":77846,"url":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/pt\/learn\/cuban-bishops-postpone-vatican-visit-amid-worsening-national-crisis\/","url_meta":{"origin":68516,"position":2},"title":"Cuban bishops postpone Vatican visit amid worsening national crisis","author":"Christian Pure Team","date":"Mar\u00e7o 30, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Catholic Bishops of Cuba announced Thursday that they have asked Pope Leo XIV to postpone their upcoming visit to Rome due to the country\u2019s grave situation, which is generating \u201cso much instability and uncertainty.\u201dThe bishops had been scheduled to meet Pope Leo XIV on Feb. 20 as part of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Christian News"","block_context":{"text":"Christian News","link":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/pt\/learn\/category\/christian-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":77100,"url":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/pt\/learn\/u-s-to-send-second-shipment-of-humanitarian-aid-to-cuba-to-be-distributed-by-the-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":68516,"position":3},"title":"U.S. to send second shipment of humanitarian aid to Cuba to be distributed by the Church","author":"Christian Pure Team","date":"Abril 10, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The U.S. government announced that it will send a new shipment of humanitarian aid to Cuba worth $6 million, which will be delivered directly to the population through the Catholic Church.On its website, the U.S. State Department informed on Feb. 5 that the decision was made \u201cfollowing the success of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Christian News"","block_context":{"text":"Christian News","link":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/pt\/learn\/category\/christian-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":77804,"url":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/pt\/learn\/caritas-cuba-receives-7-containers-of-humanitarian-aid-from-the-united-states\/","url_meta":{"origin":68516,"position":4},"title":"Caritas Cuba receives 7 containers of humanitarian aid from the United States","author":"Christian Pure Team","date":"Mar\u00e7o 31, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Caritas Cuba reported that a ship carrying seven containers of humanitarian aid arrived at the port of Santiago de Cuba on Feb. 10. The aid, sent from the United States, will continue to assist those affected by Hurricane Melissa.The commercial vessel docked at the port in eastern Cuba five days\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Christian News"","block_context":{"text":"Christian News","link":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/pt\/learn\/category\/christian-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":77187,"url":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/pt\/learn\/cubas-bishops-headed-to-vatican-this-month-to-meet-with-pope-leo-xiv\/","url_meta":{"origin":68516,"position":5},"title":"Cuba\u2019s bishops headed to Vatican this month to meet with Pope Leo XIV","author":"Christian Pure Team","date":"Abril 8, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Cuba\u2019s bishops are scheduled to travel to Rome later this month to meet with Vatican dicasteries and present Pope Leo XIV with a report on the state of the dioceses on the island.In a message that will be read at Masses this weekend, the bishops will announce that they have\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Christian News"","block_context":{"text":"Christian News","link":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/pt\/learn\/category\/christian-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"mfb_rest_fields":["title","jetpack_publicize_connections","jetpack_featured_media_url","jetpack-related-posts","jetpack_sharing_enabled"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68516","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68516"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68516\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/75024"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68516"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68516"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68516"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=68516"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}