New Orleans – Churchgoers gathered to pray at the historic St. Louis Cathedral, convening in the building described as the “soul of the city” for its first Sunday Mass since Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans more than a month ago.
Emergency workers and soldiers – many of them out-of- towners who arrived in the aftermath of the hurricane – mixed with newly returning residents as they prayed for the resolve to carry on.
Archbishop Alfred Hughes spoke of the more than 900 people who perished and offered hope for those who remain to face rebuilding a region that still has floodwaters, scattered power outages and wind damage.
“This is indeed an historic moment in the life not only in the church of New Orleans but in the whole city,” Hughes said. “The structure which harbors the soul of our city has come back to life. … Thanks be to God.”
The church was bright, as light shining down from the balcony made the altar’s gold accents glitter. Candles burned on the altar, and brightly lit chandeliers hung from the ceiling painted with religious pictures.
Hughes reassured the congregation that God did not cause the hurricane to punish anybody.
“God tolerates evil in order that we may ultimately realize a greater good,” he said, urging those gathered to keep a close relationship with God.
Perhaps, he said, New Orleans would rebuild as a community with a stronger moral thread, a community free of racial tension and rampant self-indulgence.
Located in Jackson Square, the cathedral was originally built in 1727. The first Church of St. Louis lasted 61 years until it was destroyed by fire. The triple- spired cathedral was rebuilt on the same location. It was left virtually untouched by Katrina.
Outside the church, a marble statue of Jesus Christ had the thumb and forefinger snapped off in the storm.
Mass was being held while relief workers and crews continued the massive task of continuing to remove the floodwaters. Officials expected the pumping to be done by midweek.
Electricity had been restored to about 29 percent of New Orleans customers, officials said.
