St. Joseph, Port Arthur making changes because of Hurricane Ike
St. Joseph Parish, Port Arthur was dealt a blow by Hurricane Ike and hit with extensive water damage to the Msgr. Enderle Family Center and Cody Hall.
Six inches of water flowed into the Family Center, which is used for religious education, and three inches into the parish hall from Ike’s storm surge Sept. 13. The damaging salt water lingered in the buildings for about a week before receding.
Father D. Stephen McCrate, pastor, and Mutzi Lopez, director of religious education, were faced with the question of what to do about the religious education classes.
Father McCrate said that the only way to accommodate all the children was to create different times for the classes and to have the classes in the church and in the former convent, which is now used for office space.
The church was spared from water damage, but it did receive minor roof damage.
The walls in the family center and parish hall have now been gutted, but there is no set date for the repairs to begin.
“You have to learn to be flexible,” Father McCrate said.
