I hope that I am not breaching any confidence in sharing these communications, but there may be some of my Carmelite brothers and sisters who are not receiving these messages, and I think it is important to stress the urgent need for prayer for this Carmel, but for all of the people affected. I know you all know it, but this makes it family for me and I feel the need to share the burden. This is very, very hard.
From Sr. Andree of the New Orleans O. Carm Community
I am a distance from the devastation in New Orleans and am fine, Kevin. Yes, our motherhouse is underwater at lowest two levels. Angele and Gwen stayed there during the storm and were rescued by boat yesterday and shuttled to various transportation spots until they got to Baton Rouge where we picked them up yesterday. No one had heard from them all during the days so we weren't sure where they were. They were exhausted and in post traumatic shock with stories eventually to tell! Several sisters have not yet been contacted, but phones are great difficulty. Two of them are probably at the hospitals where they were working. They are probably safe. One sister we are not sure of. No one knew her plan. She could be fine somewhere, but communication is impossible. That is our hope.
My immediate family---siblings and their children's families are accounted for in terms of their plans for early evacuation, but still not able to get contact with all. They all lost all---their homes were near the motherhouse, near the lakefront where the levees broke and inundated the area. Total losses of all but their lives! It will be difficult months ahead.
All of our elderly sisters in nursing homes or in motherhouse were moved early and though they spent days in a school gym, we have now found a nursing home that could take them in Texas.
Loss of schools and ministries will have powerful impact on our future and its adjustments as a Congregation.
Pray for our perseverance and courage. Thanks for your concern.
Thank you for the update, Steven.
So glad that most of the O.Carm. sisters in the New Orleans area are accounted for. However, it is awful that some of the sisters have not yet been accounted for and that the motherhouse is underwater.
What is the status of the nuns of the OCD Carmel in the New Orleans suburb of Covington, Louisiana (north shore of Lake Pontchartrain)? The latest update on their Website dates from June 2005.
I want to propose to the T.O.Carm. community in which I am an aspirant (#546 Mystical Rose, Baldwin Park, CA) about "adopting" a T.O.Carm. community from the New Orleans-Biloxi area by sending them some money, praying for their needs, keeping in touch with them and helping them reestablish the community. If adopting a community is practical, the Darien office should know of a suitable one. After all, it's nice for Carmelites to help each other :-)
Dear Katheryn,
I don't know tha status of the other community. I have somehow hooked into a line that provides a pretty direct flow of info from Darien, I wish I could tell you how, but I honestly don't recall how I did it.
Darien did have some suggestion about how to help. Apparently you can designate monies for assistance and send them to Brother Charlie at the Darien Office. I'll poke around some of my OCDS connections and see if there's any report on the New Orleans Carmel there.
Thanks for dropping by.
shalom,
Steven