STEWARDSHIP—LIVING CHRISTIANITY [ RADICALLY]

New World Articles

Facing a hurricane and hope in New Orleans
By Anne Marie Tirpak
contributor

I walked through the early morning raindrops in New Orleans’ Jackson Square giddy to be in a city I’ve never experienced. Best-laid plans?

As I walked toward Café Du Monde, Jackson Square was just coming alive. Several people had slept on the square, many alarmingly young. I walked head-down yet aware, trying to reconcile my life of abundance with the in-my-face poverty obvious just outside the Cathedral of St. Louis.

"Witchie" was one of several street people I encountered. He wanted to read my cards. I told him I prefer life’s surprises. We shook hands, his quite rough, and chatted as he gave me a personal tour of the nearby French café.

With my café au lait and beignets in hand, I sat in the Square and enjoyed the music, the chatter, the mix of people. Some were tourists doing the same. Others were locals who called this place their living room and bedroom, and, if they were lucky, their kitchen and bar. I walked through the French Quarter and delighted in the flower boxes, the beautiful homes, the lovely shops.

I walked toward the city’s infamous Bourbon Street, sickened by the stench, yet wide-eyed at the Sunday morning activity. I passed up offers of daiquiris and opted instead to take the St. Charles streetcar and see the great homes along its route. In New Orleans for a conference on Catholic stewardship, I had plans to do a lot in my limited time.

The sunshine and carefree moods changed quickly after in a few days with Hurricane Ivan's impending arrival and the ensuing frenzy to flee.

I could leave. It would be a long and late-night drive, but I struggled knowing that others’ attempts at trains, flights and buses were fruitless. Tucked safely in my hotel, we were assured we were in the safest location in the city: "Miss Anne, y’awl be fine. This is where people come for safety." Still, I wondered about those who didn't have an option, like those in Jackson Square who didn't have a place to go.

I was fear-filled and my bloody mary and the presumed peace of some people around me did little to calm my nerves.

I returned to the French Quarter. Buildings were boarded, restaurants closed. Outside St. Louis Cathedral, no longer a bustling plaza, I noticed Witchie. Amazingly, he remembered me. I smiled and asked what he was doing outside. He replied that he was doing what he does everyday. "Witchie, where will you go for the hurricane?" A nod toward the square and a smile, "My home, of course."

I'll always remember Witchie sitting on the Square, staring in his eerie look-right-through-you way, long hair tousled by the wind. A graced moment, and a lesson in faith and trust.

Tirpak is vicariate stewardship coordinator for the Archdiocese of Chicago. She can be reached at (312)534-7713 or atirpak@archchicago.org.