Places of Worship Reaching Out to Hurricane Victims

Religious Institutions Report Influx of Giving

Pat Vagonis welcomes Kendra Norwood to St. Raphael's Catholic Church in Rockville after the 6-year-old arrived Friday via bus from Houston. (Photos By Preston Keres -- The Washington Post)

Across Montgomery County, members of churches, synagogues and other religious institutions are opening their wallets, and in some cases their homes, to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Religious organizations both big and small report raising thousands of dollars during services held on the two weekends since the hurricane devastated New Orleans and parts of the Gulf Coast.

In addition to raising money with special collections, bake sales and online drives, congregations are helping in other ways, including gathering donations of clothing and other supplies. Many are offering to help house hurricane victims and are planning to provide long-term assistance, according to members.

Some schools run by local churches and synagogues also are opening their doors to children displaced by the storm, often waiving tuition.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, which is in Rockville, has raised $573,620 from 2,003 donors for hurricane relief efforts, surpassing fundraising for last year's tsunami victims by $3,000, according to federation officials. The money is part of $5 million raised nationwide by the United Jewish Communities.

"So when you look at the total, this community has put forth 10 percent of what the national organization has raised," spokeswoman Barbara Sherbill said.

At St. John the Baptist Church in Silver Spring, parishioners contributed $52,247 during services on the weekend of Sept. 3 and 4. An additional $9,015 was raised last weekend, for a total of $61,262, according to the Rev. Francis Kazista.

"I was just amazed that we got that wonderful response. I'm very happy about the whole thing," said Kazista, adding that church officials had quickly printed envelopes for the unplanned collection and placed them in pews that first weekend.

More than 50 parishioners also have volunteered to house students from Xavier University in New Orleans who have been invited to attend Howard University, he said.

"People are just responding everywhere around you," Kazista said.

During a similar collection at St. Elizabeth Catholic Church in Rockville, parishioners filled offering baskets with about $34,000 during the past two weekends, according to pastoral associate Kathy Swartz.

All Catholic churches in the county are collecting for hurricane relief efforts, according to Susan Gibbs, spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Washington. She said that 100 percent of the donations will be used by Catholic Charities USA and dioceses in the affected areas to aid hurricane victims and rebuilding efforts.