PROVIDENCE - USA - LA SALLE LENDS HELPING HANDS ORLEANS TO NEW ORLEANS KATRINA VICTIMS: Students and staff spend winter break working to rebuild ravaged home
Following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, the roof of this house was swept into a field. The La Salle volunteers worked on restoration of the home.
^{(By Brian J. Lowney, Visitor staff writer)}

PROVIDENCE - While many people recently spent winter break sunning themselves in the Caribbean or visiting Disney World, 20 dedicated and hardworking La Salle Academy students, faculty and administrators participated in the rebuilding and clean-up efforts in hurricane-ravaged New Orleans.
"It is a way of living out the Gospel call of caring for our brothers and sisters in need," said Maryann Donohue-Lynch, the school's Director of Campus Ministry and trip coordinator. The rebuilding program is conducted by Operation Helping Hands, sponsored by the Archdiocese of New Orleans Catholic Charities office.

While in the city, the group was housed and fed at Mater Dolo Rosa, a housing complex for senior citizens operated by the archdiocese. In their free time, the students and chaperones enjoyed some family-oriented Mardi Gras festivities, and dined on two local favorites - Po Boys and beignets.

On Ash Wednesday the group, covered in soot and dirty after a long day's work, attended Mass at St. Louis Cathedral. Many of the students said they will never forget the symbolism between the ashes placed on their foreheads, and those from the rubble that stained their clothes and the important lesson that the experience taught them about the value of life.
La Salle students, with faculty and administrators, found a warm reception among those they met in New Orleans.

The 15 students who traveled to the devastated area raised the funds for the trip. Free-will collections were taken at St. Philip Church, Greenville, and Sts. John and Paul Church, Coventry, and other donations were made by the Lasallians' families and friends.
According to Donahue-Lynch, most of the students did not know each other before traveling to New Orleans.

"It was a bonding experience," she said, noting that group prayed together each morning and night, and without the distractions of televisions and computers, enjoyed conversation and card games.

The La Salle group was assigned to gut the bottom floor of a sprawling family residence located in a neighborhood that was almost completely destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. They worked tirelessly for three days, tearing down walls and ceilings, ripping out sinks and tubs, and removing kitchen cabinets. Catholic Charities provided the necessary tools and equipment, including face masks. The students and their adult chaperones were required to bring long-sleeved shirts and pants to protect them from soot and flying debris, and wore heavy work boots at the clean-up site.

According to Donahue-Lynch, the owners of the large residence had recently asked Operation Helping Hands for assistance in rebuilding the house, which had been in the family for five generations. The organization's leaders thought that the large Rhode Island contingent would be a "perfect match" for the massive demolition project.

The students, who visited New Orleans during Mardi Gras, all agreed that residents are optimistic and hopeful that their city will someday be restored, and asked the La Salle group to tell the people of Rhode Island not to forget those whose lives had been challenged by the series of natural disasters that has struck the city.

"They wanted people to experience their culture - not to walk around with a frown on their face," said Christie Lurgio, a member of St. Augustine Parish, Providence. "We were just shocked at the Southern hospitality."

Victoria Sigillo said she and another student encountered two elderly women in the housing complex's laundry room, who asked why the students were visiting the area.
"The woman told us that we were angels for what we were doing," the St. Rocco Church, Johnston, parishioner recalled.

"Both of us were in tears," she added, smiling at her friend.
Another student, Paul Moretti, a sophomore and a New Orleans native, said he didn't know his former neighborhood when he first visited the devastated area in February, 2006, six months after the powerful hurricane struck the Gulf Coast. The young man said that his family will not be returning to Louisiana, and has decided to remain in Rhode Island, where they have many relatives."There is nothing to go back to," he said, adding that much of the destroyed metropolitan area still lacks municipal services and supermarkets.

Senior Thomas Carnevale and a member of St. Philip Church, Greenville, said the mission trip added a new dimension to his studies, "It taught me that giving is actually going out and doing the work," he stated. "If you feel badly about something, do something! I felt that I had an obligation to help.
"It makes you look beyond what the media has shown you," he continued. "You can't realize the damage until you see it with your own eyes."

Also traveling on the mission trip were faculty members Elissa Cerros, Mark Carty, Gregg DeMaria and Janice Drolet; and students, Ashley Smith and Kayla Capuano, St. Augustine Parish, Providence; Mark Sullivan, St. Theresa Parish, South Attleboro, Mass.; Stephanie Silveria, St. Luke Parish, Barrington; Alexander Schlageter and Carissa Brailsford, St. Philip Parish, Greenville; Christina Myers and Casandra Louis-Jean, no parish affiliation; Colleen Mulcahey, Sts. John and Paul Parish, Coventry; Kathryn Ryan, St. Paul Parish, Cranston; and Allesandra Lomazzo, Blessed Sacrament Parish, Providence.

Student speakers are available to present a video and talk about the mission trip.
For more information, call the Office of Campus Ministry, 351-7750, ext. 130.
To learn more about Operation Helping Hands, email kfitzpatrick@archdiocese-no.org.

PARMENIE - FRANCE - CARRYING THE LIGHT IS A PRAYER….: JESUS IS THE PATH OF LIGHT, This was the Easter theme at Parmenie 2007 proposed by the Young Lasallians of France. Animated by the desire to live Easter in a different way, in conviviality, sharing and celebration, 100 “Lasallians” – young, Brothers, adults from all over France and even from elsewhere, gathered at Parmenie from April 7th to 9th 2007.

Shout with joy, Christ is risen…..
We began this Easter weekend with some workshops where we were able to admire Caravaggio’s “The calling of Matthew” to help us reflect on the meaning of our baptismal vocation, by living baptism each day by letting it die to be reborn in the love of God and by being witnesses of the Resurrection.

By mutually welcoming each other in small sharing groups, we were able to get to know each other better, share our personal histories, discover that of another, John Baptist de La Salle, and let ourselves be called by the Other.
A sentence to be remembered from that Saturday afternoon: “Let us be joyful, smiling,so that so that we will be shining around us this Resurrection which brings joy and happiness”
Jesus Christ, interior light…

By abandoning ourselves to the pardon of the Lord in a penitential celebration, we prepared for a torchlight procession in silence, waiting in recollection to receive the Word of God and carry the Paschal flame to the chapel not only in our candles but also in our hearts, our looks, our lives.

After the Paschal Vigil of Saturday evening, we tasted the gastronomic marvels of our regions, from ‘gateau à la broche’, a specialty of Midi-Pyrénées to specialties of the Champagne region and the famous crêpes from Britanny.
At first light on Easter morning…

Filled with joy and a bit tired from the very short night, we were able, on Sunday morning , to make lanterns, as a sign that we were the watchmen of Jesus Christ. Armed with saws, glue-guns, tracing-paper, felt pens, rulers and pencils we worked together to make a hundred lanterns, all carrying a message, drawings, words which would help us on our return home to remember our mission as witnesses.

It was during the course of the afternoon liturgy that we were able to share on the Gospel of the disciples of Emmaus and exchange our lanterns.
Sunday ended with a memorable evening gathering where we all showed our acting talent and some were lucky enough to play the role of a St.John Baptist de La Salle of modern times. Everyone will remember John Baptist de La Salle II and Br.François with the sore coccyx !

There will be lighters of stars….There will be announcers of joy…
Such was the theme of the send-off prayer on Monday morning and it is what we can retain for this Easter period…to be lighters of stars and announcers of joy…until next Easter in Parmenie !
^{(Brother Matthieu)}

BOGOTÁ - COLOMBIA - LASALLIAN YOUTH EASTER GATHERING: The whole experience was organized starting out from the Easter dynamic. There were profound liturgical moments, visits to the monuments of the city, participation in activities proper to the week in the barrio parish, formation periods, a desert experience, and periods of integration around the raising of the tents and the preparation of meals.

There were also periods of interaction with the people of the barrio. All this was to lead up to the experience of the Resurrection night, full of prayer, songs, jubilation and joy in which the young people showed their artistic talents while shouting in unison: “He is not dead. He is living in the midst of us”.

We are grateful to the team animating the Easter Gathering for their dedication. The team consisted of Bros. Diego Rico, Manuel Celis, Sergio Leal, Francisco Herrera. Daniel Niño, Edwin Garavito, Frey Lerma and Hernando Hermida. There was also support from the Postulant Holmer Acosta and the teachers Alvaro Hernández, Paola Acosta and Henry Rivera as well as the mother of a family, Edna Méndez. We are also grateful for the accompaniment of the Brothers Rectors of the four Edisson Fiquitiva institutions - José Ricardo Moreno, Félix Barreto and Ramón Santafé - as well as the Director of the Lasallian Scholasticate, Br. Eliseo Baracaldo.
^{(Brother Sergio Leal)}

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