A photo taken by Edward DiCenso showing the construction of temporary homes in North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Pilot photo/courtesy Edward DiCenso
BRIDGEWATER -- "There's nothing wrong with that."
That was the response Edward DiCenso received when the people of Valdese, North Carolina, learned he was Catholic. The overwhelmingly Protestant town of less than 5,000 people in the Piedmont region of North Carolina was relatively unscathed by Hurricane Helene, but those living in the mountains that overlook the town were devastated. DiCenso, a maintenance associate at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Bridgewater, drove with a friend to Valdese to help build temporary homes for those without shelter on Nov. 2 and 3. He worked alongside people of all Christian denominations.
"We all believe in the same faith," they told him, "in Jesus Christ and in God."
Volunteers from across the country worked to build, insulate, furnish, and provide electricity to temporary homes, each the size of a backyard shed and able to house two to four people. DiCenso helped to unload materials for the homes and insulate them. Each home can be completed in mere days. Eighteen of them were prebuilt by an Amish community in Pennsylvania and shipped to North Carolina. Carpenters built other homes from scratch based on the homes the Amish had built.
"People are hurting," DiCenso told The Pilot on Nov. 25. "They don't want to sell their land. They want to keep their land and rebuild their houses. They just needed some temporary homes because they were living in tents."
It was his first time volunteering in a disaster zone. DiCenso, 46, grew up in an Italian family that instilled a love of the Catholic faith, but he drifted from the faith in his adulthood. About two months ago, Father Bill Devine, pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas, encouraged him to attend Mass at Bridgewater State University's St. Basil Chapel. DiCenso, who hadn't been to Mass in years, was reluctant. It ended up changing his life.
"Everything's been going good," he said. "I don't do some of the things I used to do anymore. I don't drink anymore, I work, I attend church. It's helped me a lot with my family and to help me be closer to my family and with God and with Jesus Christ."
His rekindled faith was what inspired him to take a nonstop 15-hour road trip to Valdese on Nov. 1 with his friend, who shared with him an ad on Facebook about the need for volunteers. They left on Friday afternoon and arrived early Saturday morning. DiCenso met volunteers from all over the East Coast, including one from Bridgewater.
"I met a lot of people up there, and they're very nice and welcoming," he said. "They fed us breakfast, lunch, and dinner."
The volunteers slept in tents set up around a local Protestant church. DiCenso had been to Texas, Arizona, and California, but never North Carolina.
"They're really laid-back there, they're really friendly and welcoming," he said. "There's a lot of good, friendly people around here as well, but it was definitely a different culture shock there."
He was grateful for the chance to help them.
"It felt good," he said. "It really did. I knew I was doing it for a good purpose. My friend invited me, we both went together, we both helped all day. I just did it out of goodness in my heart. It felt good to do that and to help somebody in need."