New homeowner Miguel Osorio Marin prepares lunch for volunteers and community members who attended his Sept. 19 home dedication in Mayfield. COURTESY OF KATINA HAYDEN
‘We’ll turn this into a beautiful home,’ vows Mayfield family as new house is dedicated post-tornado
BY STACEY MENSER, SPECIAL TO THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC
Recovery continues in western Kentucky communities devastated by the Dec. 10, 2021 tornadoes, and Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Owensboro is there walking alongside survivors and witnessing new beginnings each day.
On Sept. 19, Catholic Charities case managers and staff celebrated the completion of the 19th new home built by the diocese in western Kentucky since the 2021 devastation.
“This is our first house in Mayfield,” said Katina Hayden, disaster operations coordinator for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Owensboro. “We built 18 houses in the last two years in Hopkins and Caldwell counties by partnering with Mennonite Disaster Service.”
For the Mayfield home build, Catholic Charities partnered with another Mennonite organization, Christian Public Service, which provides long-term volunteer opportunities for young men and women of the church.
“We are a small part of this,” said Hayden at the Sept. 19 home dedication, where community members and recovery partners gathered to celebrate with Miguel Osorio Marin and his family as they received the keys to their new home.
Fr. Darrell Venters, pastor of St. Jerome Parish in Fancy Farm, blesses the home of the Osorio Marin family in Mayfield, which was rebuilt after the 2021 tornado destroyed the family’s home. COURTESY OF STACEY MENSER
Miguel lost his home, his job, and time with his children as a result of the 2021 tornado. The Osorio Marin family, like many families affected by the disaster, had to live separately because of temporary housing situations.
Catholic Charities case manager Karina Gonzalez has worked with Miguel the last two years. She made connections with local churches and other build partners in the community to get a plan in place to build the family a new home on their lot in Mayfield. Gonzalez coordinated funding and resources, while Christian Public Service volunteers and Joe Orr of Homes of Hope for Kentucky worked on the construction.
Devonn Friesen, a California resident working in Mayfield with Christian Public Service, supervised the build and oversaw the work of young men volunteering from Oregon, Brazil, and Alberta, Canada.
“We can build a house. But Miguel and his family will make this a home,” Friesen said during the dedication.
Fr. Darrell Venters of St. Jerome Parish in Fancy Farm gave a blessing over the home and the Osorio Marin family, and the young men from CPS led a singing of Amazing Grace before the homeowner received the keys.
“It’s incredible the work you have done,” Miguel said. “I am thankful to God; and with his help, we’ll turn this into a beautiful home.”
To show his thanks, Miguel prepared a meal and served the volunteers and supporters who helped bring his family into a new home.
Catholic Charities is planning more home builds in Mayfield in the coming year by partnering with Christian Public Service. To learn more about the organization, visit www.cps-inc.org.
Originally printed in the November 2024 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.
