Springfield Diocese Seeks Aid for Tornado Victims
SPRINGFIELD — In a letter issued Friday to be read at all weekend Masses, Springfield Bishop Timothy A. McDonnell urged prayers and sought help in response to this past Wednesday's devastating tornadoes and storms.
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He went on to announce both a special collection to raise donations for local relief efforts and a collection of household and personal items to assist those persons whose belongings were destroyed.
Beginning next Tuesday and continuing until July 7, the diocesan Catholic Charities Agency will accept items at St. Francis' Chapel, 254 Bridge St., each Tuesday and Thursday from 3 to 6. Both those wishing to donate and those seeking to receive items should call 413-452-0605 beforehand.
In a separate announcement, diocesan officials have determined that classes for both Cathedral High School and St. Michael's Academy Middle School will resume on Tuesday, June 7. Cathedral will use facilities at the College of Our Lady of the Elms in Chicopee and St. Michael's Academy Middle School (Grades 6-8) will hold classes on the campus of Western New England University.
As of this time, normal bus transportation is expected to be available to these sites. These sites will only be utilized to complete this academic year. Plans for the fall are still being formulated.
Cathedral High School's Baccalaureate Mass will be celebrated at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 9, and the graduation will be next Friday, June 10, at 6 p.m. St. Michael's Academy graduation is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. also next Thursday, June 9.
| Open letter from Cathedral High School Leadership |
| Cathedral has endured a terrible amount of damage from a tornado that hit the city on Wednesday. As of Friday, June 3, Cathedral High School is closed and secured until further notice. Per order of the Springfield police department and the National Guard, no one is allowed on the property. Members of the Cathedral administration, diocesan administrative team, and the diocesan insurance company are meeting to assess the damage to the structure. The faculty and administration would like to gather with the Cathedral parents and students as well as parents and students from the new class of 2015 to discuss plans for the rest of the year. We plan to meet on Monday night, June 6 at 7 p.m. in Veritas auditorium on the Elms College campus in Chicopee. We have postponed our senior activities by one week. Next Wednesday, June 8, at 7 p.m. we will gather in Veritas Auditorium at Elms College for the Awards Assembly. On Thursday, June 9, we will meet at St. Michael's Cathedral for the Baccalaureate Mass at 7. Then on Friday, June 10, we will gather at St. Michael's Cathedral for the graduation at 6 p.m. That time is later than usual but it will help the city and the parents with traffic flow. For the graduation the Springfield Museum parking lot on State Street, across from the Library and next to Classical Condominiums will be available. This provides easy access to the front of the cathedral. We are aware that folks are planning to gather at Nathan Bill Park to discuss the Cathedral situation. Please do not meet there. The park grounds are being used for emergency vehicles and tree removal. The Cathedral faculty and administration are meeting at Elms College to discuss plans to move forward. We appreciate the plans of those who wish to raise funds to support the school, but we ask you to refrain from doing any fund-raising until we can put together a clear plan of action. Once plans are finalized, we will let you know. When and if volunteers are needed we will let you know via Facebook and the cathedral web site. This is a difficult time for all of us, students, parents, alumni, and faculty. Let us keep one another in prayer as we work together. God bless. |
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