When a disaster rolls in, make sure your altar guild is ready! With hurricane season anticipated on a regular basis along the Texas Coast, the Texas DAG has been assisting coastal parishes in hurricane readiness for many years.
During a meeting with the Rt. Rev. Andrew Doyle, the Bishop of the Diocese of Texas, one of the items he brought to our attention was ‘fire disaster.’ But no matter what kind of disaster looms, when it strikes, not only do you lose your personal things (often of great sentimental value), so too does your parish.
Disaster Communion Kits can bring comfort and solace during the stress of disaster. A kit consists of a wine glass (chalice), plastic bowl (lavabo bowl), a small plate to use as a paten and cruets for wine and water. These can be glass, pottery or plastic. White napkins stamped with the cross may serve as the pall, the corporal, purificators and lavabo towel. Dish towels can be included for cleansing.
When preparing for Hurricane Isaac, which hit the Louisiana and Northern Florida coasts, one of our board members, JoAnn Ziller, was reminded by one of her priests ‘to include Jesus.’ Now, the Disaster Kits for Communion also include some small saltine crackers and two small flasks of red wine. Everything is packaged nicely in an insulated tote bag.
Joan Konecny, our Second Vice President, recently set up the kits for Hurricane Isaac and she has prepared a video on how to assemble these kits. If you need a kit or detailed instructions, please contact Joan Konecny, Alice Scarbrough, JoAnn Ziller, Lynn Hendricks or Dianne Walters.
For assistance in setting up a workshop and having a board member join you in your meeting, please contact Katrina Packard at kdpwall@cvctx.com. We are so blessed to have a wonderfully talented board of directors who are willing to assist you in any manner possible.
by Katrina Packard, Alice Scarbrough and Joan Konecny
Altar-Worthy Weeds – eduscwomen says:
[…] The meeting / workshop was held at Still Hopes in Columbia. The day started with Valerie giving us an update from both Kanuga and Triennial. She shared part of a video from Triennial when Presiding Bishop Curry met with the Altar Guild. She shared information about the National Altar Guild Association, and some of the products they have for sale in their Sacristy Shop. One item I was particularly interested in was the Disaster Kits for Eucharist. If you’ve never heard of these, you can read more about them here. […]