Contact: Ben Peterson, PR Specialist, OCP, 503-460-5363

PORTLAND, Oregon, July 11 /Christian Newswire/ -- Recent devastating floods have hit many communities in Iowa and Illinois. In an effort to speed the recovery process in these regions, OCP has reached out, sending financial support to two parishes.

St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church, the only Czech National Parish in Cedar Rapids, was inundated with high floodwaters. The church is part of a historic area first settled by "Bohemians" (Czechs) in 1850. When rains fell on the Cedar Rapids area for a full week, the nearby Cedar River rose to the unprecedented level of 31.2 feet, far exceeding the record levels of the 1993 floods. The parish suffered substantial damage.

St. Patrick Catholic Church in Taylor Ridge, Ill., was first established in 1856. The current church building was erected in 1973 and the parish center features stained glass windows dating back to 1925. When the floods hit the region, the parish was among many structures affected by the disaster.

"No community can ever truly prepare for something like this," said OCP Publisher John Limb. "We sincerely hope the contribution we provided will help start the recovery process. It's been our privilege to serve these parishes for many years, and they are certainly in our prayers."

About OCP
OCP, a not-for-profit publisher of liturgical music and worship resources based in Portland, Oregon, has been in operation for more than 80 years. Worship programs produced by OCP are used in two-thirds of Catholic churches in the United States and are distributed worldwide.