Dreams begin in the rubble; let’s keep dreaming

By Sister Beth Fitzpatrick, O.Carm.
Contributing Writer

Dreams begin here: A bold proclamation on a billboard holds my attention.

Dreams begin here: In the midst of the havoc wreaked by Hurricane Ida.

Dreams begin here: Not in the snappy sports car the billboard advertised but here, in life, crumpled and broken; here, the ground of dreams.

Dreams begin here: In this wasteland.

One Friday afternoon in late October, I drove to Lafayette, taking Highway 90, usually a more peaceful drive than Interstate 10. This was my first trip “to the country,” as my sisters say, in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida. Seeing the devastation with my own eyes was much more heartbreaking than the news reported. Between Boutte and Thibodaux, I encountered mile after mile of crumpled homes, businesses, trees.

I felt increasingly crumpled myself.

Then, on the south side of the highway, a huge billboard stood above the debris. Printed in bold black letters were these words: “Dreams Begin Here.”

“Wow,” I thought. Something shifted within, stabilized and I laughed. Dreams begin here? What absurdity! For the rest of the drive, I mused on that image and those words. How many times have we faced such a mess in these last 16 years? How many times have we dreamed something new into being?

As I wrote this, our country was viewing images of the chaos created by the tornado that plowed through Kentucky and neighboring states. Again, we faced chaos.  Do we dare to dream again and try to create anew? Clean up the mess and rebuild? Something in me cried out, “Enough!”

The chaos of our physical world is echoed in the chaos that COVID-19 has created in our family, religious, work and social lives. Can we gather safely – even in a small group? When will life ever be normal? Was life ever normal?

The polarization within our country, among countries, and in the church has created such a cacophony of voices. I dream of utter quiet.

Dreams begin here in this mess of a world we inhabit.

For more than a year,  I have dreamed – longed for – the day when we religious could gather again to share a meal and some good conversation about things that really matter. On the last day of November, 13 women and men religious gathered around a table to respond to the fundamental question put to the church by Pope Francis in his call to be a synodal church: How is “journeying together” happening in your local Church?

The animation, the laughter, the thoughtful and thought-provoking responses, the sheer joy of being together was a dream come true. (The responses are food for another article.)

Religious leaders throughout the world have shared a dream to enflesh Pope Francis’s vision enunciated in “Laudato Sí.” In recent months, through the leadership of the Office of Justice and Peace, archdiocesan laity, religious and clergy have met to dream about ways to ensure that the principles of “Laudato Sí” become rooted in our archdiocese – a step toward a more vibrant and just way of living.

Several years ago, a dream was voiced to house the Archdiocesan Spirituality Center within the Archdiocesan Retreat Center. After many setbacks, that dream became reality in December 2021, when the move from the former St. Lawrence the Martyr site to the former Cenacle property was completed. Now, there is a beautiful, serene setting in which women and men can more deeply discern God’s dream for each of them. 

Dreams begin here – in the crumpled reality in which we live. Of what are you dreaming?

Mount Carmel Sister Beth Fitzpatrick is executive director of the archdiocesan Office of Religious.