St Ignatius College Prepatory - Ignatian Yearbook (San Francisco, CA)

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1. louro Greolish 2. Alex Corleton 3. Emma Skelton, Drew Bcauflino 4 The New Orleans Group 5. Emmo Skelton, Adorn Greenberg 6. Orew Beaurline, Ms. V 7. The New Orleans group Today I drove through a ghost town - damage, neglect, abandonment - weeds overgrown, windows broken, houses boarded up - piles of garbage, formerly couches and chairs and cups. The loneliness and isolation was chilling. I cannot grasp how residents will move back- how they will be willing. God, help me. I'm turning to You now, the way I have seen the people of New Orleans do. You can be a source of strength for them; I need You to be mine, too. In the way these people are rooted in faith- I deeply wont to relate. You are their basic living. In their Church services for healing, their con- stant giving; In the deep breaths they take upon re-en- tering water-damaged homes, In the voice one volun- teer heard, calling him back toward the Super Dome. 20

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to understand injustice, how we can start making things right. It calls us to recognize how some only stayed behind When no other refuge was there for them to find; and the injustice of leav- ing miles upon miles of coastline destroyed, and millions of rotted homes abandoned, void. We reflect, we pray, we breothe. We gather up memories, friendships, and faith before we leave. And together, our spiritual- ity mounts to one thing: An intense longing, for things to be better than they seem: For a hope that withstands flood, injustice, and despair- One that remains always to relieve, renew, and repair. -Jessica Harders '08 I turn, too, to my group's nightly reflections and proyers That help me make sense of the things I see and ex- perience, the hope and despair; That help me find mean- ing through insight and understanding- So that I can see where before my sight was lacking. With openness and a little faith, my group realizes how smiles can conceal tears; how living paycheck-to- paycheck causes fear; how being in an ER room all day may result in helplessness; and how being outside of our comfort zones, at times, is progress. We learn what, to each other, we mean • And how, on each other, we can lean. Our shared spirituality helps us unite- 1. Rea Acdo, John Joseph Casey III 2. Allison Filzpotrick 3. The New Orleans group 4. Marlene Lundy 5. Rea Acdo and Ms. Fawol 6. Gcbe Abi- non!e 3. Chris Warner, Jack Casey, Claire Christian 21