After Hurricane Katrina - Restoring the Soul of a City

The Archdiocese of New Orleans did more than simply re-build homes, they re-built lives.

Heroism was an everyday occurrence along the Gulf Coast five years ago this weekend. Lives were forever changed, some even taken. One of the deadliest storms in U.S. history produced memories, martyrs and saints.Monsignor Crosby Kerns remembers "We lost a lot of churches due to Katrina and one priest, who had stayed at his church. His body was never found and presumed swept out to sea."

WASHINGTON, DC (Catholic Online) - Five years ago today Katrina, one of the five deadliest hurricanes in American history, was in the Gulf of Mexico growing to a Category 5 storm that packed 175 MPH winds. It was about one day away from making landfall on the coast of Louisiana just southeast of New Orleans.

On this fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, a lot of focus has been given to the impact and devastation of a storm that crippled the Gulf Coast. Many are still re-evaluating the response by governments at all levels and marveling at the re-building that took place.

Alfred Clifton Hughes was serving as the 13th Archbishop of New Orleans at the time of Hurricane Katrina.

Monsignor Crosby Kerns, Rector of the Cathedral-Basilica of Saint Louis King of France, remembers the event vividly.

"I stayed at the Cathedral during those days," he said now five years later. "It was hectic to say the least."

Located in the French Quarter, the Cathedral was not flooded but did sustain over $2 million dollars in damage from the winds.

"We lost a lot of churches due to Katrina and one priest, who had stayed at his church. His body was never found and presumed swept out to sea. Heroic things were being done in those days by priests who stayed to work among the people and the people themselves.

"We were caught between a rock and a hard place," he shared. "Certainly we had to meet the immediate needs - food, clothing, housing - things like that. We also knew we must encourage the people not to despair and to be ready to rebuild their lives."

For Archbishop Hughes and the Archdiocese of New Orleans, Katrina was not just a time of re-building in bricks and mortar but restoring the soul of a city.

"We tried to engage people in those things that celebrate - I know this may seem like the wrong word - the human spirit, on how we were to re-build and what we were looking for."

During the time of re-building the Archdiocese sponsored an art exhibit that drew over 65,000 people. Rather than continually dwelling on pain and suffering, such events helped people to regain a vision of why to rebuild.

The archdiocese also saw that a sense of community would also come about through the schools. Within two months of the storm the school at the Cathedral was open and bursting at the seams, especially due to the number of first responders and families that were re-located nearby.

Other schools followed, including some of the outlying areas more dramatically damaged by floods.

Msgr. Kern spoke with great enthusiasm about the support that his city and region received from people outside the stricken area.

"We saw groups coming in thru Catholic Charities to help with the physical rebuilding. They would say, 'We're here to help re-build your homes.'

"It was a sign that people care. It was a bit overwhelming to the people here. They came and are still coming.

"This made our people more generous. Having received, we knew what it was like."

When I asked the Rector for a few moments to talk about Katrina, he expressed what I'm sure is the response of many in his region. "Well, I guess we can; but a few of us would just as soon forget it."

Both of us laughed as he then began to tell the story once again. At the end I said, "Well, Father, this gives me a whole new understanding of the New Orleans Saints!"

He quickly responded, "Now that was really good for us, too!"

"Actually, Father," I replied, "I'm now thinking more of a different type of New Orleans Saint; those clergy, men and women who gave themselves to the task of re-building a city, soul and all."

-----

Randy Sly is the Associate Editor of Catholic Online and the CEO/Associate Publisher for the Northern Virginia Local Edition of Catholic Online (http://virginia.catholic.org). He is a former Archbishop of the Charismatic Episcopal Church who laid aside that ministry to enter into the full communion of the Catholic Church.

---

'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'

Copyright 2021 - Distributed by Catholic Online