A Personal Reflection from Fr. Brian:
(continued from May 31)
As the reports on the television came in from around the Bay Area, it was quite apparent that there had been some extensive damage and some loss of life. A section of the Bay Bridge had collapsed. A freeway in Oakland had collapsed, trapping cars beneath it. Fires had broken out in San Francisco from broken gas lines. And, the aftershocks continued.
That next day was my day to visit one of my pastoral year placements. It was a home for homeless women and their children in West Oakland called Gilead House. Many of the women had been on drugs like crack and had babies, so-called “crack babies”.
When I arrived, I stood on the front porch and looked to the west where I saw emergency workers working to extract any survivors from the collapsed Nimitz Freeway which was less than a mile from Gilead House. You could smell death in the air. As the door opened, the women came out and hugged me. They were scared. I was the first person they had seen since the quake. We prayed that no one was hurt and anticipated more aftershocks.
It was hard for me to sleep at night for the next several months.
But, through it all, I believe God had a purpose. I learned, as I had from previous experiences, that humanity was vulnerable yet resilient! That God’s plan included tragedies as well as inspirational moments. That my purpose was to be present during these times to help other. Amen
Blessings, pono and pule!
Fr. Brian Guerrini, ss.cc.
Priest
Molokai