By DAVID RYAN and JORDAN GRANTHAM
Catholic News Service
As some of the worst wild- fires in Australian history rage across four states, thou- sands of people in affected areas in New South Wales and Victoria continue to be evacuated to safety. Soaring temperatures, of- ten higher than 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and a protracted drought have contributed to an unprecedented national emergency which, by Christ- mas, had already seen more than 14.5 million acres of forest and rural land burned. Amid conditions regular- ly described as catastrophic, fires have continued to rage in hundreds of locations in Western Australia, New South Wales, South Austra- lia and Victoria states for months. Marie Burton, a parishio- ner of Our Lady of Sorrows Church, in the New South Wales Diocese of Wagga, lives on a farm in Jingellic, near the border with Victoria border. In late December and early January, Jingellic was surrounded by fire twice. "We know so many Cath- olic people who are being affected. There's a lot of suf- fering going on, and we're continuing to pray," Burton said in tears. "Twice our home was saved. On Monday evening - and again on Tuesday. "The fire came up over the hill but there was no stop- ping it. My husband was get- ting things out of the house, but he was told to just get out of there. "We didn't know for 24 hours (what happened) but luckily, it was saved." Burton has taken shelter with her sister's family, the Darlows, including nephew Matthew Darlow, a member of the local brigade of the Rural Fire Service. The Dar- lows live at Lankeys Creek, approximately 12 miles north of Jingellic. While staying with her relatives, Burton has been cooking at a shelter to feed firefighters. "We just need to band to- gether, get the fires out and support those who have lost their homes and livelihoods," said Darlow. "We're waiting on a change in wind that could affect things, and an increase in temperature, tonight or tomorrow," said Darlow, who asked Catholics around the world to pray. "Offer up prayers for the people who've lost their lives and those who've lost their livelihoods so that they can rebuild as quickly as pos- sible," he said. "And pray particularly for widespread rain across the whole coun- try." Bishop Shane Mackinlay of Diocese of Sandhurst ex- pressed concern about "the impact that fires have al- ready had on communities and by the anxiety that the threat of fire is causing." In a statement Jan. 3, he urged "political and commu- nity leaders to continue ef- forts to identify and respond to the underlying causes that have contributed to the heightened risks we are fac- ing this summer, (and) we pray for those who lost their lives, and for the safe recov- ery of people who are miss- ing." The fires have been burn- ing since August and have destroyed an area compa- rable to the combined region of the Netherlands and Bel- gium. By Jan. 3, thousands of people were given less than 48 hours to evacuate fire- ravaged coastal communities in the state of New South Wales. CNN reported Jan. 7 that more than 2,000 homes in New South Wales alone have been destroyed. At least 24 people have died. Officials fear the toll could rise steeply, with Vic- torian emergency services saying 28 people are missing in the state. Smoke clouds, which can be seen from space, have reached New Zealand, nearly 2,500 miles away across the Tasman Sea. The Gippsland region in Victoria's east has seen con- voys of people escorted by po- lice and emergency services personnel evacuating from towns such as Corryong and Walwa in Victoria's Alpine country. Catholics such as the Bur- tons and Darlows say their faith is strong. "We have a very deep faith," said Burton. "I put a scapular on the door and sprinkled the house with holy water, and we have statues in our home, including the Infant of Prague, and so I prayed - we prayed very hard, and asked other people to pray. In his statement, Bishop Mackinlay applauded the heroism of firefighters - mainly volunteers - risking their lives. In Sydney, a Funeral Mass for firefighter Andrew O'Dwyer was held Jan. 7. O'Dwyer, 36, and fellow firefighter Geoffrey Keaton, 32, were killed Dec. 19 when a fallen tree caused their tanker to roll as they fought fires south of Sydney. The Order of Malta Aus- tralia announced Jan. 3 it would use money from its Natural Disaster Fund to provide emergency relief to those directly impacted. "We are exploring opportu- nities with our regional Hos- pitallers to provide some di- rect assistance, with our top priority currently to provide support to the thousands who have lost homes or are stranded," said a statement from the order.
THE RECORD JANUARY 9, 2020 LOCAL / WORLD WWW.THERECORDNEWSPAPER.ORG A3
CNS Photo by Dean Lewins, AAP via Reuters
Charlotte O'Dwyer, daughter of Rural Fire Service volunteer Andrew O'Dwyer, kissed her father's casket following his Fu- neral Mass at Our Lady of Victories Church in Sydney Jan. 7. Andrew O'Dwyer died Dec. 19 when the truck he was travel- ing in rolled off the road.
YOUTH EVENTS
St. Francis student wins science award
Mary Shea Ballantine, a seventh-grade student at St. Francis of Assisi School, won the "Rising Star of Sci- ence" award at the Broadcom MASTERS (Math, Applied Science, Technology and En- gineering for Rising Stars) national STEM competition which took place in Washing- ton, D.C. late last year. Mary Shea was awarded for her research on the effect of car exhaust on bacteria found in the lungs. The award is presented to a "young scientist who shows exemplary mastery of the science of her project and great potential as a fu- ture scientist," according to information from St. Francis of Assisi. She will compete in the Intel National Science Fair in California in May.
ACT/SAT prep
The Office of Multicultural Ministry's Catholic Enrich- ment Center will offer an ACT/SAT prep session on Feb. 1 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the center, 3146 West Broadway. The class is free. Call the center at 776-0262 for more information or to register.
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A Life-Changing Event
Australians seek prayers amid fires
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