Christian Public Service Volunteers lead dedication attendees in hymns in one of the newly finished homes on August 26, 2025. RILEY GREIF | WKC
‘A peace of mind’ – Mayfield residents celebrate new homes following 2021 tornado damage
BY RILEY GREIF, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC
“Tell me the story always, if you would really be, in any time of trouble, a comforter to me.”
These words were sung in celebration of the comfort God has provided in times of trouble for two Mayfield families at the dedication of two new homes on August 26, 2025. Christian Public Service volunteers led those present in singing the hymn, “Tell Me the Old, Old Story.” Homeowners Sebastian Hurtado and Bertha Velasquez, as well as homeowner Genie Amado, received the keys to their finished homes after two years of prayer and patience.
Their previous homes sustained damage by the December 2021 tornados and intense flooding in recent years. The most recent flooding experience was so extreme that the families were evacuated from their homes. Homeowner Bertha Velasquez shared that the December 2021 tornado affected them in many ways, not only damaging their home but also because she worked in the Mayfield candle factory that was leveled by the storm.
The Amador family walks over to the Hurtado and Velasquez home to help them move in on August 26, 2025. RILEY GREIF | WKC
The two new homes were built by the Christian Public Service Organization with Catholic Charities handling the case management for the two families. The homes were blessed and dedicated by Fr. Darrell Venters, pastor of St. Jerome Parish in Fancy Farm.
Homeowner Genie Amador expressed her gratitude for everyone who helped her along the way, specifically Catholic Charities case manager Karina Gonzalez: “We had applied with somebody else, and they had denied the application. Karina didn’t give up; she figured out a way to help out,” Amado shared.
Fr. Darrell Venters blesses two new Mayfield houses on August 26, 2025. RILEY GREIF | WKC
For Amado and her four children, prayer played a large role in this process, with Amado stating, “they (the kids) prayed every single day, they prayed for the workers for every single one to keep them strong, to keep them safe”. Amado kept the date of the dedication a secret from her children, surprising them by bringing them to the dedication ceremony. The children were in disbelief and were thrilled to explore their newly finished home. The completion of the project brings Amado and her family, “a peace of mind that we are going to be safe.”
The lots the homes were built on, located across the street from St. Joseph Parish in Mayfield, were donated by the parish. Amado expressed her excitement to walk to church with her kids every Sunday. In addition to Catholic Charities, the Red Cross, and Christian Public Service, both families share that they experienced profound support from the parish community of St. Joseph in Mayfield. Velasquez stated, “being in the community of St. Joseph is the biggest help, not in a material or monetary way but in a spiritual support”.
Bertha Velasquez hugs Weldon Bender after he hands her the keys to her new house on August 26, 2025. RILEY GREIF | WKC
Originally printed in the October 2025 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.
