On Dec. 10, 2021, Kathy McEnaney and her family were in St. Louis, Missouri, to celebrate a wedding. That Friday evening was the rehearsal dinner, but Kathy, her husband, Joe, and their 19-year-old daughter Kaylee were not in a festive frame of mind. At the hotel, the McEnaneys were engrossed by the TV news and the text messages Kathy was receiving regularly from her meteorologist nephew. A tornado was heading straight for their hometown of Princeton, Kentucky, and it was a big one. Seeking refuge The intensity of the wind and rain had grown frightening when Kathy’s friend and neighbor, Jill Giordano, called Kathy to ask if she and her family could take refuge in the McEnaneys’ house, as Jill’s did not have a basement. Kathy opened her garage door remotely through her phone, and Jill and several relatives, including her 2-year-old grandson, took cover in the McEnaneys’ basement. Not long after that, the power cut out in Princeton. An EF4 tornado ripped through the town as the McEnaneys, more than 200 miles away, prayed for their community. The next call they received was from Karsyn Parker, a close friend of Kaylee. “My house is gone!” she cried. Kathy called Jill, who assured her that she and her family were safe. Next, Kathy called Karsyn’s mother, Katie Parker, and told her that the Parkers should join Jill’s family in the basement. Shortly afterward, Princeton lost cellphone service. The Parkers made their way to the McEnaneys’ house and waited with Jill and her family for daylight. Stunning surprise The sun rose on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021, to reveal a scene of devastating loss across western Kentucky. “The neighborhood across from my home was completely annihilated,” says Kathy. Like the Parkers’ house, Jill’s home and her mother’s had been destroyed. Jill’s sister’s house was still standing, but her detached garage was severely damaged. Waiting in St. Louis for word, Kathy recalls: “I expected my house to be severely damaged, but for [my friends] to be protected in the basement.” When she finally learned the truth, Kathy was stunned. Her large hilltop house had lost some roof shingles and a Christmas decoration. It bore no other sign of the tornado’s violent path through Princeton. Though surprised, Kathy had no trouble identifying the reason her home was spared. It was all thanks to a birthday present, some YouTube videos, a few special prayers, and a certain picture displayed prominently in the McEnaneys’ front window. For her birthday in July 2021, Kathy had received a book about Eucharistic miracles. The subject intrigued her, and she set out to learn more. An internet search led her to Marian Fr. Chris Alar’s “Explaining the Faith” ‘By the Grace of Almighty God’ By Marian Friedrichs Photos courtesy of Kathy McEnaney Marian Helpers in Action The Parkers’ home in Princeton, Kentucky, was destroyed by an EF4 tornado. Last fall, Kathy McEnaney placed a blessed Image of Divine Mercy in the windowby the front door. 8 Marian Helper • Summer 2022 • Marian.org
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