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A Lesson in Hope
by Marie Hogan, SSJ
This Advent, 19 young
adults and CSSJ chaperones learned a new lesson of hope through
our participation in the mission trip to St. Gabriel’s Parish
in New Orleans. After much planning by the Vocation Directors of
our emerging congregation, we gathered together in New Orleans for
a week of service. We quickly formed community through our shared
prayer, our close living quarters, and our work of gutting houses.
During our orientation, Sr. Kathleen Pittman, CSJ and Fr. Doug Doussan
explained that they made a decision to put off rebuilding the Church
building in order to help the parishioners rebuild their homes.
Without parishioners, there is no parish. Through the work of volunteers
and the donations of many, they have been able to assist in gutting
houses and donating drywall and insulation to those in the parish
who were ready to rebuild.
Before our work began, Sr. Kathleen and Fr. Doug told us that the
most important thing we bring to New Orleans is hope. Yes, our work
and the sweat of our bodies will be appreciated, but it is our presence
that brings hope to the people of New Orleans. Even though our work
for the week was emptying and gutting houses, we were reminded that
this is the first step of rebuilding. We were encouraged to remember
as we entered the houses that we were entering holy ground. Each
house had been home for families for 40, 50 or more years. It is
the place where people raised their children, celebrated holidays
and did all the things of ordinary family life.
As we entered the homes, we saw signs of the life which took place
there before hurricane Katrina. The silverware still in the sink,
the clothes in the closets, and the crucifix on the wall reminded
us of the people who left their homes and have not been able to
return. The work was difficult as we emptied furniture from the
house, took down cabinets, tore out dry wall, removed sinks and
bathtubs and stripped the home down to the frame. The pile at the
curb grew. What looked like garbage was the sign of hope that a
family would some day be returning to their home.
Throughout our time in New Orleans people thanked us for being there.
Cars driving by the house honked their horn and thanked us. People
in stores, gas stations, or the laundromat were grateful we came
to help in their efforts to rebuild. The families who were able
to be present as their homes were gutted were in tears that others
were helping them do work that they could never have done on their
own.
Each of us who participated expressed our own gratitude for the
experience. It was difficult to imagine the devastation that is
still present over a year after hurricane Katrina. There is so much
work still to be done and ours was one small effort in rebuilding
the city. As we met the people of New Orleans, we experienced people
of great faith and hope who are trying to rebuild their lives in
the midst of this devastation. The signs of hope are present. Thirty
families in St. Gabriel’s parish are now living in their homes.
There are many trailers on front lawns as people work to make their
home a place where they can live. Three fast food restaurants, a
grocery store, a Walgreen’s store and a few other businesses
are now opened in the neighborhood. Much work is still to be done,
but each effort brings hope to those whose lives were forever changed
when hurricane Katrina hit.
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