This will be quick but I thought you might want to laugh…

I am sitting in the Lafayette airport, having checked in 3 suitcases and having shipped 2 boxes of product to Atlanta for NCYC. My maiden voyage into tee shirts is on its way. (I have to work Mon and Tues in Ft Walton Beach FL—seems I like having hurricanes follow me, lightning rod that I am)

I’ve learned a few things already:

1–Lugging stuff is not what I was built for. (And, no, you are NOT invited to start a pool of what I was built for).

2–Kinda amusing (in a sick way) to watch my wife and in-laws “discuss” what should go in what bag or box…but it was masterfully done I think. There’s an old Cajun joke about the devil complaining to GOd that he had to take the Cajuns back because they were holding bingos to get hell air-conditioned. Ain’t a whole lot that they can’t do if they put their minds to it.

3–I look good in chocolate (the tee shirt might explain it)

Some of you I will see in Atlanta…come by booth 717. For those of you who arent, visualize a poodle (like my beloved Pepi) pulling a double wide.

And for all this belly aching, it’s still a better day than most people’s “day at the office”. I am smiling as I realize I get to “do” this. If you see me forgetting that, a GENTLE reminder might be nice.

I was asked to give a 15 minute lunch talk (which, of course, became 30 minutes) to the faculty where my daughter goes to school. I was impressed once more with their camaraderie and laughter, as well as their honest and professional manner. The parents group put out a fantastic spread of food and decorated things in a Cajun theme (it IS good to be back in Acadiana!).

How do you REALLY say thank you to the people who help form your child? I am so touched by how St. Pius (and no doubt, other schools across the nation) have welcomed Megan as well as other displaced students and families. I am touched by all who teach, all who deal with
• Low pay
• Limited resources
• Variety of parental expectations
• Societal challenges on the business of life
• The challenge to be “educational”
• Meetings, paperwork and extracurriculars
• The tensions of family time and work

I said an extra prayer asking God to re-mind and re-new teachers in their all-important work in touching salvation history.

I have had some fantastic faith experiences as a presenter whenever I have worked in the state of Wisconsin. I’ve been blessed to have been invited to speak in Madison, Green Bay and now Milwaukee. I have been so impressed with the volunteers and paid professionals who are working “for” the Church.

I had the awesome privilege of returning to Milwaukee for their lifelong faith conference. This conference had to be a huge undertaking. It was a very neat model, allowing people a wide variety of options and a great amount of choices.

I was also impressed with the staff; I don’t know all of them but I was blessed to work with Randy Nohl, Laurie Kish, Kathie Amidei, Jennifer Turner and Lisa Marie Calderone Stewart. The work that these folks and the others in the planning did was fantastic. I remember what went into planning those events and I know this was a lot of work. All involved deserve a huge thanks (and some rest!)

I did 7 sessions in the 3 days. The theme was based one of my favorite Scripture passages: the Emmaus story (Luke 24:13-35). My titles were: A Good Case of Heartburn, This Was Not in the Brochure, Can you Hear (Here) Me Now? and Receive Who You Are, Become Who You Receive.

I got to hang out with ministry colleagues, which is always an added blessing. I visited with Mike Theisen of Rochester NY (who will soon be working for the NFCYM—National Federation of Catholic Youth Ministry) and Ela M. (a lovely Polish last name that I am too lazy to look up as I type) of Cultivation Ministries, as well as Laurie and Lisa Marie. Laughter and updating one another about life and ministry was good for me.

The people who came to the conference were awesome; I had some very neat informal chats with people about their work at the parish and school level.

I was so touched by the generous gifts of 2 people:

–Lynn, a youth minister with whom I’d chatted a few times gave me a stuffed Snoopy (so I could remember Pepi, my dog when on the road)

–Kathy, a Racine Dominican, who gave me a delightful book, Love Poems from God, which I have started reading.

I left Milwaukee tired and refreshed at the same time…with the Good News being that I would be HOME for a week.

From an e-mail….well written.
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New Orleans. How wonderful those words sound when said with no quirky emphasis on odd syllables. They always seem to elicit some response. Have you been there?

Have you ever been to Cafe Du Monde for beignets and cafe au lait?

Have you ever sat for hours in the piano bar at Pat O Brians sipping hurricanes?

Have you ever been to Mardi Gras? Bacchus? Endymion? Rex?

Have you ever had oysters at the Acme House?

Have you ever sat out at the “fly” eating crawfish and drinking Dixie beer?

Have you ever taken a walking tour of the Garden District?

Have you ever sung karaoke at Cat’s Meow?

Do you know who John Folse is?

Have you ever risen at 6am to roam the streets of a quiet French Quarter?

Have you ever been to Galatoire’s? K-Paul’s? Emeril’s?

Can you remember when Zulu threw gold-painted coconuts?

Have you ever ridden the street-car down St. Charles Avenue secretly sipping your strawberry daiquiri?

Have you ever had a mint julep on the porch of The Columns Hotel?

Have you ever been to Audubon Park? City Park?

Have you ever been to mass at the St. Louis Cathedral?

Do you know who Harry Connick, Sr is?

Have you ever had breakfast at Brennan’s?

Have you ever been to the original Tipitina’s?

Have you ever been to the Superdome? Saint’s game? Sugar Bowl? Super Bowl? Final Four?

Have you ever had cheese fries at Fat Harry’s?

Thrown peanuts on the floor at O’Henry’s?

Have you ever been to the Rendon Inn?

Can you remember the New Orleans World’s Fair?

Have you ever been to the campuses of Tulane and Loyola?

Have you been to a crawfish boil? Sucked the heads?

Have you ever been on the lake? Across the lake? To the west bank?

Have you had a Ferdi from Mother’s and wondered what debris was?

Have you ever been an unexpected invitee to a jazz funeral?

Have you ever been to Jazzfest the first or second weekend?

Had you ever been to Pontchatrain Beach?

Have you ever stood in line at the Camellia Grill?

Had a po-boy at Uglesich’s? Oyster and artichoke soup at Mandina’s? BBQ shrimp at Pascal Manale’s? Gumbo at Dookie Chase?

Have you ever been to a plantation home?

Have you ever been to the French Quarter festival?

Can you pronounce Tchoupitoulas? Thibodaux? Boutte?

Have you ever been to Clancy’s? The Upperline? Brightsen’s?

Have you ever been to the Biloxi beaches?

Have you ever had a monsoon at Port of Call? Breakfast at the Blue Bird?

Have you ever seen the Neville Brothers? Cowboy Mouth? The Radiators?

Have you ever been to New Orleans?

If you’ve been there, undoubtedly one of these things found its way to your itinerary.

You probably also saw the dirty streets, the tired shotgun houses, and cracked sidewalks.

You’ve heard about the high crime, poor public schools, poverty, and racism.

And yes, there are many housing projects, it is very hot in the summer, people are generally overweight, and the city is always a hurricane away from being flooded.

Each visitor chooses to see the New Orleans they want to see. Luckily, New Orleans has the
amazing ability to win over many more than it loses. It can cause one to see the big oaks hovering over

St.Charles and not the trash on the sidewalks. It can cause one to focus on the street musician and not the street beggar. It can cause one to see the wrought iron balcony rather than the dilapidated building.

What is it about the Big Easy that makes most see the positive and not the negative?

I have a unique perspective to this question. I’ve seen New Orleans from both sides. Growing up in South Louisiana in a family of 7, my father was from Gentilly and my mother from Lakeview. My dad is a graduate of St. Aloysius (now Brother Martin) and an Entergy employee for nearly 40 years. My mother is a graduate of Mount Carmel and a 40-year member of the Gutter Buddies, a collection of grade-school girl friends that are truly like family. My wife and I are graduates of Tulane, my brother a graduate of Loyola, and my sister’s graduates of LSU and USL. Our family and friends are from all walks of life and live in all areas of the city.

We all call New Orleans home. Since leaving New Orleans over 10 years ago, I have taken friends there and seen how they absorb the city. I don’t have to do much except let the city work its magic. Occasionally, the city misses one but it isn’t often.

I always smile when a friend is asked “Have you ever been to New Orleans?”

The answer to New Orleans’ allure may, on the surface, seem different for locals and tourists but I suspect that there is a common thread the people, the heart and soul of New Orleans.

There is a culture and tradition in New Orleans that is sweet and simple.

No need to overanalyze this. It recognizes that the enjoyment of family and life is as attainable for the poor as it is for the rich. A hand on a shoulder and touch on the arm is just the way we say hello.

We know that good music, food, and drink is made all the better when surrounded by friends who share the same outlook. When it is your way of life, when it is woven into your circle of friends, social gatherings aren’t seen as excesses but as something you just do.

New Orleanians don’t believe they’ve cornered the market on this way of life. They recognize it when they see it elsewhere and they applaud it. What makes New Orleans special is that they have a concentration of people who have it and foster it. It’s generational. It’s hereditary.

The challenge to New Orleans, to the New Orleanian, is as great as ever. Its reputation temporarily tarnished by the things that occurred in the aftermath of Katrina, it is up to those that live there, have been there and adopted this city to not let these terrible scenes replace the ones they have of the Big Easy. While money is needed to rebuild, preserving that feeling and attitude that New Orleans gave you on that last visit is just as important. Did the flood waters wash away the New Orleans way of life? Not a chance. Not a chance that New Orleanians would deprive future generations of this breeding ground of the good life.

With the vast destruction of parts of New Orleans now clear, the question is being asked repeatedly, “Is New Orleans worth rebuilding?”
To that, I can only reply, “Have you ever been to New Orleans?”

Darren Olagues
Born and Raised in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana
Tulane University 1992

Someone sent me this as a n e-mail. I thought it was kinda cute.

You know you’re from New Orleans and have survived Hurricane Katrina when….
1. pre-K has nothing to do with the year before Kindergarten.
2. The flies are bigger than your Chihuahua.

3. Your bank, dry cleaner, and grocery store are closed but your bar is not. (Thank you, Cooter Brown’s)
4. You judge your elevation by the brown horizontal line in the city.
5. You have to show an ID to get into your neighborhood.
6. Your neighborhood has no children, so you actually start to miss the little boys across the street that used to throw rocks onto your roof.
7. You go to Sam’s Club, but instead of coming home with a case of pop tarts, you buy masks, bleach, rubber gloves, and baking soda in bulk.
8. You know five remedies to get the smell out of your refrigerator.
9. You spend a lot of time talking with your friends about the five remedies to get the smell out of your refrigerator.
10. Ice becomes more precious than gold.
11. Your office goes from 40 employees to 5.
12. Living in a house with twelve other people is not a sign of how poor you are, but how rich you are with friend and family.
13. You know what a double-evacuee is. (Damn you, Rita!)
14. FEMA means “failure to effectively manage anything” and hearing the words “Red Cross” makes your blood boil.

15. You get sick of hearing people from Baton Rouge tell you how bad the traffic is now. You remind them that Baton Rouge traffic was terrible before there were 200,000 more people in town.
16. The strip clubs on Bourbon street have power before your house does…..
17. The Salvation Army, a firefighter from Michigan, and cops from Wauconda show up at your house to make sure that you are OK.
18. There is a pirogue on your roof.
19. You return to your home and all of your belongings fit into two boxes.
20. Contra flow just doesn’t seem so bad.
21. You have to purchase hip boots to walk in your neighborhood.
22. You pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again.
23. Lakeview becomes Lake.
24. The crosses on your wall and kitchen counter top remain despite the five feet of water in your house.
25. You know what it truly means to miss New Orleans.

I had a great day with about 15 teens from this parish. We were together to do some thinking and “second glances” at leadership through an evangelization lens. I really enjoyed their openness to the material and that they gave up a Sunday to hang out and think through this.

I had some neat experiences…

• They do like (and have)Popeye’s chicken in places north of Atlanta!
• I’ve never played ping pong in a laundry room where you can play off the walls like a hockey rink…Very interesting. Good game Andrew.
• I learned that some teens really get into the sounds and motions of “Hunter, Woman, Bear”—an icebreaker. (Bang! Heyyyy-eyyyy!)

It was so cool to watch these teens affirm one another once given the chance and some tools to do so.

You ever get the feeling when you meet someone that you would be good friends if distance allowed you to hang out more? I get that feeling when I am with Anne Marie Cribbin, youth minister in Bethesda. She is bright, witty, focused and so into youth ministry. She is a partner in Over the Top Ministries. I know you will probably be hearing more of Anne Marie in the future, as she begins to get invitations to speak at rallies, retreats and more. (If you need a dynamic female presenter, I want to recommend Anne Marie.)

(Anne Marie as Bobbie Jo Culp of Saturday Night Live fame–with Justin Russell)

I got to meet Tom Hild who runs a wonderful summer work camp experience called Encounter in the Washington DC area. www.eglweb.org/encounter

Tom and I got connected through Gene Monterestelli of Apex. We had a good visit; I got to meet his daughter Anna, who is so much like my daughter Meg. We had a wonderful dining experience with Anne Marie at a Mexican(?) restaurant called Jaleo. A nice way to end a good weekend and a chance to talk about coming back to the area.

Anytime I get a call to work in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, I am ready to jump at the chance. I have such great respect for the Office of Youth Ministry staff there. I get to see Mark Pacione, Scott Miller, Chris Ashby, and Kristen Witte. I greatly respect these people, admire their work and their vision, and flat out enjoy being with them. I am also impressed how they care for one another, and really desire to make one another better.

I was invited up to be a part of a Respect Life Symposium on Friday. It was a wonderful model, I think, for how to heighten awareness, give information and understanding, and foster action and commitment on the “gospel of life” with young people. The underlying theme/approach was about respecting life in a consistent ethic of life. The issues of abortion and euthanasia were discussed as well as stem cell research, war, racism, poverty, and capital punishment were brought into focus as part of a true Catholic understanding of respecting life. You need to contact Scott Miller for more on the dynamics and specifics of the day.

Saturday, I was privileged to speak to 700 catechists and youth ministers on the theme “Life is Christ.” The Division of Evangelization and Catechesis co-sponsored this event. Again, such professional people. I was flattered to be asked to address this group. It “felt” good to relax and laugh while reminding and challenging us all about where (and if) we truly find life. Sometimes we get so lost in the ACTIONS of ministry, we forget to find, share, and show LIFE and JOY in the ministry. And that is a shame, since, it is supposed to be Good News.

Though it was brief, I got a nice little visit with Cardinal Keeler of the Archdiocese, who just celebrated 50 years of priesthood. I never got to see Pope John Paul II really up close but there was a feeling that I experienced with the Cardinal that I was with someone very similar in his love for people and his concern to shepherd well.

An added benefit to the trip was the chance to visit with ministry friends…I was able to have supper with Kristen Witte, Gene Monterestelli (Apex) and Alexis Yankowski (who interned for a while in the youth ministry office—hey Shrug!) . I got to see faces from the ministry journey: Tony Tamburino, Michaela R., and Dee H.

I also got to spend sometime with Sr. Eileen McCann, a workshop presenter that day, who works for the Catholic Bishops Conference. We went to ESPN Zone to watch some football (I don’t get to watch too much college football because I am working most fall weekends, so that was a treat.) Some of us were picking on Eileen earlier at lunch about “her” Syracuse Orange football team’s loss to Connecticut. The topic of college nicknames came up. I suggested they change the name to the “seedless gourds”; needless to say, she did not warm to my suggestion. Not all of my ideas can be winners.

I leave Baltimore with more fond memories.

It has been just over one month (August 29) since Katrina hit. I wanted to give folks an update now that things are a little clearer. Some info is a repeat of past info on the blog…for that I am sorry, but I am trying to bring many folks up to speed.

HOUSE
• I live in Metairie. I am about 6 blocks from Lake Pontchartrain and about 2 miles from a infamous 17th Street Canal (where there was a breach in the levee.)
• Only “damage” to my home– replace freezer and refrigerator. (spoiled stinky Cajun food after electricity failed.
• No flooding or shingle/roof damage. Minor screen damage.
• Lost a small (5 x 8 ft) outdoor shed. Contents were okay; shed was blown away.
• We’re allowed back to live there, but are not moving back in (more under “FUTURE” PLANS)
• Marlene and her parents went to meet the insurance adjuster earlier this week. They worked liked Trojans to cut the grass, which was 16 to 20 inches high. There were tree twigs and limbs all over the yard.

MARLENE
• Marlene has been working from Lafayette (she works for an internet related company and can work as long as she has access to the internet).
• She was amazing in the days after Katrina, finding her co-workers and then advocating for her department workers (making sure that they were okay before they could get back up and running to work).
• When hurricane Rita struck, she had to “start over”, because many Katrina evacuees were now scattered again.
• Her bosses continued to be flexible and creative in allowing her to work from Lafayette.

MEGAN
• Megan is enrolled at St. Pius Elementary in Lafayette and is doing well there from all indications. She has been a trooper, rising an hour earlier to adjust to a new schedule.
• She is on the School’s volleyball team (Go Cougars!) and they won a game this week (not a match, but they were so excited!)
• She does miss her friends but really enjoys St. Pius. Her “old” school St. Catherine’s opened on Wednesday. I don’t know a lot of details about that but I have been reassured from her principal that she is welcome to return when she wants to. We’ve been blessed to have worked with 2 wonderful schools and faculties.

MIKE
• It’s been hard to be away while Marlene and her parents tend to the details of cleaning up. They have been wonderful through this all.
• I am almost done with a busy speaking stint.
• Flying out of Lafayette, rather than New Orleans, has been fine.

CURRENT REALITIES
• My in-laws are kind enough to allow us to continue to live with them. They have been accommodating beyond belief.
• We are trying to work out creative solutions to allow Megan to finish a semester at St. Pius school. It is juggling travel schedules (between Mike’s traveling and Marlene’s work schedule between Metairie and Lafayette.)
• We have a renter in our home which allows for someone to be in the house and provides for the mortgage to be paid.

FUTURE PLANS

This is a tough issue which unfolds daily. We know how fortunate we have been to miss the damage so many others are facing. Living so close to Lake Pontchartrain does have some risks associated with it. We are looking at what is best to do for our family economically and emotionally. Right now we don’t know what the long term future holds but we are safe in Lafayette.

I’ve been a part of some wonderful sports events and memories at the high school and college level. They give me a great rush and a lot of joy, even in recounting them.

I got a new variety of that recently. My daughter Meg is now playing volleyball for St. Pius. She has been enjoying the school, the people, and the chance to be a part of the volleyball team. She has been a little down that her team has not experienced a ton of success in the win-loss department. Well, actually…none, to be more precise.

I was so excited I was going to get to see Megan play in a match. I had not gotten to see this because of the weirdly busy travel schedule of the last month.

I had people praying for me that I wouldn’t be the Will Ferrell dad type (Kicking and Screaming). I tend to think I know more about sports than I actually do! So I sat in the bleachers with my popcorn and tried not to yell/coach too much and just enjoy the game.

The team (the Cougars)

lost the first game but were really competitive in the second game…you could see their excitement rising, along with some natural nervousness and excitement as they were ahead late in the second game. (Who am I kidding? I was excited and nervous too!) When they won the second game, I would have loved to have the local media there (or even ESPN) to see the PURE JOY of sport and accomplishment and team spirit. They won a game! You could have sworn it was the Super Bowl, the World Series and the NCAA Final Four all wrapped into one. Jumping, cheering, hugging as a group, smiling. I couldn’t help but grin as Meg’s eyes met mine in that moment. (Nothing like that girl’s natural smile!) And the spring in their step as they took the court for the third and deciding game of the match.

I would love to tell you they came back and won the entire match; that didn’t happen. What DID happen was they caught a glimpse of their own potential, possibilities and the power of team work. That made for a great afternoon. And I got to enjoy it, not as a wanna-be jock, or an ex-coach but as a proud dad.

Go Cougars! Way to go #20.

I was approached last December in Pittsburgh about presenting to a new organization of youth ministers in the Archdiocese of Chicago. The question was a no brainer.

First, I truly enjoy working with adults in ministry. It is where I get some of my deepest joy in my work. Secondly, it IS Chicago—home of “my” beloved Cubs. As soon as I got the invitation this spring (at that time, they were still in the hunt for a wild card), I went to look up their schedule to see if they were playing at home and if I could “make a pilgrimage” to my favorite shrine, Wrigley Field. In a cruel twist of fate, the dates of my visit were ONE DAY after the conclusion of the regular season. All I could do was shake my head.

I was there to give 2 talks (one in the evening to accommodate volunteers and the other at a lunch time meeting for those full time staffers). I was asked to give a repeat of my presentation on ministry expectations called “Superman and Wonderwoman Have Bullseyes on Their Backs.”

I truly enjoyed being with youth ministers for a short time who are bonding together in light of changes to their diocesan support structure. They are working to form ways to be strength and resource for one another in a ministry which is demanding. I hope they continue to be faithful companions for one another on the journey—there is great strength there (I think Jesus was wise to send the disciples in pairs.).

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I was blessed to stay at the parish where the talks were being hosted: St. Celestine. I had a great visit with the pastor, Fr. Larry and the youth minister, Kim. It was refreshing to “talk’ ministry and church with these folks. Both are so supportive of youth ministry and in connecting young people to the church.

I did take a fair amount of ribbing about being a Cubs fan, especially when I was now on the south side of Chicago (I keep hearing the first line of Bad Bad Leroy Brown for some reason). Fr. Larry’s master key for the church has a White Sox logo.

Which reminds me (and now I am reminding you)…please be more SPECIFIC and honest in your prayer. I prayed that the good fortune that was showered upon Boston (Red Sox and Patriots) might be showered upon Chicago. I forgot to specify WHICH team in Chicago.

So, for now, go White Sox. But, may I remind all of you skeptics, that on Opening Day of baseball season 2006, the Cubs will be tied for first place. It is on days such as that, that all is right with the world.