June 2006: Metairie, Louisiana

Caring for the Caregivers


The hurricanes that hit the Gulf Coast last summer caused staggering damage and entirely obliterated some communities in their path. Hurricane Katrina alone was one of the most devastating natural disasters in United States history.

Long before rescuers were on the scene, local clergy of every faith and denomination were responding with aid as well as emotional and spiritual support. They are still responding today, working to feed, house, and comfort those who lost everything, working to sustain their communities through the long process of recovery and to rebuild what was lost.

In recognition of their commitment and effort, and aware that those who take care of others are often themselves overlooked or don’t have the time or energy left to take care of themselves, the Mastery Foundation decided to sponsor two Making a Difference workshops for these clergy and waive all fees and room and board costs for those invited to attend.

The first workshop was held June 19 to 22 in Metairie, Louisiana, just north of New Orleans. Fifteen lay and ordained ministers participated and represented a great diversity of Christian traditions from Roman Catholic to Presbyterian to Apostolic Pentacostal as well as a diversity of race, ethnicity, and gender. What they all shared in common was their commitment to those they minister to and dealing with the after effects of the hurricanes.

It is hard to take in the extent of the devastation. Entire neighborhoods of New Orleans are populated only by piles of rubbish and shells of buildings. The waterline on the outside of the houses, like the ring in the bathtub, marks where the flood waters once were. It is also difficult to take in the personal devastation. Most folks are getting on with their lives. They don’t complain, but there is an undercurrent of uncertainty about the future, and the stress shows up in unexpected displays of emotion that can be triggered by just a smell.

The participants brought all this with them to the workshop, and were very clear they had responded to the invitation to participate because they needed to stop, probably for the first time in months, and do something for themselves. One participant said, "I came for transformation, not information. I have enough information; I need transformation." Another said, "I came for Centering Prayer and to find my own center again after the storm."

They were eager to learn and eager to spend time with each other in the peaceful space of the Cenacle Retreat Center. The isolation of the past 10 months fell away quickly as they made new and deep connections with each other. One participant is Vietnamese, and a priest at Our Lady Queen of Vietnam Roman Catholic Church in East New Orleans. This church of several thousand members is now more than ever the hub of life and support for all the Vietnamese in the community there, regardless of their religion. In effect, the church has taken on a new role as the liaison between the community and all the governmental and charitable agencies providing help.

Another participant is the bishop of the Apostolic Pentacostal church in East New Orleans (though he and his wife and children have been living three hours away in Jackson, Mississippi, while their house is being repaired). The two men had seen each other in community meetings since the hurricanes, but the workshop became an opportunity for them to develop a personal connection that will serve them well as they go back to work.

One of the laywomen works with prisoners, and reminded us that they too had to deal with the losses inflicted by the hurricanes. There were three nuns in the workshop, none of them who fit the stern, schoolteacher stereotype that lives on for many of us. They are light-hearted women who take their work seriously. One, still wearing the habit, works with inner-city youth, and as a result is quite a good rapper!

For all the gravity of their work now — or maybe because of it — there was an extraordinary sense of fun and play in this workshop. Msgr. Winus Roeten, a retired priest and monsignor (and the person who invited the Mastery Foundation to New Orleans for the first time in 1987), came along to review the course. Winus spent much of his ministry pastoring black churches. At one point in the course, he demonstrated his preaching style and immediately got several invitations from the black pastors in the room to come preach at their churches.

Their ministries and lives forever changed by the hurricanes, these remarkable men and women are a great demonstration of the truth that heroes are ordinary people who respond to circumstances with extraordinary compassion and courage. As one man said, "I have been a pastor for 22 years, but I have been a real pastor for the last 10 months."

The four days they invested in the Making a Difference workshop will repay them with new tools to generate the centeredness and renewal they need and to pass that on to those they serve. They return home renewed in mind and spirit, knowing that whatever comes, they have access to a wellspring of transformation from which they can continue to create new possibilities for themselves and for others.

The second Gulf Coast workshop will be held near Fairhope, Alabama, September 11 — 14. If you know of someone who should be considered for an invitation, please let us know.

If you would like to help underwrite the cost of these two special workshops, we welcome contributions of any amount. A donation of $1,000 from you or your congregation will pay all the costs to sponsor one person’s participation in a Gulf Coast workshop. Contributors of $5,000 or more toward the Gulf Coast workshops are offered the opportunity to attend a workshop as part of the production team. Contributions are tax deductible.

To nominate someone for participation in the Gulf Coast workshops or to make a contribution, please contact:

Myrtle Gallow Lynne Richardson
202.387.1894 800.890.8540
information@masteryfoundation.org