HENRYVILLE — They say time heals everything, and six months after the March 2 tornadoes, the people of Henryville have experienced significant healing. The passage of time has contributed to the progress, but the success is because a community that came together, according to the residents.

“The community is closer together now since the tornado. It doesn’t matter what church you go to. Everyone has been pitching in,” said Tom Nolot, of St. Francis Xavier Parish of Henryville.

On Sunday, St. Francis Church of Henryville hosted the Building Anew Picnic: Celebrating Volunteers. The picnic served as a celebration and memorial of those who endured the tornado and those who volunteered their time to help. Despite the rain, almost 150 people enjoyed the picnic. 

“In spite of weather, it’s time for us to reflect on those who gave so much to us,” said Vicki Horine, who attends the church and is a teacher at Henryville. “We wanted to do a celebration day. If the weather was going to be bad, it wasn’t going to be as bad as six months ago and the rain is needed. A little rain isn’t going to stop us, just like the tornado didn’t stop us. Volunteers came out, and we came out in spite of the weather today. This day is for just to appreciate each other and appreciate life in general.

Horine recalled the day of the tornado when instead of joining the church for its monthly fish fry, she had to help the students into a safe shelter and then turn her attention to the community. 

Horine explained that during the past six months she has met more people of the community and across the country that she never would have if it were not for the tornado.

“It has brought us together. I’m sad for the people who experienced sorrow, and it’s hard when people have been so broken. But despite that, we find the inner good in everyone, and that’s the beauty in what happened. As low as it goes, and as sad as it gets we’re healing people one day at a time,” Horine said.

At the close of the picnic at 3 p.m., every church in Henryville sounded their bells six times, with each time signifying each passing month.

“The thing is that we remember this day. We’re six months in and we’ll get through the next six months,” said Rev. Steven Schaftlein of St. Francis Church of Henryville. He added that there are plans for another celebration to mark the one year anniversary.

The church received damage from the tornado as well, but services have continued in the basement, and the monthly fish fry has resumed.

“Everything is coming together. We have a new roof and everything is looking good. We’re just about recovered I guess as much as we can be,” said Betty Joe Banet of St. Francis Church, which will resume regular service upstairs in about three weeks.

Melissa Ulrich said she enjoyed the celebration.

“I think this turned out very well, considering the weather,” Ulrich said. She added that she has also befriended a lot of people outside of the community because of the storm, and progress has been made.

“It looks a lot better, but we still have a long way to go,” she said.

The word has typically been it takes two years to recover from such an event.

“The whole town has been caught up with the adventure of complete sorrow and sadness, and trying to put ourselves together, and there has been shear joy, even early on. Memories may have been blown away, but our spirit is still inside of us. We have rebuilt this together,” Horine said.

 In regard to two years, Horine said that it indeed takes a long time to repair a community. However, as more time passes more progress will occur.