Puerto Ricans need prayers, support

Oct. 1 marked the second Sunday since Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. We had bidding prayers and special collections for the previous two hurricanes that impacted U.S.  citizens, why have we not heard anything about this one?

A recent poll suggested that only 54 percent of Americans knew that Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens and that this is a domestic disaster and not a foreign one. I find the irony bittersweet that this hurricane was named after our Blessed Mother as if a signal that we should pray especially for these people. As a diocese, our patron saint is also that of the Americas — Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Even if those impacted by the hurricane weren’t U.S. Citizens, our prayers should go out to them as those covered by the same mantle of our patroness. This was one of the top ten most damaging hurricanes in the history of the Atlantic — not just for Puerto Rico but for the Atlantic. While we should continue to pray for those impacted by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, as of Oct. 1, 10 days after Hurricane Maria hit, more than 90 percent of the island was still without power.

The Puerto Rican bishops issued a statement calling for hope. Can we as a community add our prayers and petitions? On a personal level, I have been praying the Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe, a form of which is available on the diocesan website.

                                Tasha Gefreh

                                Colorado Springs