Faithful urged to remember Yolanda victims

MANILA, Philippines — Officials of the Catholic Church have urged the faithful to remember the persons who died when Super Typhoon Yolanda ravaged Tacloban City and the lessons it left in the minds and hearts of those who survived, as they mark the ninth anniversary of the typhoon on Nov. 9.

In a statement, Borongan Bishop Crispin Varquez said that the Catholic faithful should continue facing whatever challenges may come their way “with binding hopefulness and solidarity” and be thankful to the Lord that they have risen from the destruction of Yolanda.

“We have seen God’s saving acts at work in our own history. We thank individuals, groups and organizations who helped us rise and recover, and never forget them in our prayers. We pray for our loved ones who died during and shortly after Yolanda’s wrath,” Varquez said.

“We continually entrust them to God’s mercy in our masses. We also remember the lives that were spared, that they may find comfort and strength in God to rebuild and move forward in their lives,” he added, as he urged everyone to continue praying for deliverance from all calamities.

Varquez also asked the Catholic faithful to continue educating themselves, especially young ones, on the lessons left by Yolanda.

In an interview over Church-run Radyo Veritas, Military Ordinariate of the Philippines Bishop Oscar Jaime Florencio echoed the sentiments of Varquez, saying that it is important to remember and pray for those who died during Yolanda so that their souls will be at peace.

He said this is a reminder of how strong the typhoon was and a call for people to think of what they can do for nature, since Yolanda “was also a cry of creation, of the environment.”

He added that if we do not take measures to solve environmental problems, nature will take its revenge.

Yolanda hit Tacloban City and parts of Eastern Visayas on Nov. 8, 2013.