spray paint on houses. Walking by the River. Pumpkins, Pancakes, & Prayers.

Spray Paint
After the storm the National Guard went to all of the houses to search for people, bodies, and pets. Most houses still have spray paint on them indicating the date the house was searched, the group that was there, and what they found.

Sometimes there are messages which people spray painted onto their own homes.












River
When I heard that the place I would be living was only 5 blocks from the Mississippi River, I imagined a warm weekend afternoon walking along by the water (a favorite pass time of mine, as most of you probably know.) It is possible to walk along the street that parallels the river in this neighborhood; you just can't see the river. I am used to walls being by water; after all, the coolest place to hang out when I was a teenager in Narragansett, was by the sea wall in "the Pier." They don't call this a Sea Wall because it is by the river not the sea, but perhaps they could call it a see wall, since you see the wall instead of the water (I know it is a bad joke, but I could not resist.)

If I understand correctly, the wall is there to block water in case of flooding however, in actuality those who lived closest to the Mississippi had less flooding during Katrina than those who lived further away because the land tends to slope upward close to the river; it was not the river itself that caused the flooding in the city, but the levies of smaller canals that broke.


Pumpkins, Pancakes & Prayers
Sisters and all who worked at the pancake breakfast today,
I was thinking of all of you. Although for obvious reasons I was not able to volunteer at the pancake breakfast today, I did help with a fund raiser last night. I helped one of the sisters here sell pumpkins which had been painted beautifully by high school students, to benefit a transitional housing program. I hope that you sold more pancakes that I sold pumpkins!

Everyone,
Please keep my (paternal) grandfather in your prayers.

Take care. Many Blessings!
Love, Kathleen

Ministry and other quick updates

I started ministry this week. In reality, since I am in orientation, I watched what my coworkers were doing. People come into the office seeking assistance with housing. The agency I am working with is trying to focus on assisting those individuals who are chronically homeless. The primary funding source which we have a good chance of accessing may help with security deposits and rent money, for those who can prove that they were homeless (according to HUD's definition) prior to Katrina. The stories and tragic; people are often amazingly resilient.
Today I had the opportunity to ride in the van with workers doing outreach to those who are living on the street. It was very interesting. I am hopeful that the agency I am working with will be able to provide some assistance and support to those currently living on the streets of New Orleans.
Whether in community, with coworkers, or others, most conversations even if they are about something that on the surface seems unrelated, the hurricane comes up. One event truly changed everything for so many. It has affected every aspect of the lives of individuals, and of the region as a whole.

On Tuesday Ellen left. It was truly a gift to have her here during my first few days. The sisters here look forward to her next visit; I do too!

Last night all of the sisters in the area were invited to a gathering, because the sisters from the Texas area who are involved with LCWR (Leadership Conference for Women Religious) were in the area and invited everyone. I was fortunate to attend. It gave me a chance to meet some of the sisters in the greater New Orleans area as well as those visiting.

I am so grateful for this experience, all of the experiences that go along with it, all of the stories I have heard, and all of the people I have met.
All is well with me. I hope all is well with you.
Many Blessings!
-Kathleen

Greetings from New Orleans!

Ellen and I arrived yesterday evening. We were greeted by 2 sisters at the airport. Dinner was waiting for us when we arrived at the convent that will be my home for the next several months. The sisters are very welcoming and hospitable.

There are ten sisters in St. Joseph Covent; I will make 11. The convent was an assisted living building prior to the hurricane, where retired Marinaite Sisters of the Holy Cross lived. After the hurricane only two retired sisters returned. The Marinite Sisters closed three of their small houses because they were so badly damaged from the hurricane. Most of the sisters living here now moved in when those houses were closed. This building had a lot of damage to the first floor, some of which has been renovated, some of which has not.

Today one of the sisters took Ellen and I on a tour. Our first tour was of the buildings on the property here. There is another convent, Holy Angels, which is attached to St. Joseph Convent and houses about seven sisters. There is a building which was once a school, but several years ago was renovated into low income housing apartments for the elderly. There are several large meeting spaces, which neighborhood groups and schools use for gatherings. Much of the property suffered water damage on the first floors during the hurricane.

Our next tour was of area neighborhoods. The neighborhood we live in is called Bywater, because it is by the water (the Mississippi river is only about five blocks away.) We also went into the nearby infamous 9th ward, where the devastation was worse and former residents were typically working class or poor prior to the hurricane. Few have returned to that area. The pictures I include in this post show you why. It is one thing to see these sights on television, to hear them described on public radio, or see pictures in the newspaper, but to actually look at places people once called home, that are now falling to pieces is an experience I can not describe.
These are 3 pictures taken today in the Lower 9th Ward. There are great signs of hope as well, as we see rebuilding and hear stories of heroism, sacrifice and groups working together to rebuild.

After having lunch in a little local place, we got a tour of other parts of the city including the French Quarter and Uptown, which had less damage from the hurricane. We had coffee and little fried dough at a famous place (unfortunately I forget the special name of the doughnuts and the French name of the famous place we ate them; I am on information overload, just trying to remember the names of all of the sisters I've met in the last 24 hours.)

This is a picture of the river taken from the French Quarter area. I thought you might want to see something pleasant after viewing the previous photos.


Everyone at home in Philadelphia and Rhode Island, I am thinking of you and hope all is well. (I am fortunate to have so many places I call home and I think I may have found another!) Take care.
Love, Kathleen

Farewell

Special thanks to all who made my farewell so special last night! It was great to be with you. Thanks for the food, the prayer, the time together, the support and encouragment. The dvd we watched of sisters' stories from New Orleans was very powerful.

I am truly blessed to be a part of a great community and to have good friends. I take you all with me in my heart.

Community

Last night, while reflecting upon the day and anticipating my fast approaching departure, I became more aware of the true situation:
My going to New Orleans is not about me going to New Orleans. The community, the Sisters of the Holy Redeemer of which I am a member, is responding to a need in the larger global community to which we all are members (along with every other person, plant, animal and element.)

If you, as a member of the larger global community, who happens to read this blog at any time going forward, notice from my writing that I am loosing this perspective, please do me a favor and post a comment to remind me.
Thanks.
-Kathleen

The Autum Tree

Today was my last day at work; yesterday was my last day at my other job. I am grateful to all the clients, and coworkers who have taught me much, and enriched my life. I will miss you.

It is interesting how preparing to go away has motivated me to do things I believe are important but tend to put off, like doctors appointments, calling friends, cleaning, and even things that are not particularly important but probably should be done anyway like trying to organize the piles of papers I hide in the corners or my bedroom (well, at least I took them out of hiding so that I'm more likely to deal with them.)

It doesn't quite seem real yet, that in less than a week, I will be in New Orleans. As it gets colder here, I remind myself that next week I will be experiencing warmer weather. My turtlenecks and sweaters come out of hibernation for only one wearing, and a wash. I breathe in the fall air with greater awareness and appreciation as I anticipate more subtle seasonal changes in the weather, and major changes in many aspects of my life.
As I appreciate autumn, I find myself identifying with the trees.


The trees begin to show their colors, prepare to release their leaves;
slowly the branches become visible, vulnerable.
The accomplishments of previous seasons, fall to the ground,
like all leaves ever released they decay becoming the soil,
nourishing the roots, giving life.

Endings have begun,
Slowly I release roles, relationships, and allow the familiar to fade,
all that I let go of, invites me to vulnerability,
all that I let go of nourishes and sustains me.
Nothing really dies;
all is transformed.


Well, my piles of paper are calling, and the clock is ticking away.