New Orleans Today

So, why the focus on New Orleans a year after I was there? There have been a number of significant triggers:

I recently spoke with Sandra Gordon. She tells me St. Augustine Catholic Church has been given another 18 month extension to prove they are a viable church. She is ever the optimist, “fear not”.

The very popular transferred priest, Father LeDoux who contributed so much to the church's character returned St. Augustine to celebrate his jubilee. The celebration made national news.

Archbishop Hughes was in Fort Wayne two weeks ago. He is a friend of Bishop D’Arcy.

We are coming to the two year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. I have yet to put all of my journal writings, my photos and artifacts into a journal. I normally do that within six months of returning from a mission. However, Katrina still has the power to haunt me. I am still angry at the President, at FEMA, at the government for its failure to act as if they were facing the worst disaster in American history. I still feel poisoned by the shame. How can we expect America to stabilize Afghanistan or Iraq when we cannot rebuild our Gulf coast in the absence of a war?

Finally, a Swiss film company has completed their film on St. Augustine Catholic Church. The film is “Shake the Devil Off”.

New Orleans, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama all deserve our continued prayers, our time, talent and our treasures.