Dickinson church flooded out during Hurricane Harvey reopens

DICKINSON, Texas (KTRK) -- Some Dickinson neighbors finally feel like they have a home again after a church destroyed by Hurricane Harvey reopened.

On Thursday, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo held a dedication mass at the Shrine of the True Cross.

The church took on feet of water as Hurricane Harvey rolled through the area in late August.

Since then, volunteers and Archdiocese of Galveston Houston have worked to reopen the church.

"You didn't envision we'd be in here yet," Parishioner David Lecompte said.

"If you saw what this looked like the days after the flood," Parishioner Michael Dunn said, "it is just a blessing from God."

Their prayers were complete with Cardinal DiNardo's dedication mass as he blessed members, the walls, and the new altar.

But their suffering isn't all over, as the parish's school is still down to the studs.

The goal is to have it reopened in August.

When it does, both the church and school will be brand new.

A storm that may have been the blessing this parish needed.

"Maybe it's St. Harvey now? But it sure didn't seem like that at the time," Lecompte said.