Tent Chapels sent for Chile's reconstruction

(June 08, 2010) As Chile continues to rebuild after a Feb. 27 earthquake, tents are being sent to be used as chapels for the parishes, still holding services on the street. “Aid to the Church in Need” a catholic organisation reported on Monday that it was sending 39 tent chapels. The 8.8-magnitude quake affected 2 million people in eight of Chile's 27 dioceses. Over 800 people were killed in the disaster and some 500,000 more were displaced. Some 80% of the churches in the quake-stricken areas were devastated to the point of being unusable, and thus Masses, baptisms and funerals are taking place outdoors.
The vicar general of the Rancagua Diocese, Father Barnabas Silva, blessed the first of these tent chapels on May 30. It was erected on the site of the ancient Church of the Immaculate Conception, which was destroyed in the earthquake. A group of Carmelites also attended the blessing ceremony and gave the parish an image of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Chile's patron saint. Christiane Raczynski, the aid agency's president in Chile, noted that these iron and vinyl tents will allow parish priests of churches damaged by the earthquake to welcome and comfort the faithful, while giving them a sign of hope.
The tents, which were designed for easy assembling, cover an area of over 1,990 square feet, with a capacity to seat 100 faithful.