09/26/2026
As we shelter in the comfort of our homes and ponder the nor'easter raging outside, let us take a moment to remember the Hurricane of '38 that ravaged our shores 88 years ago, earlier this week. In Saltaire, where the Sept. 21 storm hit hardest, their Catholic church, Our Lady of the Star of the Sea, erected only 12 years earlier, was one of the structures entirely washed away. In the rubble, they found their Virgin Mary statue, the only thing from the original church they managed to salvage—minus her hands. They never found them, and they decided never to replace them, so we would never forget. The church was rebuilt, and they celebrated their centennial this summer—and while the building itself may be younger than that, Rev. Sean Gann reminded us that a church is comprised of people first—then the lumber, bricks, and mortar will follow—and that is the true safe harbor. Photo by Shoshanna McCollum.
