During a recent workshop day, Living With Purpose Fellows delved into the world of Mardi Gras Indian culture. In a day planned by Chris Musil and Jessie Pitcher, they met and worshiped at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church and The International Shrine of St Jude. Our Lady of Guadalupe is the oldest church building in New Orleans (built in 1826) and was originally called The Mortuary Chapel, because it was built solely for the purposes of funeral services. Due to yellow fever epidemics, the city needed a Catholic church for public funeral services after a city ordinance banned public displays of corpses in funerals from July 1-December 1 in hopes of preventing the spread of yellow fever.
After morning worship they visited the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Museum to take in some original Haitian and African American art. From there they journeyed to the African-American Museum, and took in a beautiful exhibit displaying the prominent works and discoveries of free men and women of color in the 18th and 19th century, as well as evocative contemporary pieces by local artists speaking to the racial animus that still plagues our city. From there they stopped in on Ron Lewis and his vast collection of Mardi Gras costumes and memorabilia at the House of Dance and Feathers, in the Lower 9th Ward. Ron spent time talking with the Fellows about his experience in Mardi Gras tribes and social aid and pleasure clubs, and was particularly proud of his membership in Krewe de Jew. Finally they enjoyed a relaxing bag lunch on the levee of the Mississippi. A beautiful day of learning and fellowship!
For over half a century, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Bayou du Large, has hosted an annual “Blessing of the Boats” to bid a safe season to the fishermen working in the waters off the Louisiana Gulf Coast. Just to the west in Franklin lies St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, another church with deep roots in the Louisiana fishing community. When the BP oil spill occurred in 2010, the people of the fishing industry surrounding these churches were devastated and are still struggling today with the effects the oil spill had on Louisiana. This struggle will continue without any sort of direct assistance programs in place.
This past January, both churches opened their doors to ECSLA case managers to provide assistance to the people working in the fishing industry. The major focus is to help clients gain financial literacy. Other areas of focus include helping clients find ways to supplement their income in the off-season, obtain additional schooling, or even change their industry.
ECSLA would like to thank St. Andrew’s and St. Mary’s for partnering with us to bring needed relief to the people of the Bayou Communities. Funding is provided through a grant from the Baton Rouge Area Foundation to Catholic Charities “Spirit of Hope Program.”
Caroline and I were scheduled to lead the next workshop day together; it was the first time us fellows were leading this daylong event. We met, tossed some ideas around, and decided that because we were starting to look towards next year, we would focus the workshop around discernment and looking towards the future. This came with many challenges. As Pete pointed out, not everyone knows where they are headed, so the discernment process is different in those people’s eyes. This was something Caroline had not thought about when we created the workshop, but it is very accurate. Also, that discernment is not solely about a career path, but that we are in a constant state of discernment. We also decided to have a second theme of social justice to tie into other things we had discussed the previous weeks. The social justice issue we wanted to talk about was parks within cities; what people you normally see there, where they are located, and the advantages/disadvantages of having a park system in a city. So with our themes in place, Caroline and I had to put structure around it.
The morning started out with a walk over to Trinity to help Loaves and Fishes make sandwiches for their trip to the mission; and to make some for our own lunch. For those who don’t know, Mobile Loaves is a mobile food pantry that helps those who cannot afford a meal or aren’t able to get a healthy food option. Caroline and I thought it would be a good idea for all of us to help in preparing the sandwiches because it is good for all of us to support one another in our placements. After everything was made and put back, we planned on going to the chapel for Morning Prayer. Unfortunately, the chapel was still in use by the time we were done. Caroline, with her quick thinking, posed the question to the group about how they felt about feeding 84 people that day who normally wouldn’t get a meal. This was a powerful question and made us all think. Most of us didn’t even think about the amount of sandwiches that were made. Also it wasn’t that long to make that many sandwiches; so it would be easy to make hundreds of sandwiches in a couple hours. By the time we went around the table discussing that question, the chapel became empty and we moved over for Morning Prayer. I thought Morning Prayer would be a good way for all us to get mentally ready for what would be going on later in the workshop. I led the service and everything went smoothly. Our plan after the service was to go to Audubon Park; to the tree of life. Only a few of the fellows had seen this giant Oak, so it seemed like an ideal place to have a deep discussion about discernment. The reasoning behind talking at the tree was that the tree is deeply rooted and constantly growing, though it isn’t sure where it is moving all the time. In this way, the tree is discerning just as we are in our everyday lives. Conveniently right next to the tree is a labyrinth. Caroline decided that we would have a brief talk about where we all see ourselves in the discernment process and journal about it under the tree; then, after lunch, we would walk the labyrinth to think more deeply on the subject. So everyone went to different parts of the park around the tree of life and labyrinth. Everything was going as planned, but then the one thing we didn’t account for and couldn’t control happened. While finishing lunch under the mighty Oak, the sky opened up and dropped cold pellets of rain onto the ground. Caroline and I hoped it would just pass, but after 5 minutes we all walked to our cars and sat in them; Caroline and I did not know what to do. After 10 minutes of rain, we decided the best course of action was to go home and regroup from there. But before we left, Caroline, with her quick thinking once again, proposed we watch a movie that could tie into the second theme of our workshop which was social justice. Our first choice was “Crash”, but it wasn’t on Netflix, so Sam suggested “For the Bible Tells me so”. Neither of these choices really followed what we wanted to discuss for the social justice theme, but either movie was going to be powerful and could open up a good talk afterwards. This documentary talks about homosexuality within church communities and how different people react to it. It was an excellent choice and a powerful film; no one really spoke after what was witnessed on screen. Throughout the movie, groups that share negative viewpoints on the topic were highlighted. This can be an eye opening thing to witness. I personally can’t believe some people are so rooted into certain beliefs that they will never even attempt to let the other viewpoint be expressed. To end the day we hugged it out. We end a lot of things by hugging it out; it is a way for us to express our love for one another and the harmony within the group.
When we got the end of the movie, and hugged it out, I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Having to plan out a workshop, and have things flow smoothly, was not easy. Overall, having that experience let me know just how difficult it is to create a new curriculum for each workshop we have, and how strong you have to be as a leader when things don’t go your way. I also learned that having a backup plan can be crucial, and the more you plan ahead, the more time you have to dissect what will be discussed to make the experience more rich.
Great news! The Senate passed the RESTORE Act. We received a press release from Oxfam America we wanted to share with you. Read on to see what the impact of passing this bill has on the Gulf Coast:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oxfam congratulates U.S. Senate on passing amendment for restoring Gulf Coast communities, ecosystems
Mar 08, 2012
Oxfam America and its partners in the Gulf region congratulate the U.S. Senate today for its strong bipartisan approval of an amendment to dedicate 80 percent of the civil fines from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil disaster to restoring gulf communities, ecosystems and the economy. The amendment to the Senate transportation bill, introduced by Senators Mary Landrieu, Bill Nelson and Richard Shelby was based on bill, the RESTORE the Gulf Coast States Act, sponsored by the three members and six other Gulf State Senators. The bill also received strong support also from Environment and Public Works Committee Chair Barbara Boxer.
“As we approach the two year anniversary of the largest oil spill in our nation’s history, we continue to lament the lost jobs, damaged wetlands, and struggling fisheries that so many communities face in the Gulf as a result of the impacts of this tragedy,” said Ray Offenheiser, President of Oxfam America. “Congratulations to Senators Landrieu, Nelson and Shelby along with Senator Boxer and the Gulf region Senators who championed this effort to ensure that that the people and the ecosystems of the Gulf are made whole again.”
The legislation will ensure that penalties paid by BP and others responsible for last year’s Gulf oil disaster are used to rebuild the economies of Gulf Coast communities that were impacted by the spill and to restore the ecosystems and fisheries so many depend on for their livelihoods and to protect their communities. Oxfam America has been working with Congress to ensure the bill helps impacted workers access job and training opportunities in these projects, so struggling low income families can find good paying jobs restoring the coast.
“In any disaster, socially vulnerable communities stand to suffer the most. The oil spill was no different. The RESTORE Act has the potential to lift up those communities, revitalize the region economically, and do so in a way that is environmentally sustainable,” said Offenheiser. “We are heartened that the Senate has recognized the tremendous opportunity that these funds will have both in the region and to the American economy.”
The Gulf region and its environment support some of this country’s most vital industries—from shipping to energy to seafood—and its restoration could spur new opportunities. A joint report by Oxfam America and the Center for American Progress found the state of Louisiana alone projects 45,000 jobs would be generated from coastal restoration and protection projects over the next twenty years. A Duke University released a study in December showing that the RESTORE Act could create jobs that would benefit at least 140 businesses across the country with nearly 400 employee locations in 37 states.
Asset mapping is about empowering and giving voice to those in your communities. It is about identifying the gifts of the people and showing how your buildings and your land, your organizations, and how your ministries are utilized to improve the quality of life of your neighbors. Here in the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana, we are creating an asset map which will focus on those ministries finding solutions to poverty, hunger, social justice, and disaster response in Louisiana.
We were called by Christ to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, care for the sick, visit the prisoners, and show kindness to strangers. Throughout the Diocese we can find many examples of this command being taken to heart:
Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit in Baton Rouge is using their land to grow fresh fruit and vegetables to feed the hungry
The churches in Morgan City, Franklin, and Bayou Du Large have new case management programs
The Chapel of the Holy Spirit in New Orleans is empowering energetic college student to effect change in the neighborhoods surrounding Tulane University
Churches throughout the Diocese are engaging and educating children in the poorest neighborhoods.
ECSLA is committed to lifting up and celebrating this work the churches are doing!
How can the Asset Map be used?
1) The map can be used as a tool for ministry formation
2) The map can be used as a tool to determine the direction and growth of existing ministries.
3) If a disaster should strike, the map can be used to share successful strategies to help communities through times of stress.
What is the Asset Mapping project going to look like?
1) First thing is to use the technology of Google Maps to locate where the feeding ministries are, the medical ministries, the children’s ministries… We will link to census data so you can see where the needs are in your community. During times of disaster, we can see the status of our churches. It can be a resource for volunteerism and way to organize the need for donations. If you need 20 volunteers to help feed people or you need cleaning supplies to hand out on that busy corner in your community, we can reflect this need on the map.
2) The next thing we want to do is to give churches the opportunity to tell the stories of their ministries. We will do this through video, photography, and narratives. This project is all about sharing our strengths, sharing our successes and helping each other along the way.
3) We will write a series of “How to Guides” to give practical advice as a tool for ministry formation. Sharing our knowledge is a critical in helping our brothers and sisters across south Louisiana to find their voice and their strengths. If churches are inspired by the work being conducted around the Diocese and feel the call to start a similar ministry, they will have a valuable resource to turn to in the early stages of planning.
The process of asset mapping actually began a year or so ago when members of the Episcopal Community Services staff visited every church to talk about the outreach they are doing. Now we are just building on that initial meeting and delving in deeper and extracting the essence of what it really means to
… run a feeding ministry in Uptown New Orleans,
… to minister to the fishermen in the Bayou Country
… to visit the prisoners in Angola
… to educate children in the inner cities
… to see how ministries are transforming lives!
This project is made possible through a grant from Episcopal Relief and Development. Episcopal Relief and Development recognizes the fantastic work being done throughout the Diocese and chose us to pilot this tool which they hope will be used nationally.
We look forward to sharing the great work of the churches of the Diocese of Louisiana.
During a recent workshop day, Living With Purpose Fellows delved into the world of Mardi Gras Indian culture. In a day planned by Chris Musil and Jessie Pitcher, they met and worshiped at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church and The International Shrine of St Jude. Our Lady of Guadalupe is the oldest church building in New Orleans (built in 1826) and was originally called The Mortuary Chapel, because it was built solely for the purposes of funeral services. Due to yellow fever epidemics, the city needed a Catholic church for public funeral services after a city ordinance banned public displays of corpses in funerals from July 1-December 1 in hopes of preventing the spread of yellow fever.
