Dominican Associates
Home Is Where Your Heart Is

For some of the Eucharistic Missionaries of St. Dominic associates, there may be some truth to the cliché “you can’t go home again.” Over half of the 48 associates were directly impacted by Hurricane Katrina with 14 of those from the Greater New Orleans area not being able to return to their original address, and they have no plans to return.

Eucharistic Missionary Sr. Jeanne Moore,OP, said that the majority of associates evacuated and were gone for several weeks or longer. “Some were able to patch their roof and go on,” she said. Others weren’t that lucky. Most stayed away months, some in other parts of the state or country with three in other countries, while their houses were gutted and underwent major repairs.

“We are finding it harder now than we originally thought it would be,” Moore said. With only six of the 24 EMDs who were in New Orleans currently in the city, the associates and sisters are not able to connect in the same way. Associates, as well as others in the city, are finding that their parishes are closed. Their city, their lives, their homes have been forever changed by the events in August 2005.

“The sisters are using most of their energy to recommit to their ministry under these trying circumstances,” Moore said.

The whereabouts of all the associates is now known, but the fate of everyone wasn’t immediately known.

“It took several months to find where everyone landed and many times that address was just temporary,” Moore said of the fact that often times the associates we staying with friends or family until more permanent arrangements could be made or until they could move back to the city.

The Internet was the key in locating everyone, she said, and remains a vital tool in staying connected. Twice a month, a mailing called EMD Update is sent out to keep everyone informed.

Unfortunately many of the EMD associates, like more than half of the population of New Orleans before Katrina, are finding that you can’t go home again. But they are also finding another cliché to be just as true – “Home is where your heart is.”