A platform that encourages healthy conversation, spiritual support, growth and fellowship
NOLACatholic Parenting Podcast
A natural progression of our weekly column in the Clarion Herald and blog
The best in Catholic news and inspiration - wherever you are!
Sister Alicia Costa, congregational leader of the Sisters of the Holy Family, received a surprising, yet wonderful call recently from Broderick Bagert Jr., an organizer of the faith- and community-based Together New Orleans.
Bagert was inviting her to meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican Sept. 14 as part of the Industrial Areas Foundation’s (IAF) 15-member contingent. They were the only members from Together New Orleans, an affiliate of the statewide Together Louisiana that aligns with IAF, a network of faith- and community-based organizations that builds leadership development to create citizen-led action.
Together New Orleans has concentrated on providing a consistent and affordable energy source for the vulnerable, a segment of the population that the Sisters of the Holy Family have cared for since their founding in 1842. The sisters’ support of Together New Orleans’ efforts was why Bagert said he invited her.
When Bagert asked Sister Alicia to join him in meeting with Pope Francis, she replied, “Is this real?”
Once Bagert assured her, she quickly answered, “Yes!”
The group arrived in Rome two days prior to visiting the pope and stayed at the Oblates of the Immaculate Mary Seminary in Rome to prepare for the visit. Sister Alicia said each of the 15 members had approximately 45 seconds to present thoughts on the environment, immigration, housing and the formation of priests and lay leaders. This gave the pope time to engage them in conversation.
She, Bagert and Mother Minerva Camarena Skeith, an Episcopalian minister from Austin, spoke on the climate, mentioning how Texas and Louisiana are not only affected by climate change but also contribute to its destruction with carbon emissions from petrochemical plants.
Of course, Sister Alicia included a mention of her foundress, Venerable Henriette Delille, whose cause for sainthood rests with the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.
In her brief remarks, Sister Alicia (through a Spanish interpreter) also said, “Your encyclical ‘Laudato Si’ was powerful and important for us. You are telling us it is a moral obligation to address environmental issues. IAF has made it possible for us to build the political power we need to act on that call. We are working to have 500 churches become ‘community lighthouses’ with solar panels and battery storage to serve their neighborhoods after disasters. And, imagine this. Our congregation is building its own solar farm on vacant land to lower electric bills of poor families.”
“He was delightful – a phenomenal human being,” Sister Alicia said. “He laughed with us and smiled. … There was no fanfare. He was so down to earth and pleasant, witty and sharp. … He was an excellent listener and very much in tune with what we were saying.”
The pope responded positively as to how their work around climate and resilience to climate-driven disasters aligned with his encyclical, “Laudato Si,” and to the diversity of the group of faith and community leaders during the hour talk.
He told the group a follow-up to “Laudato Si” is in the works and gave them a thumbs-up for their efforts so far.
“The world is at a limit and definitive decisions are being made, and we are not going to be moving backward,” Bagert recalled Pope Francis assuring the group and supporting their efforts. “We’ve seen the pains of nature (floods, hurricanes). … Nature is telling us something. It’s a necessity to life itself. Otherwise the boat is sinking.”
At the meeting’s close, Sister Alicia said the pope joined hands and led the group in an “Our Father” and gave them and their artifacts a papal blessing.
“The blessing of a lifetime,” she said.
Way to aide poor today
Sister Alicia’s community’s deep love and concern for the poor has been part of the charism of the Sisters of the Holy Family since its founding by Venerable Henriette Delille. In 2022, shortly after she was elected congregational leader, Sister Alicia said she took her leadership team, which included Holy Family Sister Judith Therese Barial, to a Together New Orleans meeting in New Orleans East about solar panels. New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond was there.
What the team heard was that Together New Orleans had a goal of creating 500 off-the-grid sources of power at churches and community centers in Louisiana called “community lighthouses” to help the poor. The idea developed in response to loss of electric power after Hurricane Ida, Bagert said.
The Sisters of the Holy Family could install a community solar farm on vacant property behind St. Mary’s Academy as part of their ministry of hope and healing in the community. Her neighborhood off Chef Menteur Highway often endures power outages, she said, and climate change keeps increasing our local temperatures.
“We are working to do what we can to help the people in New Orleans and beyond,” she said about aligning with Together New Orleans. “This is just another way.”
A total of 86 community lighthouses are planned in New Orleans, with 24 to be completed by the 2024 hurricane season, Bagert said. So far, lighthouses exist at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Broadmoor Community Church, Crescent Care Health Center and Household of Faith Family Worship Church. Others are under construction at St. Joseph the Worker Parish in Marrero, Community Church Unitarian and New Line Fellowship.
The Sisters of the Holy Family have learned to organize community meetings and held a rally/march with information tents in April to fight human trafficking. St. Mary’s Academy, St. Aug High and Abramson Academy attended. A second meeting was organized at neighboring St. Maria Goretti Parish. “Together New Orleans is very concerned about organizing to improve our community,” Sister Alicia said. “We joined ... We see this as a branch of our ministry. As our sisters have aged ... we don’t have the woman power we used to have. ... So this gives us arms and legs and a voice to be able to still help our poor. That’s why we got involved. Their mission is our mission.”
The next open-to-the-public meeting is Dec. 14 at 6 p.m. at Touro Synagogue, 4238 St Charles Ave., New Orleans.