We have been in a tropical summer
weather pattern: days are hot and humid
and often there are downpours in the afternoon, then a bit of cooling in the
evening. The second floor porch off the
living room and prayer room seems to have a constant breeze in the evening so
sitting out there one can see the sky, the passersby and get a nice
breeze.
The weekend of the 6th
of July saw great numbers of people come for the Essence Fest in New Orleans,
which is welcome since many groups avoid the city during the hot summer months;
but everything is air-conditioned here, and the food and music are just as
good. A record crowd for this event
delighted city officials, merchants and vendors.
Bob continues his work at St.
Joseph’s parish, John is working from home, Travis and Matt work with their
respective organizations, Helping Hands and All Saints.
On Friday, the 12th,
Travis took a day off and went with John to Café Reconcile for lunch; it was
the third anniversary of Br. Joe Fragala’s death and, sure enough, Eggplant
Jennifer, a favorite of Joe’s was a special that day. Matt was taking time to pack—and get to a
pool we hear. Still a lot of packing to
do—a lot.
Travis and John drove to Home
Depot after lunch and got plants for the balcony/porch where Joe loved to sit
out even before it was really safe to go out there!
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| The sanctuary of St. Henry's Church where weekday Masses are celebrated for Good Shepherd parish |
On the 13th, the
annual reunion for the Friends of St. Henry’s was celebrated with a 3:00 PM
Mass for a full church and then a free party until 7:00 PM across the
street. It was an overcast day, and
there was a breeze so the heat was not unbearable and the food was delicious
and plentiful. Br. Tom LeJeune's Mom and Dad were here from Houston to visit the parish where they both grew up! The workers, led by
Robert Morton and Alden Hagerdorn, moved out tables and chairs in the morning
from the Blessed Pauline Center and moved them right back in that evening with little fuss. Bob and John, Travis and Matt went to the Mass
and spent some time at the gathering, before heading for Saucy’s Barbeque for a
dinner of ribs and pulled pork sandwiches before returning for some more
visiting. It gave the community some
time together since schedules have been a bit hectic recently.
July is to New Orleans what
August is to folks up North. This is
vacation time; you get e-mails but folks are often away. On August 1 John is booked for a faculty
retreat in Madison, MS and then has dates on the 8th here in NOLA
and on the 14th in Miami, (if the weather permits.) Lauren Zanfardino will join us on August 23rd;
she’ll be in a school as an Americorps volunteer and they begin early
here. So we are enjoying our ‘summer
break’ these days.
A REFLECTION: As our year comes to a close and our
volunteers prepare to move off to new ventures, or to vacation time with family
and friends in August, we recall the mission statement for this community.
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| Travis, John C, John P, Charles, Matt and Bob |
MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of the Christian
Brothers Volunteer Program is to share the charism of Blessed Edmund Rice who
was moved by the Holy Spirit to open his whole heart to Christ present and
appealing to him in the poor. Volunteers learn the charism of Edmund by living
and praying with the Brothers in community and by working with and for the
marginalized. During their year of service volunteers will experience
community, grow spiritually and personally and make a positive difference in
the lives of the poor.
Blog 07.15.13
