Intern Insights

Pray, Play and Serve
New Orleans House of Charity hosts Sisters and volunteers during service trip.
By S. Monica Gundler

What do 27 air mattresses, 19 young adults, 11 Sisters/Daughters of Charity, five and one-half bathrooms, 15 lbs of mashed potatoes, one parish food bank and clothing closet and three families moving back home have in common?  

THE HOUSE OF CHARITY IN NEW ORLEANS

Those are just a few of the numbers from the House of Charity launching in New Orleans, La., on the feast of Elizabeth Seton, Jan. 4, 2010. The Sisters of Charity Federation service trip brought Sisters Luke and Nancy from Nazareth, Ky.; Sharon from Leavenworth, Kan.; Claire from New York; Janet, Carol and Monica from Cincinnati, Ohio; Rachael from Seton Hill (Greensburg, Pa.); Maryanne and Katie from Halifax, Nova Scotia; and Daughter of Charity Renee to “our” new house in New Orleans with 19 young adult volunteers from all over the U.S. and Canada.

Our group prayed, played and served together from our new home. Both the physical labor we contributed and the relationships we developed with the homeowners and families were a rich part of our experience. We heard their stories, were humbled by their hospitality and prayers, and fed a hot meal. Our days were varied as we pulled weeds; removed debris; painted; caulked; weather stripped; organized a food and clothing pantry for a parish; installed a toilet, attic stairs and flooring; removed bathroom tiles; and more! Our weather was unusually cold and we quickly found our way to the local Family Dollar to buy extra layers, gloves and blankets for our week in the south. The heat in the house was a great comfort, especially as we worked with families who struggled to insulate and heat their homes.

Our Daughter of Charity neighbors, S. Anthony (a.k.a. our guardian angel) and Sisters Judith, Linda and Mary Kay, welcomed us warmly and came to our rescue with folding chairs, tables, pots and pans. Our other guardian angel, Ann Laiche, provided work supplies and innumerable little homey touches. Both S. Anthony and Ann have been part of the dreaming, connecting and supporting in New Orleans for our Charity Federation. They have housed us, listened to us, and gone out of their way to help us.

Each day brought a new adventure and we returned to a delicious home-cooked meal in our very own house every night. We began our morning with prayer in the chapel, and after a day of serving, reflected and prayed in the evenings in our multi-purpose room. The Charity charism and the spirit of our founders was a focal point for our prayer time together. At night we snuggled in our air mattresses for some much needed sleep. (Our house is large, but 30 folks in the place made it very cozy!)

Although a chilly night made our last evening in the French Quarter a bit less festive, our closing dinner at Mulate’s Cajun restaurant gave our dancing feet a workout. Saturday morning was full of fond farewells, promises to keep in touch and talk of returning. One young man wrote on our graffiti wall: “I never knew nuns could be so cool!”

As the departures began, Sisters Renee (DC), Claire (SCNY) and I remained for clean-up and debriefing as the House of Charity permanent residents. Hopefully this is the first of many Federation experiences in “our” new home. Stay tuned for further details …

A group of Sisters from the SC Federation and young adult volunteers were guests of the House of Charity in New Orleans, La., during a service trip in January to contribute to the rebuilding efforts of the city.

 

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