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Mississippi church sheltered families during Katrina

By Lilla Marigza
Aug. 1, 2025 | BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. (UM News)

A 150-year-old church withstood the wind and surge of Hurricane Katrina with church members sheltering inside. Video by Lilla Marigza, UM News.

E. Dwight Franklin helps with the gutting of his parents’ home in New Orleans six months after Hurricane Katrina. Virginia Tech student Ivy Gorman (background) was part of a team from her school working through the Louisiana United Methodist Storm Recovery Center during their spring vacation. A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose.

On Aug. 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall near the Louisiana/Mississippi border as a Category 3 hurricane. The eyewall, packing strong winds and significant storm surge, passed directly over Bay St. Louis. Several families in the coastal town had taken shelter on high ground in the sanctuary of the 150-year-old Main Street United Methodist Church.

Learn more about historic Main Street United Methodist Church in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

Marigza is a multimedia producer for UM News. Contact her at (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umnews.org. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free UM News Digest.

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Faith Stories
Raquel Martínez, editor of “Mil Voces Para Celebrar,” the Spanish United Methodist hymnal, is being remembered for her musical contributions and leadership in The United Methodist Church. She died April 12 at the age of 86. She is pictured at right at the launch of the hymnal in 1996, and at left, at the celebration of its 25th anniversary in 2021. Photos courtesy of the Martínez family; photo composition by the Rev. Gustavo Vásquez, UM News.

Remembering Raquel Martínez, editor of Spanish hymnal
With a ministry deeply rooted in music, Martínez helped to communicate the Gospel beyond language barriers. She died April 12 at age 86.

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