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Paris and Typhoon Fengshen, July 9, 2008

Last Sunday, Sr. Maria Emmanuel Melocoton spoke to the community that gathers for Eucharist at the Motherhouse Chapel in Paris. Sr. Marie, as she is called, is Filipina and a member of the General Council.

In her talk she describes the damage that Typhoon Fengshen caused, the relief and rehabilitation work that the Assumption Sisters in the Philippines are engaged in, and the spirit of solidarity that is alive and active in the congregation and among its worldwide network of friends.

(Note: "Fengshen" is the international codename given to the typhoon. In the Philippines it was given the name "Frank.")

Sr. Marie's talk:

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Good Morning.

Last week leaflets were distributed at the end of the Eucharist that described the havoc that Typhoon Frank wrought in the Philippines. In the name of my people and the Assumption Sisters in the Philippine-Thailand Province I want to thank you for your prayers, your concern, your gestures of solidarity with us.

It is normal that some twenty typhoons pass by the Philippines every year but Typhoon Frank was more ferocious than so many others, slowly crossing through the country and causing a lot of destruction. The typhoon particularly hit the central part of the country, the Province of Antique and more particularly the town of Sibalom where we have an Assumption community of 6 sisters. Probably some of you remember Sr. Aremar who was formerly a member of the Auteuil community and thus celebrated the Sunday Eucharist with you here in the course of four years. Aremar is the Directress of the Elementary school in Sibalom, a school for the children of farmers. It is this school that served as an evacuation center for the patients of the nearby hospital that was flooded as well as families that lost their homes. Most of the students in the school lost what they had... their books, their clothes, the things in their houses.... their school materials...

Sibalom has a very big river that became swollen with the torrential rains. It overflowed into the town, washed out two villages that were situated close to its banks and destroyed the rice plants that were ready for harvest. The sisters are working closely with the Church and the parish priests and some lay partners for the emergency relief operation, providing food and clothing to the victims as the most urgent help needed right after the flooding.

The water has now subsided and the people are beginning to pick up their lives. But the more difficult work, in any disaster, comes after the relief operation when the work of rehabilitation starts...the reconstruction of houses, starting livelihood programs, replanting the farms, etc... The relief operation is of short duration. The work of rehabilitation will take years.

The Sisters here in Auteuil were asking how much it would cost to build a small bamboo house with thatched roofs... I asked the Sisters in Sibalom who say it is equivalent to about 400€...with 400€ you can build a house for a family. Of course that would just be a single room to house a whole family... “too small” we say.... however that would be a good start for those who have lost everything... and will have to go back to nothing.

The beautiful thing that we are experiencing in this disaster is the strong sense of solidarity from communities and friends who are coming to the help of those in need... I was most touched when I realized that the first Province that responded to the need was Rwanda and on of the first communities that gave from their own poverty was in a remote village in Thailand where we have a school. Even the 8-9 year old students from our big school in San Lorenzo sacrificed their pocket money to give to the victims.

It is the Gospel story re-lived once again... the story of the Good Samaritan... the widow’s mite. Moreover whatever donations the Sisters receive are also shared with two or three other dioceses who need as much help as Sibalom. Solidarity is very much alive... We experience belonging to the one family of God... of the Church. We are all members of that family.

Thank you.

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Evacuees at the Assumption School in Sibalom

House damaged by the typhoon

Felled trees and debris in the villages

High floodwaters

Sr. Maria Emmanuel