ADOM Ministries Assist Those Affected by Surfside Building Collapse

Catholic Charities: Meeting Needs of Families and Survivors
Two staff members from  Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami are on hand daily at the Family Assistance Center which was set up for relatives of those missing after the June 24, 2021, partial collapse of Champlain Towers South in Surfside.

The Family Assistance Center is managed by the Miami-Dade County Community Action Agency's Human Services Division with support from the Red Cross. Aside from Catholic Charities, many other community organizations are present at the center, including but not limited to the Red Cross, FEMA, Miami-Dade County's Community Action Agency and the Office of Sen. Marco Rubio. 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his wife visited the Family Assistance Center on Monday, June 28. The governor inquired about the services being provided and thanked the staff for their work.

Catholic Charities is currently providing assistance such as Publix food cards, counseling, rapid rehousing, and shelter services. The agency also is collecting financial donations to assist those affected by the tragedy. 

Parish Near Ground Zero: A Place to Pray and Be With Others
The parishioners and staff of St. Joseph Parish will be living the crisis of the Surfside condominium collapse in a most intimate way for some time to come. The remains of the tower can easily can be seen from the church grounds. The parish pastor, Father Juan Sosa, has reported that 10 of its registered families remain missing following the collapse and two who were not in the building at the time are safe. 

"Plus there are the many who used to come on weekends from other parts of Miami who have worshipped with us, and so we are very touched by the idea of the whole community being bound together and praying together," Father Sosa told the media Friday morning, June 25, just before celebrating a morning Mass for the missing, their family and friends. 

An evening candlelight prayer vigil and eucharistic adoration hosted June 26, 2021, by the parish youth ministry group included a walk through the neighborhood and close to the site of the collapse.

Fr. Sosa has also opened the parish parking lot for the visiting search and rescue and volunteer teams who continue working on the site.      

Read more about the response to the Surfside condominium collapse on the website of the Archdiocese of Miami.