The second week of Lent began
with continued St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. Lauren was back to school, her
houseguest, Diego left early for a wintry North, Erika was in holiday finery
for the homeless at Lantern Light and Charles, too, wore green as they set off.
John worked housecleaning. [One of his previous Superiors, Kieran
O’Connor, said John was living proof that Irishmen make the best
domestics.] In the evening, Br. Charles Avendano
[his heritage is Basque] went with Sr. Nancy Hale and Pauline O’Reilly, CHF to
the Ancient Order of Hibernians Dinner which honored St. Vera Butler, PBVM who
founded and directs Lantern Light Ministries.
Br. Bob was still away, Lauren was out so Br. John and Erika had a quiet dinner telling tales as
any good Irishman would on St. Patrick’s Day.
A gift bottle of a particularly good Chardonnay accompanied the roast
chicken and mellowed the talk.
Tuesday, John visited Holy Cross
High School during the morning; Erika and Charles were at Lantern Light, and
Lauren at Langston Hughes Charter School with her Fourth Graders. Charles was out Tuesday night to a talk on
the unfinished business of Vatican II at St. Gabriel’s Parish in Pontchartrain
Park. Lauren, Erika and John dined on
spicy grilled sausage and potatoes au gratin.
Erika cooked and is making great culinary strides! While John was trying out Skype that night with
Br. Tim Granzotto in South America, Erika and Lauren headed for the airport to
pick up Br. Bob. Unfortunately, he was
not scheduled to return until Wednesday, but—never mind.
 |
| St. Joseph's Altar at St. Joseph's Church on Tulane Avenue |
Wednesday was St. Joseph’s Day, a
HUGE festival in Churches and among families in New Orleans, a thriving vestige
of the Sicilian immigrants who immigrated to the city and settled in the French
Quarter at the turn of the century. St.
Joseph altars, in many churches and homes, are laden with food and representative gifts, foods are served,
donations accepted, overdone is overdone.
In our local parish of Good Shepherd, in the weeks before the feast
22,000 cookies were baked; 6,000 of these were donated to St. Joseph’s Parish
where Lantern Light Ministries operates.
Erika estimates that 600+ lunches were served—only about 250 to homeless
folks. Br. Charles partook of the luncheon
feast at St. Joseph’s and John went out to lunch with Sr. Monica Gundler,
SC. Since Lauren and Erika were meeting
Iona College students who were here on a mission trip, we skipped dinner. Oh, and Br. Bob did get a ride home from the
airport.
Bob spent happy years in Seattle
at O’Dea High School; Br. Charles is a native of the place. They both visit yearly, and can speak with
familiarity of people and places. O’Dea
High School is very successful and acknowledged as a leading educational force
in Washington State and has a solid future but after 91 years, the Brothers are
leaving Seattle this year. This was both
a happy and poignant visit for Bob; he spent many years working the major
fundraiser he again attended this year.
While assured that this and other traditions will continue, he also
shared his sadness that our Brothers will no longer be involved in the
day-to-day life of the school. The
residence was sold some time ago to a museum and the few Brothers there leave
this June.
On Thursday, Erika and Lauren
spearheaded setting up the dinner and an evening of reflection for 11 young
people from the Iona In Mission group that spent a week in New Orleans. This Volunteer Community funds these dinners,
sets them up, and also shows guests our home and spends some time in small and
large group reflection. Br. Bob welcomed
the guests and Br. Charles spent the evening also; a brief 24 hour virus put
John in bed. Not to worry, last goodbyes were exchanged at 11:42 PM underneath John’s windows—the group had gone
for a walk on Magazine Street after the reflection and dessert [brownies and
ice cream.]
Erika and Charles were at Lantern
Light, and Bob at St. Joe’s in the Finance Office on Friday; Lauren was home a
bit off her feed, John was up and around. That evening, parishioners from Good Shepherd
Parish which includes St. Henry’s Church, staged their third fish fry. For $10 one gets two pieces of fried fish,
corn, wonderful cole slaw, French fries, a soda and a cookie! These are big in Louisiana! The first one had 27 customers, the next 48
and this last one 68. Many of the folks
who attend are also at the 6:30 AM Mass that Charles and John attend, and also
volunteer at Lantern Light Ministries so it is also a means for the community
to meet others—and let them know this is where we live. We are often so tired from our jobs, and too
shy or introverted, to go out to see folks, and get a reputation for aloofness
and separation. What would Pope Francis
say? Anyway, Erika’s wonderful extrovert
nature was evident when Br. John attempted to do introductions—everyone knew
her!
Saturday ushered in glorious warm
weather; Bob started scraping and painting side doors on the building and John
pruned frost blighted plumbago and duranta to within an inch of their
lives. Charles had a great walk. On Sunday it cooled down, rain threatened but
never came, Erka and Lauren hit an old film festival in the morning and a
disappointing night time showing of ‘spaghetti westerns’ in a Mid-City bar
accompanied by Country western music and a free drink if you wore cowboy
boots. It got poor reviews at breakfast. Bed at 9 PM seems a logical option. But, as Scarlett O’Hara notably and quotably
said: “Tomorrow is another day.”
FOR REFLECTION:
We must remember the original
meaning of Lent, as the ver sacrum, the
Church’s “holy spring” in which the catechumens were prepared for their
baptism, and public penitents were made ready for their restoration to the
sacramental life in a communion with the rest of the church. Lent is not then a season of punishment so
much as one of healing. Thomas
Merton
BLOG 03.24.14
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