History of St. Rose Outreach and Recovery
The History of St. Rose Outreach and Recovery begins really with the history of St. Rose de Lima church, because it is the connection to this small community in Bay St. Louis that makes sets this recovery effort apart. The experiences of the volunteers here are enriched by the interactions they have with the parishioners of St. Rose, whether that is at church on Sunday, at a Fish Fry during Lent, at one of Charles’s barbeques, or at the annual St. Rose fair.
St. Rose De Lima was founded in 1926 by Divine Word Missionary Priests who were interested in starting a church to serve the Black Catholic population of Bay St. Louis at a time when there were no churches to serve the Black Catholic population in this area. Over the course of a few yeas, parishioners built the church structure itself and the parish began to grow. Today, descendents of those original parishioners comprise an important part of the St. Rose de Lima parish that has grown to over 450 families.
Across the street from the church, the St. Rose Elementary School was built a few years later to educate the children of St. Rose De Lima. Three generations of St. Rose children were taught at St. Rose Elementary School, which closed its doors in the mid-1970’s. Since the St. Rose Elementary School closed, Headstart has leased the elementary school building from St. Rose. When Katrina made landfall, Headstart was poised to begin another year at the elementary school.
Immediately following the storm, the current pastor at St. Rose de Lima, Father Sebastian, tells the story of making his way through debris to the school and the church grounds to asses the damage, only to find both buildings were spared much damage. Six days after the storm, on Sunday, September 4th, 2005, St. Rose de Lima again celebrated mass and people came from all around dressed in whatever they had to worship together.
In the weeks following the storm, at the behest of a few parishioners and Father Sebastian, the St. Rose Task Force formed to address the needs of parishioners and members of the local community. Everyone in Hancock County was encouraged to sign up, and many people did. During those first months, the Elementary School acted as a shelter, a distribution center, and eventually transitioned to volunteer housing.
In February 2006, one of St. Rose’s strongest partners, the Holy Trinity Parish in Washington D.C., helped a man named Bill Houghnaggel from Pennsylvania organize a roofing week in which 60 volunteers came to Bay St. Louis to rebuild 18 roofs. That roofing week marks the beginning of the St. Rose Rebuilding Effort. Over the next 6 months, thousands of volunteers from across the country took time from their lives to help residents of this area rebuild their homes. St. Rose worked on over 150 homes during that time, performing all aspects of construction from framing to roofing to electrical to drywall to painting.
In August 2006, Headstart renewed its lease on the St. Rose Elementary School, which was a wonderful opportunity for underprivileged young children to get an early education, but that move forced the Relief Effort to find another home. St. Rose didn’t have to look far, just a mile down the road stood the St. Augustine Retreat Center.
The St. Augustine Retreat Center had been built in 2003 as a place to restore the souls of those who needed respite. The Society of the Divine Word had invested in a state of the art facility that was intended to last for generations. Unfortunately, the center received 6-8 feet of floodwater during Katrina and its owners did not have the funds to renovate it.
So, volunteer coordinator Beau Saccoccia and Father Sebastian proposed to the Society of the Divine Word that St. Rose volunteers provide the labor necessary to renovate the retreat center in exchange for a free lease on the space until June 2008. The Society of the Divine Word agreed to the deal and volunteers quickly began working to renovate the space. In January 2007, volunteers completed the space, which brings us to where we stand today.
The Retreat Center is a hub for recovery activity in Hancock County. Not only does St. Rose Outreach and Recovery operate out of the site, but other non-profit organizations work there as well. The Salvation Army has 9 case managers working at the center, providing vouchers for homeowners to buy appliances. Catholic Social Services has case managers who work to help residents recover from the storm. West Seneca AmeriCorps, National Association of Service and Conservations Corps, and Hands On Gulf Coast all have AmeriCorps teams living and working out of the St. Augustine Retreat Center. It is the collaboration of these various organizations that has made St. Rose Outreach and Recovery worthwhile.