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Sister Mary
Rose talks with a reporter from CBS, asking if they might be able to
help the Sisters. Later in the day, reporters accompanied the Sisters
in their search for an army truck to transport donated food for
refugees. |
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Hurricane Katrina:
Sisters bring hope in the midst of great loss
When our sisters evacuated their convent in New Orleans before Hurricane
Katrina, they packed only a few necessary items for what they thought
would be a two-day visit to Houston. In the weeks following the disaster
with sporadic means of communication, information about their students,
teachers and school was very limited. While three of the sisters returned
to the Motherhouse, Sister Mary Rose and Sister Mary Cecilia shuttled
between Houston and Baton Rouge, trying to gather information about the
students, faculty and future of the school. Yet they discovered much more.
Their presence among the displaced people of the Gulf region proved
grace-filled as they offered consolation and shared stories with
survivors. In the midst of loss, the sisters’ presence was able to remind
people of the pilgrim nature of this life.
After three weeks in Houston, Sister Mary Rose and Sister Mary Cecilia
received a pass to enter the French Quarter and assess storm damage to the
convent and the school. Miraculously, the buildings were not touched by
flooding or looting with the convent and main school building sustaining
some roof damage.
Since the Archdiocese is committed to reopening Cathedral Academy, the
five sisters have temporarily traded in their chalk, teacher’s manuals,
and lesson plans for buckets, bleach and mops. Besides cleaning, the
sisters are contacting faculty and beginning to register students in order
to reopen in a few weeks.
Situated in the middle of the French Quarter, the sisters have become a
familiar sight to the homeless, artists and shop owners in the Quarter.
Before the hurricane, Cathedral Academy was one of 24 inner-city Catholic
schools in New Orleans, with a population of 98% African-American
children, most of whom qualified for the free and reduced-price lunch and
breakfast programs.
The sisters have hope that out of the ruins of this ravaged city will
emerge a new and better New Orleans, a place where the less fortunate will
get a fresh start thanks to the generosity of their neighbors. At a
meeting in Baton Rouge, Father Neal McDermott, director of Catholic
Formation in New Orleans, reminded teachers that, while they did lose a
great deal of “stuff” in Katrina, nevertheless they still possess the
things that ultimately matter most: their family, their faith, and the
presence of Christ in the Eucharist. |
