Help and Hope for the Hill Country

By Maria D’Antoni

In the gospel of Luke, Chapter 10, Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan and defines a “good neighbor” as one who shows mercy. Through Saint Michael’s Easter and Christmas plate offerings we have recently shown mercy to our neighbors in the Texas Hill Country following the devastating floods of July 4, 2025.

Reported as the sixth deadliest freshwater flood in US history, the July 2025 flood took 130 lives and resulted in countless destruction of property. Saint Michael had families from whom were directly or indirectly impacted.

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Saint Michael’s Mission and Outreach committee continues to seek the right path of service for these neighbors.

We have been inspired by the immediate, boots-on-the-ground action of St. Peter’s Episcopal church in Kerrville. They quickly formed a task force which went to work to serve their community. This task force became Help and Hope for the Hill Country, one of this year’s recipients of Saint Michael’s Easter Plate offerings. As a result of your generosity, they will be receiving $9,457.

St. Peters is a strong and close-knit community of parishioners that was able to quickly assess its needs. Crucial to this process was the ability to listen and discern. It became apparent as the work progressed that the needs of the community would evolve, moving from the obvious physical needs to long-term pastoral care and mental health care needed for grief support and trauma care. 130 families are being assisted on their pathway to recovery. The task force established four pillars on which their work would proceed. They are:

Immediate response
Case management
Mental health and healing
Formation of The Help and Hope Village

Immediate response included the distribution of supplies (plywood, ATVs, box cutters, ice generators, and gift cards). In the second week, they initiated the distribution of 207 emergency relief checks for $2,500 each. These monies were used for food, clothing, and temporary shelter. This was made possible through the support of the Diocese of West Texas and churches across the country, including Saint Michael.

Local clergy were called to an intense level of pastoral care secondary to the effects of profound trauma, dealing with families facing reunification, loss, sudden death, funerals, and post-traumatic mental health issues.

When people lost their homes and vehicles in the flood, they also lost many beloved items. Help and Hope for the Hill Country partnered with a Facebook group, Found on the Guadalupe, to organize found items along the river and help get them back to their owners. Through the power of community and social media, thousands of items have been reunited with owners.

Grief lingers along the Guadelupe. Grief recovery is not short-term nor transactional. According to a rapid mental health assessment reported by Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute in December 2025, up to seven thousand people in the area have been identified with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). To address these problems, long-term affiliations have been established with the Children’s Bereavement Center of South Texas in San Antonio and the Institute for Spirituality and Health at the Texas Medical Center in Houston. Four case workers managed 130 cases and 236 individuals were served by the Children’s Bereavement Center. The number of case managers has grown to 30.

Help and Hope Village was formed, consisting of the Hunt Chapel (the preexisting Hunt Pavilion), a pop-up chapel, and trailers and RVs, which serve as the recovery hub for the area. The Hunt Chapel has become a center of community healing activity, hosting Sunday services, healing circles, healing events utilizing art and music, and community social events.

The work here is constantly evolving and long-term. Help and Hope for the Hill Country (HHHC) is well-organized and efficient, but as Jesus is quoted in Matthew 9:35: “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.”

Workers can burn out, and resources can be limited.

Help and Hope for the Hill Country welcomes missionaries wanting to work with them. They also welcome other volunteer assistance opportunities such as Equestrian opportunities and group art and music activities. One church group from Virginia came to plant trees along the river to replace those lost in the flood. Another group, Healing on the Fly, came to offer flyfishing experiences and companionship. The opportunity to walk along those in pain and recovery is there for those who hear the call.

Saint Michael is blessed with many generous and talented people: musicians, artists, equestrians, teachers, therapists, and good listeners. Plans are being made to take Saint Michael’s mission team to the Hill Country. Should that still, small voice be speaking to you to “be with them,” please contact Allison Nors, Coordinator for Mission and Outreach at anors@saintmichael.org.

**This article was written by Maria D’Antoni and was featured in the 2026 Fall Archangel.