On Thursday, June 6th BIENVILLE’S DILEMMA author,
Dr. Richard Campanella, spoke on the historical geography of New Orleans before
a gathering of 40 or so Americorps volunteers in the Blessed Pauline Room here
at 4219 Constance. The Notre Dame
Sisters Americorps volunteers work in schools, community organizations and some
in construction for poor homeowners.
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| Dr. Richard Campanella |
Travis Wain, one of our Americorps volunteers and Brothers Charles,
Bob and John attended this informative and fascinating presentation. Dr. Campanella, a geographer at Tulane
University [but a native of Brooklyn, NY] is a lively, articulate presenter who
had wonderful slides to accompany the talk and accepted questions at the end of
his lecture which sped by because of the gifts of the speaker and the importance
of the topic.
He reflected with us how geography determined the sighting
of the city, and how engineering attempts to control the flow of the
Mississippi have shaped a new set of concerns.
His traced how draining the land for the development of housing areas
altered the geography and water table.
The facts presented, and his cogent responses to questions dispelled myths
and raised awareness and interest in the future debates
about securing the city.
On Saturday, June 8th, Travis, John Petrullo and
Br. John explored some of the terrain that Dr. Campanella spoke about, taking
US 90 which is atop what is called the Esplanade Ridge and was the main road
from New Orleans to Mississippi before the construction of Interstate 10. The road takes one through New Orleans East
passing Venetian Isles, Michoud [a former NASA facility], St. Nicholas of Myra
Church, [destroyed during Katrina—being rebuilt by Fr. MichaelJoseph Nguyen
before his sudden death], though Lake Catherine and communities where the homes
rise on stilts 25 feet high. In
Mississippi, we drove the coast road which hugs the Gulf beaches as it passes
through Pass Christian, Gulfport, and Biloxi before arriving at Ocean Springs,
MS a lovely small town that reminded Travis of Cold Spring, NY. After grilled Reuben and crab cake sandwiches
and a quick ride through town the three returned via I-10 which shortens travel
time by 30 minutes. Mississippi beaches
are much closer than Louisiana’s Gulf coast, and at one time there was regular
train service from New Orleans.
Virtually all these homes were demolished by the wall of water that
scoured the coast during Katrina, but the casinos and hotels are back as are
the cities, port facilities, beaches and an increasing number of homes. Informed by Dr. Campanella’s presentation,
Travis, John and Br. John had the opportunity to gain an appreciation for the
physical environment which helps define and explain some of the history and
culture of the area.
A REFLECTION ON THE
SIGNIFICANCE OF PLACE
“In belonging to a
landscape, one feels a rightness, at-homeness, a knitting of self and
world. This condition of clarity and
focus, this being fully present, is akin to what the Buddhists call mindfulness,
what Christian contemplatives refer to as recollection, what Quakers call
centering down. I am suspicious of any
philosophy that would separate this-worldly from other-worldly commitment. There is only one world, and we participate
in it here and now, in our flesh and place.”
Scott Russell Sanders. STAYING PUT, quoted in SPIRITUAL LITERACY
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