SCHERERVILLE | When Ron Pyle went to help rebuild New Orleans six months after Hurricane Katrina hit, he saw a sight he'll never forget: "Blocks and blocks of nothing; no cars, no people, no nothing."
Two years later, Pyle isn't expecting miracles when he visits New Orleans again. The need for help and volunteers is still great, but he and a group traveling out of St. Michael's parish in Schererville hope to make a difference.
Pyle is one of a few dozen from the region who'll be spending their New Year's holiday working in New Orleans. Under a program sponsored by Catholic Charities, the group will spend "three solid days" working, doing everything from drywalling to yard work.
They'll leave Schererville on Sunday, arrive in New Orleans and work up until New Year's Eve, when they'll take a break to have dinner together. They'll be heading home on Friday.
Catholic Charities will give them a place to stay in Hope Haven, a former Catholic home for boys and girls. Although St. Michael's is their local sponsor, the group includes nonparishioners and non-Catholics. They range in age from 16 to retirement age, Pyle said. Twenty are St. Michael's parishioners and six are seminarians. Many are unskilled and have no building experience. Pyle has a technical services position with ArcelorMittal.
Even those with no experience were welcome, since the devastated neighborhoods still need every helping hand they can get. Project organizers have learned that the Christmas holidays are a good time to assemble a work crew, since "people tend to have vacation days" then, Pyle said.
Their work sites will likely be in areas like the Upper and Lower Ninth Ward, which made the news often during the Katrina disaster. The last time Pyle was in the city, he spent his days mucking out a flooded house, the homeowner at his side. This time, the focus will be on rebuilding homes.
The volunteers will take time out at the end of each day for reflection and prayer, he said.
"We might talk about, ‘Where did you see Jesus today?'" Sometimes, a spiritual connection can come just by looking into a resident's tear-filled eyes, he said.
The group is doing a little fundraising before they leave. Some of the money will go to volunteers who have limited means, but most of it will be turned over to a New Orleans food bank, he said.
Pyle also hopes the New Orleans trek will not be just a one-time experience. After they get back, he'll work on putting together a new ministry out of St. Michael's, called Rebuilding Hope.
He'd eventually like to collect contact information for up to 200 people from the region willing to travel wherever their help is needed. For example, Building Hope volunteers would help out in the event of floods, like those which occurred in Iowa this past year.
Nonparishioners and non-Catholics would be welcome to join, he said. For more information on Rebuilding Hope or to make a donation for New Orleans, contact the St. Michael's parish offices at (219) 322-4505.
