Oklahomans say electric power a great blessing after ice storm

Published: 2007-12-20

TULSA, Okla. (CNS) -- When a businessman donated a generator to the Church of the Madalene Dec. 15, grateful parishioners responded in kind, preparing a big spaghetti dinner and going door to door in their power-starved midtown Tulsa neighborhood to invite people to come for a hot meal. "Since we had been so blessed, we decided the least we could do was try and help our neighbors who were still without electricity," said Father Jack Gleason, the pastor. "All in all, about 80 people were treated to a nice meal. We had planned to have games available; however, most people preferred to sit around and talk -- some lamenting the difficulties of the week, others sharing stories of the many acts of kindness given them," he said. The Church of the Madalene initially lost power the morning of Dec. 9 when an ice storm snapped huge trees like kindling and triggered a massive power outage across Oklahoma. Father Gleason celebrated Mass that day "by candlelight and flashlight, with my yelling the homily, I suppose like in the 'good old days' before sound systems."

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