Click here to return to main page

"Faith and Hope in New Orleans:
Dominicans after Katrina"

Click Here to view the 2008 Update Story

A picture is worth a thousand words – or so they say – but even pictures cannot capture the full impact of the devastation caused when Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans August 29, 2005. That was the feeling among the Dominican communicators who visited New Orleans during the January, 2007 OPCOMNET Conference. Seeing the devastation first hand, realizing how much worse it must have been a year and a half prior, and hearing personal accounts of life before, during and after Katrina brought to light the fact that the story isn’t over even though it may have disappeared from the news.

Something terrible happened to the people of New Orleans, among them members of the Dominican family. Hope and Faith in New Orleans attempts to shed some light on the untold story of New Orleans, how Hurricane Katrina affected the Dominicans in the city, their battle to rebuild and how they are coping two years later.

During January’s conference the communicators compiled a series of stories documenting the Dominicans from New Orleans as they attempt to rebuild their lives post-Katrina. The stories are moving, but each contains a message of hope and resilience.

 “Tell the Story…Don’t Forget Us”
Beginning on September 4, 2007, Caldwell Dominicans distributed the first of an 11-week e-mail story series about the New Orleans Dominicans: their survival, rebuilding and restoring of life and ministry during the past two years.  The series concluded on November 13, 2007 but the stories will remain on our website as a reminder of our commitment to continue to assist and support in prayer and presence our Dominican Family in New Orleans. 
Click on the "Katrina"  navigation button on our homepage to get to this section of our website.  The Table of Contents will continue to link you to all the OP Katrina stories.

Caldwell Website OP Katrina Stories
Table of Contents

"At a Glance"  Snapshot of New Orleans - Before and After
Story # 1:  OP Laity – Different Lives Living in the Same World
Story # 2:  A “Beacon of Hope” Lights the Road to Recovery
Story # 3:  The Spirituality Center – “Telling the Story”
Story # 4:  Being Eucharist in a Hungry City
Story # 5:  St. Mary’s Dominican High School
Story # 6:  “Everybody Has a Story”
Story # 7:  C’est Si Bon - Dominican Friars Post-Katrina
Story # 8:  The Dominican Family Responds
Story # 9:  Adrian Dominican Sisters Assist in New Orleans
Story # 10:  Where Are They Now?  (Sisters and Associates)
Story # 11:  Water Memories – When You Can’t Return