During my days as an elementary school student, I never thought it was a blessing to be taught by nuns. I was intimidated by their blue habits and often stern demeanor. Fortunately, having two aunts who are nuns gave me insight into their warmth, dedication and love of Christ. When I was much older, I began to appreciate the sacrifice that nuns make in the service of our Lord. Now I am reminded of it often as director of admissions at Bishop O’Connell High School, where the Sister Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary serve as teachers and administrators. I reached a new level of admiration for nuns and their faith, hope and love when I recently went to New Orleans to assist in hurricane relief.

Over Thanksgiving week, my husband Brian and I, five others from Good Shepherd Parish in Alexandria and 17 people from Colorado, Connecticut and Maryland participated in a Group Workcamp program. We didn’t look like ourselves as we traded our usual clothing for white Tyvek suits, safety goggles, ventilation masks, heavy gloves and hard hats. Our uniformity prompted the use of first names written in marker on our backs to allow fellow crew members to identify us quickly. Sleeping accommodations and meals were at the education center of Mary Queen of Vietnam Catholic Church. Males slept in one classroom, females in another — and only on one side of the hallway as Katrina took with her portions of the ceiling in the rooms across the hall. When the power was out, we relied on a generator. It couldn’t light every area of the building, so bathrooms, hallways and sleeping quarters were lit by candlelight. But even in the darkness caused by the power outages, God’s light shone brightly.

Sister Ann, Sister Tian, Sister Mary Ly and others are faced with a preschool that cannot reopen yet due to storm damage. Throughout the building are echoes of a school that was — a notice of an Open House that never happened on Aug. 31, pictures of students who are now displaced to other parts of the country and brightly painted murals on the walls of an empty nursery. But the school is far from a cold and deserted place. It is very much alive with the spirit and light of a group of nuns who are working hard to reopen the school. Our crew of six spent the week helping the nuns pull ruined carpet, remove moldy drywall and ceilings and salvage whatever fixtures possible. And through the hard work, the nuns continued to persevere, smile, laugh and pray. Faced with a seemingly insurmountable recovery project, they showed concern about whether we were taking sufficient water breaks and getting enough food. On Thanksgiving, they even managed to have buffalo wings, corn on the cob and french fries brought in for us as a special treat.

The power may be sporadic in parts of New Orleans East, but not even a natural disaster of this magnitude can dim the light of faith, hope and love these women radiate. The energy of the nuns is a consistent sign of hope to the families in the community who have yet to return in significant numbers. Reopening the preschool will help facilitate their return as it will provide a safe and secure place for children during the day as families begin the arduous process of rebuilding their community.
When it was time to depart New Orleans, I wasn’t ready to leave. I felt there was still so much to do and I wanted to stay to contribute to the recovery effort. But I realized that help could continue, not by sharing my story, but by sharing theirs. If you would like to help, monetary donations or gift cards to Wal-Mart, Sam’s Wholesale Club and Home Depot can be sent directly to: Sister Thien-An Nguyen, FMSR, Rosary Child Development Center, 5100 Willow Brook Dr., New Orleans, LA 70129. You may also contact the nuns directly via e-mail at srthienan@dongmancoi.org.

It is comforting to know that no matter how old I get, I still am blessed to be taught by nuns.