Dear Pastors, Priests, Schools, and the Communities We Serve: This has been a week of significant loss and suffering from the devastating tornado that struck Middle Tennessee in the early morning hours of Tuesday, March 03, 2020.  There has been great loss of life and we all pray for the repose of the souls of those who died, 25 confirmed people as of this writing.  We are grateful for the fact that as far as we have been able to determine, the employees of the diocese, parishes, and schools have escaped direct personal harm. Tuesday morning, an emergency task force was convened at the diocesan level and quickly made assessments within our local Catholic organizations, including our parishes and elementary schools, senior living facilities, high schools, and Catholic Charities.  Major physical and structural damage was determined to be concentrated at the Church of the Assumption, with St. Vincent de Paul and St. Mary Villa Daycare suffering significant HVAC systems damage, and Holy Name also incurring peripheral damage. The Diocese of Nashville’s home web page (dioceseofnashville.com) was immediately set up as a central point of communication for all Catholic organizations—providing current information as it became available, providing additional comfort and consolation with Bishop Spalding’s prayer, and establishing a method of donation for storm relief efforts. Yesterday, relief efforts were swift and organized.   Bishop Spalding joined Father Price to tour the Church of the Assumption, which has now been cleaned and cleared of debris, windows and roof openings covered, and the entire space secured as necessary.  Their daily evening Mass has been held each night since the storm, in the fellowship hall.   A temporary home for weekend Masses is still being evaluated and will be posted on the parish website, with location and times (assumptionchurchnashville.org).  Our insurance provider, Catholic Mutual, has been directly involved and has begun claims processing on all damages and will be coming to visit and inspect next week.  Catholic Charities also has immediately filed for an emergency grant from the national Catholic Charities organization–$10,000 has already been received from them.  Additionally, over 200 other donations have been made to the diocese from social media via our donation site, providing over $22,000 in additional relief funds. We continue to help all of those who have suffered, with Catholic Charities taking the lead in this effort, working with Metro and other non-profits.  If you are aware of people or situations needing assistance beyond your direct means, please let Judy Orr or Deacon Hans Toecker know directly.  Additionally, our Catholic Schools Office is exploring assistance to Donelson Christian Academy (whose entire school K-12 will need temporary facilities), helping them through this hardship. Finally, we have coordinated with the Red Cross for a major blood drive at the Catholic Pastoral Center this Monday, March 9th from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., at 2800 McGavock Pike, Nashville, TN 37214. Please encourage your parishioners and employees to refer to the Diocese Home page and MyParish App for updates as new information arises and recovery efforts unfold.  The process followed this week will be a model for how the Diocese intends to communicate and operate in the event of future emergency situations (such as the Coronavirus), so your feedback on our communications and this process is also welcomed. With the help of the Holy Spirit and the commitment to one another, Nashville will once again rise to the call of rebuilding in the face of adversity, only to become better and more compassionate as children of God. In Christ, Brian L. Cooper Chief Administrative Officer and Vice Chancellor