After the storm, Swannanoa parish brings ‘esperanza’

SWANNANOA — When it rains here and the wind blows, people get a little anxious.

Along Highway 70, drivers still slow to see the destruction left by Tropical Storm Helene six months ago.

“LOOK AT YOU YOU’RE TIRED. BUT YOU AIN’T GIVING UP,” a hand-painted sign encourages, as people across western North Carolina continue to rebuild their homes and lives.

Claudia GrahamUp the hill from the Swannanoa River, parishioners of St. Margaret Mary Church are worshiping “more fervently” than ever, says office manager Claudia Graham, judging by the turnout for Vespers, Masses and Lenten activities.

“It’s been a wild six months,” she says. “You never know what each day is going to bring” to the little church that has played an outsized role in the area’s recovery – thanks to “a whole lotta heart” and more than $600,000 in donations from people as far away as Italy and Australia.

“I believe our people got through this because they kept their faith,” Graham says, “and folks without a strong faith life got through it because they reached out to their fellow man.

“It is the Holy Spirit at work.”

Perhaps no one is praying more fervently now than parishioner Marisol Mireles, who serves as an usher at the Spanish Mass along with her husband Francisco.

The wife and mother of three was swept away and nearly drowned in flood waters – as her children looked on. A dramatic rescue ensued. Today, she prays the rosary every day in gratitude.

“Jesus Christ is with us,” she says, then clarifies: “Jesus Christ – and the people of the church.”

Providing hope and money

St. Margaret Mary Parish was between priests when Helene hit last September, so it was the ingenuity of parish leaders – led by Graham and her assistant Jennifer Puzerewski – that transformed the building (capacity 110) into a relief center that has served thousands.

Within three days of the storm, the church had launched a relief fund that would collect nearly double its annual offertory. A week later, the church still without power and water, a visiting priest offered Mass outside to bring the comfort of the Blessed Sacrament and human connection to parishioners.

Supplies from across the diocese poured in, converting St. Margaret Mary’s basement into a community hub. The church bought two cell phones, hotlines for both English- and Spanish-speakers in need.

Partners joined in: the Diocese of Charlotte, Knights of Columbus, St. Vincent de Paul Society. Two churches – St. Gabriel in Charlotte and St. Pius X in Greensboro – adopted St. Margaret

Mary through the diocese’s “Sister Parish Program,” sending prayers, labor and money to make up for lost offertory collections.

“We became a near-household name,” says Graham, after the parish was featured in the Wall Street Journal and other national news outlets,

For weeks, she says, “We did the physical stuff. We gave out food and water and we were among the first to have flashlights.”

The parish then set aside plans for expansion of the 89-year-old church building to shift toward addressing more complicated needs of parishioners – providing building supplies, HVAC systems, furniture and appliances and, in one case, a 12-passenger van.

“But the emotional stuff is just as important,” Graham says. “The trauma was also something we wanted to address.”

Soon, a counselor was seeing parishioners, and Grupo Esperanza (Hope Group) was born for Spanish speakers, offering group therapy.

One more opportunity

Marisol Mireles appreciated Grupo Esperanza, where she shared the trauma of the storm with others.

Her family had become trapped inside their two-story home as the Swannanoa River rose around it – 5 feet, 8 feet, then 10 feet.

A neighbor paddled over in a boat with a rope to tie between their two houses. Hand over hand, Mireles’ children escaped, pulling themselves along the rope through the swift floodwaters.

First her two sons crossed. Then, her 17-year-old daughter, escorted along the rope by her husband Francisco.

Mireles can’t swim. Almost instantly, she fell into the river in fear.

“I felt the water in my ears and my eyes and my mouth,” she recalls, going under, “then I felt a hand grab me.”

Francisco leapt in, swimming beneath her to keep her head above water. The couple was thrown against a shipping container and separated, but both grabbed onto trees and were rescued.

“Everybody was crying, but I was smiling,” Mireles says, recalling the moment she emerged from the water. “I prayed that God would give me one more opportunity to be with my family. My prayers were answered.”

Today, she prays for those who didn’t make it. Her family prays the rosary every day, together and grateful.

They’re thankful for all the relief St. Margaret Mary has provided – from food and furniture and a new fence for their dog Curley, to building supplies, electrical wiring, and a new HVAC system.

Even more, Mireles says, they’re grateful for the opportunity to serve the people of the church – as ushers, her husband as a lector, her sons as altar servers.

“We are thankful to God to be alive,” she says, “and we know to help people and to help the church is to help God.”

— Liz Chandler. Christina Lee Knauss contributed.