Stories

Church: A destroyed church lies in ruin in Black River, Jamaica, Nov. 2, 2025, in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa. The government said Nov. 1 that at least 60 people in Jamaica have died since the hurricane made landfall in Jamaica as a catastrophic Category 5 storm with 185 mph sustained winds Oct. 28. (OSV News photo/Raquel Cunha, Reuters)

Photos Lady with the red skirt: Pamella Foster cries as she stands outside her damaged house in Black River, Jamaica, Oct. 30, 2025, after Hurricane Melissa swept through the Caribbean nation. Melissa made landfall Oct. 28 in Jamaica around 1 p.m. ET as a catastrophic Category 5 storm with top winds of 185 mph. One of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record, Melissa has left dozens dead and widespread destruction across Jamaica, Cuba and Haiti. (OSV News photo/Octavio Jones, Reuters)

Lady in blue with child: Camilla Powell 27, and daughter Destiny Ellington, 5, stand outside of their home in Alligator Pond, Jamaica, Oct. 29, 2025, after Hurricane Melissa swept through the area. Melissa made landfall Oct. 28 in Jamaica around 1 p.m. ET as a catastrophic Category 5 storm with top winds of 185 mph. One of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record, Melissa has left dozens dead and widespread destruction across Jamaica, Cuba and Haiti. (OSV News photo/Octavio Jones, Reuters)

Man with his hand up: Bishop John Persaud of Mandeville, Jamaica, who also serves as the apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Montego Bay, is pictured in a 2019 photo. As Hurricane Melissa headed to Jamaica, before landfall, Oct. 28, Bishop Persaud talked with OSV News Oct. 27 about the needs and challenges of ministering in an area routinely battered by storms. (OSV photo/Elmo Griffith, Catholic Media Services/Catholic News, Trinidad)

By Inés San Martín

When Bishop John Persaud speaks about the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, he does not begin with statistics or structures. He begins with gratitude — and with life.

“Constantly, as I moved around both dioceses,” he recalls, “the message was, ‘Bishop, we’re alive.’ And it was just an amazing act of faith.”

Melissa, made landfall on October 28, 2025, as a Category 5 storm, and it’s described by local authorities as one of the most powerful hurricanes ever to strike the region, with winds reaching up to 185 miles per hour, leaving devastation in its wake. For reference, Formula 1 cars have an average speed of 145 miles per hour during a race.

At least 32 people were killed during the storm, which disrupted the lives of some 1.5 million people, half of the country’s total population.

For the Catholic Church in Jamaica — particularly in the Diocese of Mandeville and the Diocese of Montego Bay — the storm was not only a natural disaster, but a profound pastoral challenge.

A Church Hit Hard, a People Not Broken

Bishop Persaud, originally from Guyana, currently serves as bishop of Mandeville and apostolic administrator of Montego Bay, two of the three dioceses on the island. Both were among the hardest hit by the storm.

While the Archdiocese of Kingston, in the capital, was largely spared, entire communities in the southern regions suffered catastrophic damage. In the parish of St. Elizabeth — particularly in the coastal town of Black River — destruction was widespread.

“Our property there is right up against the sea,” Bishop Persaud said. “It’s literally the sea, the road, and then our property. So we really got hit badly.”

One parish school will need to be completely rebuilt. The church lost its roof, doors, and windows. The rectory sustained serious structural damage. A historic building on church grounds, Magdala House — already fragile and unable to be restored due to lack of funds — was reduced to rubble.

Beyond church property, the suffering of ordinary families has been even more acute.

“Many people have just lost their homes, period,” the bishop said. “Some of them were living in very basic homes, and some were totally flattened.”

At least 60 deaths have been reported, though final figures are still uncertain, and many communities remained without electricity, running water, or adequate shelter.

From Emergency to Rebuilding — One Step at a Time

In the immediate aftermath, the Church’s response was focused on survival.

“We’re still almost transitioning out of the emergency stage,” Bishop Persaud explained. “People are without roofs, without food and water. Some communities have no power and no running water.”

Only now is the Church beginning the long transition toward rebuilding — a process that will require significant resources, patience, and prayer.

For now, worship continues wherever it safely can. In Black River, parishioners gathered for the Feast of the Epiphany beneath tarpaulins stretched over what had once been the sacristy.

“It was beautiful,” the bishop recalled. “Everybody was so close together. It was really a sense of family.”

The Body of Christ Made Visible

Support has come largely from within the Church itself: dioceses, parishes, mission organizations, and individuals responding generously from near and far.

“What Melissa has taught us,” Bishop Persaud reflected, “is a chance to reclaim our common humanity.”

He added that in the face of such widespread solidarity, theological language suddenly became tangible.

“For me, the term ‘Body of Christ’ is no longer words on a page or a theological concept. It became real.”

Careful stewardship, transparency, and accountability have been central to the Church’s response. Every donation is documented, every intention honored, every gift — no matter how small — treated with reverence.

Faith with a Caribbean Rhythm

To understand the Church in Jamaica is to understand a faith lived with joy.

“Everybody knows Jamaica is the land of reggae,” Bishop Persaud said with a smile. “So music is certainly a very important aspect of our lives and of our worship.”

Catholics are a small minority on the island, shaped by a history that differs from much of the Caribbean. Jamaica was a British colony, with Anglicanism long dominant, and never developed the deep-rooted Catholic culture found elsewhere in the region.

Yet the faith of Jamaican Catholics, the bishop said, is marked by loyalty, perseverance, and hope.

“They don’t watch their watches when they come to church,” he said. “They come to church.”

And now, after Melissa, that faith has been tested — and strengthened.

“They keep saying, ‘We’re alive.’ And we’re going to pick up the pieces and build back.”

How to Stand with the Church in Jamaica

As Hurricane Melissa approached, The Pontifical Mission Societies quickly established a dedicated fund to assist the Church in Jamaica. Through the generosity of American Catholics, aid has already begun reaching affected communities.

Those who wish to help can do so through pontificalmissions.org, selecting the Jamaica relief fund under “Ways to Give.”

“Nothing is too small,” Bishop Persaud said in closing. “Every gift that comes from a heart that loves and wants to care — we are deeply grateful. And you will always be in our prayers.”