Three days after an Indian Ocean earthquake registering 9.0 on the Richter scale sent walls of water hurtling into numerous Asian countries, members of the community gathered at St. Jude's Wednesday afternoon service to acknowledge and mourn what is estimated to be more than 100,000 people who died in the catastrophe.

"Those of us gathered here are doing pretty well—we're warm, we're dry, we're well-fed," said the Rev. Robert Mayer, who led the traditional Episcopal service. "But the media has made the world smaller—I've heard that we can connect with anyone on earth within five interchanges. Disaster affects us all."

Among the 20 people attending the service were those mourning relatives lost in the tsunami. Associate Rector Rev. Mary Blessing said that was the reason for opening the service to the wider community—members of St. Jude's extended family have lost relatives in affected places such as Indonesia.

Harsha Lakshamanan lives in Fremont, but heard about the service through a co-worker who belongs to St. Jude's. He attended with his wife and daughter to mourn the death of his cousin, Bina, who was swept away while vacationing in Sri Lanka. Bina, her husband and nine-year-old son normally lived in Singapore, and Lakshamanan said he wasn't even aware they were in harm's way.

"It came completely out of the blue," he said. "They were out there at 6 a.m., probably to watch the sunrise. Her husband saw the wave coming and put their son up in a tree, but when he turned back to get her, she was already gone. It's like something out of a nightmare."

Lakshamanan had just heard about his cousin's death the day before. Bina's husband and son are safe.

One of St. Jude's parishioners, Rasika Weerasooriya, is from Moratuwa, a coastal town about eight miles from Colomo, Sri Lanka. Her hometown was hit hard by the tsunami, and Weerasooriya said St. Matthias' Church that has served the coastal community there for over 125 years is struggling to house some 250 to 300 displaced victims. The church members are scrambling to provide dry rations, clothes and other assistance throughout that area to people who have lost everything. Weerasooriya and her parents were parishioners of the church until their move to the US.

Mary Souza, chair of St. Jude's Social Justice/Outreach committee, said that the committee had already earmarked $2,500 from their 2005 budget to donate to relief efforts. St. Jude's efforts will go toward the South Asia Relief Fund of Episcopal Relief and Development, an organization that works with Episcopal churches nationwide.

Souza added that she hoped that area churches could band together to raise money for relief efforts.

Help Tsunami victims through India Center

While world organizations are pulling efforts together to help victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami, there is a way to help locally.

The India Community Center in Sunnyvale is accepting financial donations in three ways—over the center's website at www.indiacc.org or in person at the Sunnyvale center at 285 N. Wolfe Road, Suite 102. Donations may also be mailed to the attention of Seema Chauhan at the India Community Center in Milpitas at 555 Los Coches Street, Milpitas CA 95035.

Checks should be made out to India Community Center/Tsunami Relief.

Talat Hasan, chairman of ICC's board of trustees said, "it is our intent to direct funds to established relief organizations in order to provide emergency support to the victims. Over the next few months, the fundraising will be focused through American India Foundation which has the infrastructure for relief in India for rehabilitation, livelihood and reconstruction efforts."

For more information call the India Center in Sunnyvale at 408.934.1130