We must maintain a pastoral presence in Mississippi and Louisiana. But to do that, we must compensate our clergy until congregations become self-sufficient once again. Due to the large number of destroyed or damaged communities, parishes are currently seeing reductions in attendance by approximately 30%. With that staggering statistic comes a major shortfall of funds—crippling churches’ ability to compensate clergy. Providing extra financial support now enables priests and deacons to continue living and serving in their community at a time when they are needed the most.