GRACED IN MISSISSIPPI:
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 Work Crew of Youth from St. Bart's |
The Youth Connection (group of 27 high school and college age students) from St. Bartholomew Parish was planning a mission trip to Mississippi. When word spread about the trip, several adults expressed interest and desire to join the group. So it was on Saturday, June 10, 2006 at 12:30 p.m. that 55 people headed for Bay St. Louis, MS via bus, car, pick-up truck or van to assist with the rebuilding of homes and the community.
We were met at 4:00 a.m. The bus pulled into Our Lady of the Gulf parking lot, we were assigned our sleeping quarters, and were bedded down at 5:00 a.m. for a few hours of sleep. Morning came all too soon. We were awakened at 9:00 a.m. for breakfast and attended the parish Mass at 10:30 a.m. That experience was perhaps one of the many highlights of the mission trip. We met the people of Bay St. Louis and began to hear their stories and the faith that sustains them from day to day.
Each morning we had the privilege of praying the rosary and celebrating Mass with the people. The pastor, Fr. Michael Tracy, was most welcoming and appreciative of all the volunteers who have come through the months to help with the restoration. The presence of volunteers gives great hope to the community.
Each day began with the opportunity to offer the Holy Sacrifice in union with Jesus, who was among us, in so many visible forms. The ladies in the kitchen prepared all the meals that sustained us through the hours of sweat and labor. The temperature was in the 90’s and the humidity was running closely along. Sweat poured off the brows of the workers, but each one wiped their face, and continued with the hammering, painting, weed pulling or whatever the task was. Evening came the first day and everyone was tired, but ever so grateful as we gathered to pray and thank God for the new friends we had met.
The sleeping arrangements were simple. Air mattresses served to rest our weary bodies through the night. The group was assigned to the community center for sleeping. Since part of the community center and dining room were being used for church services, the group needed “to pick up their mat” each morning around 6:00 a.m. The parishioners would arrive for Mass at that time and breakfast would follow. One room was used to store the mats during the day. Certainly the community center could be considered a multi-purpose room!
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Each day found the missioners assigned to work groups and each diligently set about the task. Dan Quinn was the site coordinator and kept team leaders attuned to what needed to be done and where to get the supplies. The meal conversation centered around the activities of the day and all the accomplishments. On the last day we took a bus tour to the five homes that we were rehabbing so that all would see what each group completed. It was such a joy to see the pride as various ones spoke about the challenges that they faced in working at a particular site.
 Sr. Karen Sanding Wall, Preparing to Paint |
Many tasks were completed on the church campus as well. Bay Elementary School needed much painting in the classrooms and the ceiling tile needed to be changed. So several busied themselves to accomplish this so school could open on schedule after the summer break. “Horses”(structural supports) needed to be built so that Our Lady of the Gulf could have their annual Crabfest over the 4th of July weekend. Forty-eight “horses” were hammered together. Some of the youth helped build sheds so that the citizens could place them on their property and install their refrigerator, washer and dryer until other arrangements could be made.
During the bus trip to Bay St. Louis I pondered, “How could one person keep 55 people organized and busy for a full week?” How naïve I was! Dan Quinn not only kept 55 people organized and busy, he kept 75 people energized and excited – a group of volunteers from St. Joan of Arc in Columbus, OH were also volunteering for the week.
Community building was a great evening event. There were so many varied tasks to be accomplished there was always something for everyone to do.
What was very impressive for many of us was the natural beauty that remains in the gulf coast. . . .
--Watching the moon rise over the water – and a full moon at that.
--The calmness of the water, knowing how just a few months earlier it was so destructive.
--The silence that permeated the area; the most prominent sounds were the buzz saw and the rhythm of hammering. Traffic was sparse, due to the fact that many of the residents had not yet returned to their homes. Wild life had not yet returned to the gulf coast. No birds, only one lonely squirrel was found meandering in the area. Jake, Dan’s dog, got a lot of attention from everyone.
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The ladies whose homes we rehabbed were effusive with their gratitude and appreciation. They came to Mass each morning, ate breakfast with us and other meals during the day, and accompanied us to their homes while we worked. They saw to it that we had water to drink so that we would not become dehydrated. All the neighbors shared what they had, even electricity. Long extension cords ran from one house to the other as we needed electrical power. The convenience of the bathroom was always available at the homes of neighbors where we worked.
The spirit of generosity, given when one has so little, was humbling. Nola was dubbed “Grandma” and loved having so many new grandchildren. Margaret delighted us with her poems and saw to it that we had copies of the ones that she composed around the disaster of Katrina. She labeled the volunteers “angels” who came to help. Father Michael Tracy, pastor of Our Lady of the Gulf, was a most inspiring individual. Certainly he was the capstone for the survivors during the initial clean-up and recovery process that continues. His personal recovery process is recorded in a book that he wrote and is published. Katrina She Was No Lady, captures the struggles, loneliness, need for a sense of humor and the gift of presence that Fr. Tracy provided for so many during the initial phase.
 Sunrise Over the Gulf |
The week passed all too quickly, but so much rebuilding, both of the community and the homes of some of the parishioners, was accomplished. New friends were made, new skills learned and honed. We learned that team work was essential and gained a deeper appreciation of the pain and loss that many of the people in Bay St. Louis experienced and continue to deal with on a daily basis. We did not leave without receiving many hugs and expressions of deep gratitude and a promise to return again next summer.
I am so grateful for having had the grace to return to Mississippi and minister to the people and be present to those who sometimes feel abandoned and discouraged among so much of the rubble that still remains Your prayers for God’s blessing of safety and endurance were most appreciated by all the volunteers from St. Bart’s. I give you my deep gratitude.
© Franciscan Sisters of the Poor
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