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SPECIAL WORSHIP SERVICE BOLSTERS LOUISIANA WASHINGTON – Audrey Emmett decided to stay put as the waters began to rise to her apartment above Ponce de Leon Street in New Orleans late last August. Although her home was not flooded she sat stranded for five days as violence and turmoil wracked the neighborhood where she made her living as a choreographer, music producer and actress. Emmett finally was able to leave, hitching a ride in a stolen boat run by two homeless men who were ferrying residents to evacuation helicopters. She was taken to San Antonio, then made it home to Kansas. She relocated to Washington D.C. last winter at the invitation of a friend and began working in February in visitor services at Washington National Cathedral. It took six trips for Emmett to recover her belongings in Louisiana, including her pet cat. On April 30, at a special worship service at the landmark cathedral, she offered prayers for others who were similarly displaced—and for the people who did not survive Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. “I have many feelings all at the same time,” said Emmett, 40. “I am very grateful to be alive. There were people in my neighborhood who died in the evacuation. There were neighbors who were murdered during the flood. Two acquaintances of mine have committed suicide because they lost their lives’ work. I feel the tragedy of that but I also feel an amazing opportunity for all the survivors who have to remake their lives. “People ask me why I stayed (during the flooding),” Emmett said. “I had tremendous faith that I was going to be okay.” Worshipers were called upon to reflect on New Orleans at the Cathedral event marking Louisiana State Day. Close to 900 people attended the 11 am service, including about 80 pilgrims from the state and Louisiana natives living in the Washington area. The Right Rev. Charles Jenkins, bishop of the Episcopal diocese of Louisiana, spoke as guest preacher. He too was evacuated from New Orleans. Jenkins told the congregation televised images of Mardi Gras and the New Orleans Jazz Festival might suggest the city is getting better, “but in fact you are seeing vignettes, scenes from life but not the fullness of reality.” Speaking from the historic Canterbury Pulpit from where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered his last Sunday sermon, Jenkins said Hurricane Katrina exposed the racism and economic inequality of New Orleans that must not be forgotten. “God has a way of working,” he said. “What no one can imagine is that in the least likeliest place in America tragedy has become opportunity. “To be unmade is to be remade,” Jenkins said. “We stand at a touchstone moment. That which happened in New Orleans is not just what happened to a poor city at the mouth of the Mississippi, it is about all of us. “We saw the horror and tragedy not only of flood but of racism and economic access denied,” Jenkins said. “The temptation is to forget what we saw. Such is not worthy of the people of this nation. “To rebuild the buildings and forget the values is beneath us,” he said. “We cannot allow the opportunity to slide into the unconscious memory of the forgotten. As a mature people we must insist the new city which rises from the ruins of the old to be a place where our collective values speak to the dignity of every human being.” The Very Rev. Samuel T. Lloyd III, dean of Washington National Cathedral, welcomed the visitors and urged prayer for Louisiana, “as it happens, a state that can use a lot of resurrection these days. “Let us sing heartily and worship passionately for the work of the diocese of Louisiana and the people of Louisiana as they seek to build new lives for themselves.” Dean Lloyd proclaimed. Dean Lloyd also announced the collection from the Louisiana service would be donated in full to St. Thomas Health Services, a free community healthcare provider in New Orleans affiliated with the Episcopal diocese. In February, the Cathedral held a festive revival service that raised $85,000 for Katrina relief. Phyllis Mayo, special assistant to the governor on women’s policy, represented Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco. Mayo delivered an official gubernatorial resolution thanking the efforts of the Cathedral community to provide relief to hurricane victims Louisianans played roles throughout the service. Mayo carried the state flag during the grand opening procession. Ray Foote, an Alexandria, La., native who is senior director for membership and development at Washington National Cathedral, read Scripture. Audrey Emmett carried gifts to the altar during the offertory, along with Barbara Manard, a New Orleans native who has organized Katrina relief projects for the Diocese of Washington, Valerie Hendrickson of Covington, La., David Pitts of St. Francisville, La., and Andrew and Nathaniel Foote, sons of Ray Foote. At a luncheon following the worship, Bishop Jenkins briefed Cathedral officials and volunteers about the Church’s reconstruction work in the Louisiana diocese.
See photos of Louisiana Major State day. Go to the Sermons Page to watch, read, or listen to the sermon by the Right Rev. Charles Jenkins. Sermons are also available as Podcasts.
ATTN PRINT MEDIA: If you desire e-mail transmission of this account and/or photos sent as JPEG attachments please contact Greg Rixon at the number above. Available on the web site are print-quality photos of Washington National Cathedral (“Photos for Print” under “News” at www.cathedral.org/cathedral). | |