Faith communities hold memorial services for flood victims in Texas
Camp Mystic alumnae sing songs after a memorial service at the Church of St John the Divine in Houston on July 7, 2025. (CNA/Amira Abuzeid)
By Amira AbuzeidThe faith communities of the Texas Hill Country flood victims are rallying in support of the families with Masses, rosaries, and memorial services. The Fourth of July flood disaster near the central Texas town of Kerrville, where the Guadalupe River rose 35 feet in the early morning hours, has claimed over 100 lives so far, including more than 30 young children, with many more still unaccounted for. Especially affected was Camp Mystic, the 100-year-old Christian girls' camp in Hunt, Texas. At least 27 campers there perished, with several more, including a counsellor, not yet recovered. Over the last few days, schools and churches in Houston, where many current and former Camp Mystic families reside, have held prayer services and Masses for the victims and their families. A filled-to-overflowing memorial service for Camp Mystic families took place on July 7 at the Church of St John the Divine, an Episcopal church with deep ties to the camp. Buried there is Anne Eastland Spears, former Camp Mystic chairman of the board and mother of camp director Dick Eastland, who lost his life while rescuing campers from the flood. The ministers spoke of Jesus' love for his children, especially when they suffer. St. John's rector, Rev. Leigh Spruill, encouraged those in mourning to 'have hope. Keep talking to God … He may seem absent now, but he hears everything and he is present.' Youth ministry director Rev. Sutton Lowe referred to the Gospel story of Jairus and his little girl, who died and whom Jesus raised from the dead. 'When we die, Jesus is there to touch us and say 'arise,' and there is new life beyond our imagining,' he said. Rev. Libby Garfield told mourners that 'there is a path forward that is lined with the life and death and resurrection of Jesus.' After the service, Camp Mystic alumnae of all ages gathered on the lawn north of the church, forming a large circle in the grass and singing camp songs, many of which were Christian hymns. Ashley Emshoff, an alumna who spoke to CNA after the memorial, said that the camp forges bonds between campers that are lifelong and are 'as strong as family.' Mystic alumna and St John parishioner Alafair Hotze told CNA the Eastland family, who run the camp, became like family to generations of campers. Emshoff and Hotze said that many Camp Mystic alumnae are so eager for their daughters to become part of the Mystic community that they write to the camp as soon as they find out they are pregnant with girls. The Eastlands respond with a Camp Mystic infant onesie for their newborn and a letter of congratulations (along with a place on the waitlist). Hotze said that Dick Eastland's death, while tragic, aligned perfectly with the man he was: 'He taught us to be selfless and love as Christ loves,' Hotze said.
'He died as he had lived,' Hotze said: 'Giving his life for those he loved.' --CNA
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