St. Andrew the Apostle caroling is ‘moveable’ feast

By BETH DONZE
Clarion Herald

Father John Talamo said tweaking his parish’s traditional end-of-year schedule was a no-brainer.

Knowing that many residents of the southern reaches of Plaquemines Parish still were displaced from their homes three months after Hurricane Ida, Father Talamo, the pastor of St. Andrew the Apostle Church in Algiers, thought: “What if we bring Christmas to them?”

“Every year, we, as a parish, do a Thanksgiving food drive, a toy drive at Christmas and a caroling event at church,” Father Talamo said. “We thought, instead of doing that this year, why don’t we combine them into one? Why don’t we bring Christmas to those still suffering from Ida instead of hosting it at the parish like we always do?”

On Dec. 5, that idea came to fruition when about 300 St. Andrew parishioners delivered some early Christmas cheer to Belle Chasse Auditorium to their guests from Lower Plaquemines. The nighttime event included caroling by candlelight, a Living Nativity from St. Andrew the Apostle middle school students and parishioners’ donation of $5,000 in gift cards to the “Hurricane Ida Victims’ Fund,” which targets residents in the hard-hit communities of Pointe a la Hache and Ironton.

“We focused on buying gift cards for places people could go to to redo anything in their house, put clothes on their back, shoes on their feet or even make groceries if they needed help with that,” said Weinburg Allen, leader of St. Andrew’s recently established Communio group, which coordinated of the event.

Raising voices – and spirits

Communio members provided home-baked treats, while the St. Andrew and Our of Perpetual Help (Belle Chasse) Knights of Columbus group dispensed hot chocolate and cider. Plaquemines Parish President Kirk Lepine donated his popcorn machine for the night.

“Our hearts are heavy for each of you,” Father Talamo told storm-weary attendees before leading the opening prayer. “Tonight, we hope we can help you lighten the load.”

After warming up their vocal chords with a trio of hymns, St. Andrew the Apostle’s students presented their traditional Living Nativity on the auditorium’s front porch, with narration supplied by Father Talamo. The reenactment was interspersed with carols led by musicians and singers from St. Andrew’s adult choir and two school choirs.

The night concluded with a special guest who arrived on a fire truck on loan from the Belle Chasse Volunteer Department: Santa Claus.

A ray of light in dark times

The parishioner-funded gift cards, placed inside envelopes that were hand-decorated by St. Andrew students, were presented to Lepine for distribution to families in need.

Janet Sylve of Pointe a la Hache said she was grateful for any help she could receive after Ida sent 3 feet of water into her home that was already elevated 7 feet off the ground.

Sylve remained seated throughout the evening, having broken her ankle while attempting to scale the steps to her devastated home. Ida is forcing her fourth rebuild since Hurricane Katrina.

“I still can’t access my house,” noted Sylve, who is disabled and on a fixed income. “I lost everything. I had a two-bedroom home that I thought was secure. Ida wiped me out. I have nothing.”

Sylve said the huge turnout on Dec. 5 gave her spirits a major boost.

“The help that they are giving us means a lot, because every little thing counts. It’s one step at a time,” she said. “God didn’t build the world in one day, so I know I can’t rebuild my house in one day. But with support, I know I can take one step at a time.”

Ongoing generosity

The caroling event and gift card drive is the second major Ida outreach sponsored by St. Andrew the Apostle Church and School for the hurricane-battered residents.

In early October, a truck and trailer packed with cleaning supplies, food, clothing, bikes, work boots and tools were delivered to Belle Chasse Auditorium for distribution to families in need.

“It took 18 men an hour and 45 minutes to unload that thing, and it took them two days to distribute it,” said Father Talamo of his parishioners’ generous response.

Meanwhile, Allen said the Communio ministry is helping him live out his faith beyond the church pews. Founded last spring, it focuses on bringing adults back to church through social gatherings, faith enrichment opportunities and acts of service.

Communio sponsored an August wine-tasting for married couples; assisted at the October “Trunk or Treat” event; and recently organized a virtual date night in which couples completed a spouse-to-spouse Q&A and watched marriage enrichment videos.

The Dec. 5 caroling and gift card event was the ministry’s largest outreach to date.

“When we got the assignment from Father John, we were all in – this is what being a Christian is all about,” Allen said. “Being in Communio has brought my faith to a whole new level. Just knowing more parishioners and getting to understand how they walk in their faith enhances my own belief in the goodness of people.”

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