Prayers–Toxic spill in Hungary

October 12, 2010 Leave a comment

The Hungarian military arrives in Kolontár to evacuate the toxic village

As you may have seen on television or read on the Internet, a major toxic spill occured in Hungary, when the walls of an aluminium plant’s reservoir burst, flooding 40 square kilometres of land and rivers with 35 million cubic feet of red-coloured chemical sludge. A total of 8 people died in the village of Kolontár, which has since been completely evacuated. According to Tibor Dobson–a spokesperson for the Hungarian governmental rescue agency–all life along the 40km stretch of the River Marcal has been extinguished and as such, rescue workers are now working to safeguard the nearby Rába and Danube rivers from a similar fate. Workers have poured both plaster and vinegar into the Rába and Danube rivers, in an effort to lower their pH levels. The risk to human life is that once the red sludge dries up, dust particles may emit high levels of radiation.

Kolontár’s 800 residents have lost their homes and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán suggested that the entire municipality was a “write-off,” adding  that it made no sense for the evacuees to return. The private company responsible for the worst environmental disaster in the country’s history, Magyar Aluminium (MAL), was summarily nationalized by the Government of Hungary following the industrial accident and the firm’s director was arrested by police. MAL supplies an eighth of all aluminium used in the European Union and produces 4% of all aluminium worldwide.

Please pray for the families of the deceased, the 800 residents who have lost their homes and for the natural and wildlife effected by the chemical spill in the 40 square kilometre zone.

Below are some additional photos of the chemical spill from “Index,” a Hungarian news agency.

Kolontár, after the chemical spill and flood of red sludge

A resident flees Kolontár after the spill

A resident cleans his yard in Kolontár, following the spill

Kolontár, after the evacuation

A flooded and damaged home in Kolontár

Flooded, toxic agricultural areas around Kolontár

A resident is rescued from her flooded home in the town of Devecser, 12km from Kolontár

A map showing the affected areas, including Kolontár, and the Marcal and Rába Rivers

Filed under News, Prayer Requests

Prayers for Francis Boulva, his family and friends

August 11, 2010 Leave a comment

Francis Boulva, a member of our young adult faith community at St. Joseph Parish, passed away last night. Francis was 27 years old and worked as a pediatrician at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), in Ottawa. In early July, Francis travelled to Iqaluit, Nunavut, where he served as a doctor. He passed away in Montreal after being diagnosed with cancer earlier this summer. Francis, Rebekah and his family are in our prayers. We will post information on Francis’ funeral mass to our website in the coming days.

Update: The funeral service will be held on 18 August 2010, at 10:00am, at St-Joseph de Mont-Royal Church, in the Town of Mount Royal (Montreal).

Obituary from the Montreal Gazette

FRANCIS BOULVA 1983 – 2010. After a short but valiant battle with cancer, Francis passed away peacefully on August 10, 2010, with his family by his side. Resident in pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), he was a caring doctor, a thoughtful colleague, a loyal friend and a loving son and brother. Francis is survived by his parents, Marie-Claude Lacroix and Ivan Boulva, his brother Olivier and reunites in heaven with his younger brother David, deceased in 1985. Francis will also be greatly missed by his grandparents, Therese and Aurele Lacroix, Claire and Francis Boulva, as well as by his uncles, aunts, cousins and by numerous colleagues and friends. Family and friends may gather at Complexe funeraire Urgel Bourgie, 1255 Beaumont Street, Town of Mount-Royal, on Monday, August 16 from 7 to 10 p.m. and on Tuesday, August 17 from 2 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 10 p.m. Funeral will be held at Saint-Joseph-de-Mont-Royal Church, 1620 Laird Blvd, Town of Mount-Royal, on Wednesday, August 18 at 10 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Francis Boulva Foundation at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital would be greatly appreciated. His family wishes to warmly thank the doctors and personnel of the Ottawa Hospital, Civic Campus and of the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital for their hard work and devoted care.

Filed under Prayer Requests

Prayers for Francis

July 17, 2010 1 Comment

Francis, a member of our young adult community at St. Joe’s, is ill and scheduled to undergo major surgery on Tuesday morning. Please pray for Francis, Rebekah and for his family. Francis will be included in the prayers of the faithful at this Sunday’s 11:30am mass.

Filed under Prayer Requests

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