These are the reflections I shared during our Prayer Service at the Rosary on the eve of Hurricane Katrina.

For those of us that endured Hurricane Katrina, we remember it very well. It was a storm that brought much suffering to many people. Many people lost their lives and families separated and scattered to far off places. Homes and treasured possessions were lost forever in the waters that poured over our broken down levees.

On the eve of the anniversary of Katrina, yes, we remember those times of darkness–that time when the clouds covered the sky and the torrents of water came forth.

In that time, New Orleaneans were tested under many trials, and we endured. We faced adversity, and we emerged victorious. We underwent danger and hardship, and we became stronger. We looked at the future with fear and uncertainty, and we summoned up our courage to go forward with faith.

Ten years after the storm, we stand here together as a Sacred Heart family and, say as William Faulkner once said, “we not only endured, we prevailed.”

Because of the faith and fortitude, grit and guts of many people, we can remember and we can celebrate this 10 year anniversary of Katrina.

Our Seniors have a wonderful theme for the year, and it is this: “NOT ALL SUPERHERO’S WEAR CAPES.” In Katrina, superheroes could be found everywhere. They were families who opened our doors to us when we had to move, neighbors who shared their generators and food, and strangers who jumped into boats to rescue people who were stranded on rooftops.

These people teach us today about who we are when we at our very best, and, oddly….sometimes… we human beings are at our very best when things are at their very worst. Yes, Seniors, you are so right, superheroes do not always wear capes!

Let us let Katrina continue to teach us about being prepared, of course, but, also about being good neighbors, about being good people and about the value of being a tightly knit community—a family of the Sacred Heart.

Let’s remember together the importance of summoning up our faith from the deep waters and of standing strong, especially when we are in times of darkness. And, let us remember once again that we are never alone—but always in God’s sight and walking with our true savior, Jesus Christ.