Parish Partner Blog

Read about Old St. Pat's  Foundations youth group recent trip to Mississippi.                                                        By Bridget Monahan

As the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina quickly approaches, work for parishes along the Gulf Coast continues as does the support of their Parish Partners.  Old St. Patrick's Church in Chicago has made a five-year commitment to assist St. Clare Catholic Church in Waveland, MS recover from the hurricane's devastating affects.  The church was completely swept away by the storm surge along with the rectory, church offices and school.  Through their outreach program, Harbor of Hope, nearly 200 volunteers have helped St. Clare's with the cleanup and rebuilding.  

On June 14, 2008, the parish's Foundations Youth Ministry program, consisting of twenty-four high school students and eight adults, made the 18 hour drive to Waveland and spent an entire week lending a helping hand to their Parish Partner and the surrounding community. 

Saturday, June 14

The trip has begun!

Everyone arrived bright and early this morning to pack the vans and prepare for the long drive ahead.  An inspiring Mass was celebrated by Fr. Jack Wall, president of Catholic Extension.  He commended the Foundations youth group for leaving their comfort zone of their families and friends and reaching out to those in need.  "My prayer for all of you is this.  Be deeply present in the moment.  Take in the good and the bad, the fun and the challenges, in this moment the spirit of God is alive in you."

After a blessing and a group picture, the vans drove away as family and friends waved good-bye. 

Sunday, June 15 

After 17 hours of driving, the group safely made it to Mississippi.  This evening they attended Mass at St. Thomas the Apostle in Long Beach with Fr. Louie Lohan.  The parishioners were incredibly warm and welcoming.  Several parishioners stayed after Mass to speak with the group and offer their heartfelt thanks.  Fr. Louie spoke about the complete destruction of their church and the challenges he faced after Hurricane Katrina.  The parish now calls a converted skating rink home while they make plans for rebuilding a new church.  One end of the skating rink is the church while the other half has been converted to classrooms for the grade school.  Fr. Louie was a gracious host giving a tour of the classrooms and answering questions.  The group returned to their lodgings in Pass Christian to enjoy dinner and the view of St. Louis Bay. 

      Becky Terlep, Old St. Pat's youth coordinator, spoke about the Foundations' trip after Mass.

Monday, June 16

For the first day of work, the group headed to Skip's house who coordinates Square Foot Ministry.  One group headed to another house to assist the homeowner with miscellaneous project.  The remaining three groups of teens are handling two different projects: clearing a neighborhood lot and building shelves in Skip's utility shed.  The sun is scorching and everyone is thankful for the breeze off the bay and taking brief water breaks in the shade.  

Visit the Group 3 page to read more from Jen and Francis about their experience returning to the Gulf Coast after 2 years.  The rest of Group 3 (Nora, Henry, Jose, Matt) will also contribute their thoughts on the trip to be posted this evening.  

Tuesday, June 17

Work continues today in 95 degree heat for the two groups completing Skip's yard and shelves.  The two other groups are at different sites working on homes and will write about their experiences later today.

A great addition to today's group was Anthony, Skip's 7 year old grandson, who pulled on some oversize work gloves to help out.  He helped rake the yard and showed everyone where his friend's tree house used to be before the hurricane.  A single board nailed on the tree is the only proof left of his favorite place.  He even used the power drill with the help of a group leader, Emily. 

The landscaping crew, Group 4, faced numerous challenges with faulty weed whackers, lawn mowers and biting ants.  They sweat through 15 minutes of yard work then sit in the shade to rest and drink water for 10 minutes.  During one of the breaks, a MEMA (Mississippi Emergency Management Agency) cottage was delivered to a neighbor.  It's the same type of unit Skip lives in while his house is being finished.

Group 1 has spent two hard days at work helping Bob in Long Beach rebuild his 80 year old house.  As the group continues to help, they are uncovering a lot of history about the house.  Click here to read more about Bob's story and this group's inspirational experience. 

After a day of work, everyone returned to the volunteer house for a relaxing evening but were ambushed by water ballons from Group 3 (Nora, Henry, Francis, Jen, Jose and Matt).  After a refreshing water balloon fight, one group prepared tacos for dinner while everyone else showered and played cards. 

Jose and Henry prepare for battle

The view from the volunteer house

Wednesday, June 18

Today is dedicated to helping Old St. Pat's Parish Partner, St. Clare in Waveland.  So many of the teens have seen pictures and heard stories about this amazing parish and now it is their turn to see with their own eyes what little Katrina left of St. Clare's.  After they arrived early in the morning, everyone quietly walked around the church foundation while Becky told them what it was like visiting two years ago.  They saw the small tent that parishioners have called home for almost the past three years and stood in front of the infamous sign, "Katrina was big but God is bigger".

A St. Clare parishioner her whole life, Beverly, coordinated today's work assignments.  Two groups stayed at the church to clean and mop the interior for this Saturday's groundbreaking ceremony with Archbishop Rodi.  Two other groups visited parishioners' homes to help with yard work and odd jobs.

Beverly began cleaning the parish with her mother when she was only twelve years old.  Sixty-four years later she remains dedicated to the church.  Fellow parishioners know that if you get a call from Beverly asking for help, there is only one answer: yes.  With tears in her eyes, she expresses her deepest hope of seeing her beloved parish rebuilt during her lifetime.  This is her home, where generations of her family have received the Sacraments, and she is grateful for the support. 

It is difficult not to be emotional when people share their stories of their loss and struggle since the hurricane.  The people they have met this week have endured such sadness with incredible grace and courage.  They are a beautiful example of how to live one's life in the face of unbearable hardship.    

Sarah mopping the floor

After a full morning of work, the group took their first break of the week to visit the beautiful beaches of the Gulf Coast.  They enjoyed the surf and the sand.  Later they returned to St. Clare's for a private Mass celebrated with the pastor, Fr. Cuddy O'Connell.  Another Irish priest, Fr. Cuddy had the formidable challenge of becoming pastor of St. Clare a mere fives months after the hurricane.  It was impressive to see so many of the teens involved with the liturgy.  Nora played the piano while Maddy and Sarah sang beautifully. Joe read the First Reading and Jason helped serve Fr. Cuddy. 

After Mass, Beverly shared her story with the group as well as another parishioner named Betty.  From the moment she began speaking, tears welled in her eyes as she described the destruction done to both her home and Lorraine, her sister who lived across the street.  She held tight to the small joys after the storm, like finding her mother's cookbook from 1934 undamaged and her backyard statue of the Blessed Mother only needing  a new coat of paint.  In her home, she keeps a reminder of how high the water flooded with a line of masking tape next to a picture of Our Lady.  She is an endearing and strong lady who generously gives so much to the people she meets.

Lorraine and Betty standing in front of the watermark in Betty's home

Thursday, June 19

It's off to New Orleans today!  Bright and early the groups piled into the four vans and headed west to New Orleans to spend the morning working at two different sites, Beacon of Hope Resource Center and Lantern Light Ministry.  Beacon of Hope assists homeowners rebuild their damaged homes.  Lantern Light Ministry is coordinated by the 2006 Lumen Christi recipient Sr. Vera Butler, PBVM. Sr. Vera, along with several other Presentation sisters, offer support and encouragement to the homeless of New Orleans through their resource center.  In the words of Sr. Joan White, "Our Rebuild Center is a safe haven where our guests gather to receive assistance.  It is a place where we take time to communicate one-on-one level to care, to encourage, and to challenge one another.  In such encounters, feelings of pain, loneliness, fear and discouragement can be faced.  I am deeply moved by the faith of so many of our guests. Yes, they have lost every material thing but through it all they remain constant in their understanding of God's protection."

After a morning of work, the group will tour the city all afternoon before heading back to Mississippi for one last memorable day of volunteering.   

Friday, June 20

It's the final day of work in Mississippi and all the groups have returned to the homes of Bob, Mike and Skip.  Bob and Group 1 (Joe, Maddy, Eamon, Jason, Angela and Meaghan) are working hard to finish the bedroom so he and his wife no longer have to sleep in the dining room. Mike has Group 2 (Cara, Sarah, John, Sam, Annie and Julian) installing siding for his home.  Groups 3 (Nora, Henry, Francis, Jen, Jose and Matt) and 4 (Brigit, Marisa, Danny, Patrick, David and Shaina) are putting the finishing touches on Skip's yard and shed. 

Skip is a huge Notre Dame fan so the teens have decided to create a wooden ND logo for his shed as a special surprise.  His new home has a room decorated in blue and gold so the teens felt his shed needed a touch of the Fighting Irish as well.  They hope to surprise him at the end of the day with this special gift that all of them will sign their names on the back.   David is overseeing the work on the ND logo while Group 4 begins the day clearing another yard.  

Groups 3 and 4 had particularly wet afternoons at Skip's house!  As work was finishing up, some teens slipped away to prepare water balloons as a nice surprise for everyone.  Soon a massive water balloon fight erupted with Anthony, Skip's grandson, loving every minute of it and Buddy, Skip's dog, barking like crazy.  The fight ended with a big jump off of the pier which Skip built with his own hands. 

Nora gets some help from Anthony as she fills water balloons. 

They presented Skip with the ND sign for his shed and surprised Anthony with his own special work.  He was incredibly touched by their generosity and kindness. 

Saturday, June 21

Sunday, June 22 

They're back!  After a long drive, the group made it safely back to Chicago.

"It is so important to return to the Gulf Coast and New Orleans, to not forget about our brothers andsister who so desperately need our help.  New Orleans isn't back, St. Clare's lost 50% of their parishioners.  The Mississippi Gulf Coast looks empty.  We have to keep sending help, supplies, encouragement.  The  people here need it.  We have yet to meet someone who hasn't thanked us even as I held up the line at our last four van gas fill-up.  The people behind me just smiled, asked us where we were from and thanked us for being here with the warmest hearts you've ever seen.  They are thankful and we are honored to have the privilege of serving them.  I hope we've inspired you this week to reach out and do something for the people here, even if it's something small, you will make a difference.  We know we have.  Thanks for following along on our journey.  It's been a blessing knowing that we have your support and prayers. "         Becky