New ASH headmistress: God’s faithfulness anchor in Katrina

When Hurricane Katrina made its way into the Gulf of Mexico nine years ago, I clearly remember the book that I was using for daily meditation: “Finding God in All Things” by Jesuit Father William A. Barry.

In this classic rendering of St. Ignatius’ spiritual exercises, Father Barry reminds us of a central truth of our Christian faith: that God is present in every event, in every moment and in every aspect of our life.

With a Category 5 storm bearing down on the Louisiana coastline, I was struck by the irony of this intersection between my faith and its practice, along with the immediate invitation to, indeed, be a person of faith during such a time of adversity.

Do I really believe that God is present in this storm? If so, where is God present in the storm?

Not knowing if loved ones, including my parents and members of our religious community were safe, faith was not at a distance; and, surely not an abstraction.

Living without certainty and control moved my prayer to a new intensity, a new yearning and, eventually, a new awareness of God’s presence – quite literally, in the midst of a storm.

Immediately after the storm but before the flood, my parents evacuated to stay in our religious community in Baton Rouge for the weeks following the disaster.

Each day brought with it new invitations to trust God in the darkness of uncertainty and without assurances of planned outcomes.

Looking back, this time of my life with my parents during this time of such adversity for so many has become one of God’s special graces, revealing to me a hidden treasure lying in wait for those seek: the treasure of discovering God – present in all moments, in all events and in all times, even in the midst of the storm.

Religious Sister of the Sacred Heart Melanie Guste is the new headmistress of the Academy of the Sacred Heart in New Orleans.