St. Mary's youths go to Mississippi to help

SPARTA - Instead of spending their winter break sleeping late, playing video games, or shopping at the mall, 10 young people from St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Sparta, accompanied by Reverend Orion Davis, St. Mary’s priest, and Cathy Vonderahe, senior ward, flew to Pensacola, Fla. From there they drove two and one-half hours to Ocean Springs, Miss., to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina. The trip was initiated by Rev. Davis and was funded by the individual families, with help from St. Mary’s Outreach. The group was hosted by the Christus Victor Lutheran Episcopal Church, which has dedicated itself to aiding flood victims and intends to continue its work for three years. The church has erected a tent city to house and feed 200 volunteers per week. Christus Victor also manages the clean-up effort, assigns work details, and oversees the distribution of food and household supplies. The volunteers from St. Mary’s arose at 6 a.m., ate breakfast, followed by a short service, and then worked from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. They helped with debris clean-up, supply assembly and distribution and home refurbishing. “Although we all worked very hard the week we were there, everyone agreed that the experience was rewarding,” declared Cathy Vonderahe. “The kids were wonderful, bonding with a team spirit that enabled them to work with diligence, compassion and a great sense of humor. Father Davis and I were extremely proud of them and the work they were able to accomplish.” She said the kids hope to make a return trip in the near future. For information on the Christus Victor relief effort, log on to ChristusVictorDisasterResponse.org. To learn more about St. Mary’s, call 973-729-3136 or log on to stmarys-sparta.dioceseofnewark.org