Different Lives Living in the Same
World
In some ways, one could not imagine two
more different women.
Shirley
is a tall black woman with a strong voice and an even stronger
countenance. A now-retired inner-city
music teacher, she speaks with great passion for her field
and for children. A robust laugh and contagious smile offer
a glimpse of the influential educator she must have been. Lou’s
slight figure, pale complexion, and quiet demeanor stand
in stark contrast. Her strawberry blonde hair frames a
soft face, revealing the calm, gentle character of a grandmother
and professional artist.
Even their experiences in the aftermath of
Katrina have been markedly different. Shirley’s
family home of more than 40 years – paid for with
sweat and sacrifice over time first by her parents, then
by Shirley and her sister after their deaths – stands
in the abandoned Upper Ninth Ward in an eerie time-warp
state, where block after block of homes remain as they
were two years ago when the waters first receded from their
peak at 13 feet. Living in a cramped apartment in another
part of town, Shirley still awaits information as to whether
any funding through HUD will be available to replace her
home.
Lou’s
spacious residence, which she and her husband purchased
when they relocated to New Orleans after retiring a few
years ago, sits along the river. Soft hues of
paint on the walls and imported tiles in the floors mask
the fact that not long ago, five feet of water filled the
house. The couple did not
begin the renovations to their home until after repairs
to their other property – an art studio and three
rental apartments were
completed. But, by Thanksgiving time last year, both
construction projects were finished.
In spite of their differences, Shirley Stewart and Lou
Jordan are friends – and have been for years. And,
their friendship runs deeper than their mutual love of
art and their experience of utter devastation in Katrina’s
wake. They share a common Catholic faith and a common identity
within that faith: they are both Lay Dominicans. As
Dominican Laity, they are members of the international
branch of the Dominican Order where lay women and men profess
vows and choose to live lives based on the Dominican pillars
of prayer, study, community, and preaching. They
are two of about 25 members of the St. Dominic Chapter
who have returned to New Orleans to rebuild their communities,
their churches, and their lives. Theirs is a close-knit
group that has grown even closer in the wake of the post-Katrina
devastation.
Prior to the storm, The St. Dominic
Chapter of the Dominican Laity had about 40 members. They formally met at
St. Dominic’s Church on a monthly basis to study,
read scripture, pray the Liturgy of the Hours, and support
one another as they strived to live out the Dominican ideals
in their daily lives. The disaster that tried each
member’s faith individually also tried the Chapter
communally; the group not only weathered the storm, but
the experiences have strengthened their bonds to one another.
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from
LEFT: Greg Wright, Maureen Wright, JoAnn Cotterman,
Lou Jordan, Shirley Stewart, and Bruce Trigo |
The story of each Chapter member is unique. Maureen
and Gregory Wright, moderator and formation director for
the Chapter, respectively, lost their home to mold and
water damage resulting from the more than nine feet of
water that consumed their neighborhood after the levees
broke. In an effort to foster stability for their
teenage daughter, they made the difficult choice to purchase
a new home, rather than re-build their old one. Jo
Ann Cotterman, vice moderator for the Chapter, said goodbye
to her two-story house near the 17th Street Canal before
evacuating, but remarkably found upon her return that just
a few inches of water had permeated the downstairs. Fires
that burned houses just a block away spared her property,
and she was able to move back in without much ceremony. Situated
north of Lake Pontchartrain, provincial moderator Bruce
Trigo’s home remained largely undamaged. Immediately
after the storm and even now, he and his wife and children
have opened their home to friends and family who were not
as lucky as they were.
But as these members of the chapter relate their separate
experiences during and after the storm, their stories soon
intersect. All express the profound relief they encountered
when they were finally able to connect with one another. “You
worry about your Chapter just as you worry about your family,” Jo
Ann expresses. As moderator, Maureen tried various times
to initiate contact with chapter members through blanket
emails. “I can’t explain the excitement
the first time I heard that cell phone ring,” she
explains, noting that especially in the beginning, they
found they were able to communicate via text message, even
as cell phone calling coverage was inconsistent and unreliable. Little
by little, they were able to confirm one another’s
whereabouts and begin helping one another as they were
able.
Initially their contact took the form of prayer, support,
and just connecting with one another. As the city
opened back up, they were able to accompany one another
through the process of returning and discovering the devastation
of their homes. They helped each other in recovering
items from their properties and in finding suitable places
to stay. At one point, Gregory was one of Bruce’s
grateful guests, with a one-month stay that enabled him
to continue working in the city and to look for other accommodations
while his family remained in a hotel hours away. Whether
in baby steps or in great leaps, they have helped one another
in the long recovery effort – physically, emotionally,
and spiritually.
“Being a Lay Dominican, you know you are part of
a family,” shares Shirley. “But you
never realize just how big that family is until you experience
a disaster like this.” In recovering from Katrina,
Shirley and others found family bonds not only within their
chapter, but also in the larger Dominican Family. She
expresses profound gratitude for the prayerful support
she has felt and for the concrete gestures of aid she has
received, including financial assistance through the Dominican
Foundation that has helped her get back on her feet again. Of
greatest treasure and meaning to her is a hand-made quilt
she received from Dominicans in California, who sent numerous
quilts to Katrina victims in the aftermath of the storm.
As in any strong family, members of the St. Dominic Chapter
of the Dominican Laity have seen one another at their best
and at their worst. They have celebrated triumphs
together and carried one another through the worst of tragedies. They
share tears with one another as easily as they share laughter,
and they are able to be themselves in one another’s
presence. In the company of friends, outspoken Shirley
shows her timid, vulnerable side as she describes the fear,
frustration, and grief she has endured. Soft-spoken
Lou reveals the strong woman inside her that has made tough
decisions and managed two major construction projects in
the name of recovery. Even amid their outward differences,
Shirley and Lou – and the whole group of friends – know
their common bonds hold them more tightly together than
any societal stereotypes.
And so, two years after the disaster, the
recovery work continues, personally and communally. Like
so many, members of the St. Dominic Chapter of the Dominican
Laity say they have learned what really matters in life,
and they count one another and the larger Dominican Family
among their most important treasures. They recognize
that not only with the city of New Orleans never be the
same, neither will they. And some of that is not
all bad.
Story Contributors: Karen Clay (Columbus) Dusty Farnan,
OP (Adrian) and Peggy Ryan, OP (Caldwell)
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