Wright youth spends 10 days working in New Orleans

For Danielle Stein, 20, and the 14 other women — including four Dominican Sisters of Great Bend — who recently attended a 10-day "Mission of Hope" in New Orleans, the bus ride to Louisiana was fun, almost festive at times.

But when the group reached New Orleans and Resurrection Parish where they would spend a week working, you could have heard a pin drop.

"We couldn’t believe it," Stein said. "We figured there would have been more done by now. But it was like it just happened yesterday.

"Seeing it in pictures is one thing, but when you’re there, it’s all around you."

Stein grew up in Wright, the daughter of Gary and Bev Stein. A graduate of Dodge City Community College, she recently left Wright to attend K-State as a junior, majoring in speech pathology.

This is the third mission trip she’s taken with the Dominican Sisters’ annual "Mission of Hope." Previous missions have visited a low-income housing unit in Denver, and an Indian mission in Oklahoma, where they worked to beautify and rebuild, while spending time with local children.

In Louisiana, the groups’ work was primarily limited to getting the parish school ready for the new school year – the only one out of four Catholic schools in the region to open its doors.

"The landscape was pretty wiped out," Stein said. "The trees were chopped down; they had to replant everything."

Sadly, the church and school had spent thousands of dollars in renovations just before the storm hit, including adding an antique altar and new Stations of the Cross.

"Everything in the church was ruined except the altar," Stein said. "All that stuff had to be thrown out."

When the church was renovated prior to the hurricane, a large mural on the ceiling was painted over. During the storm, water reached within four feet of the ceiling. When the water finally receded, Stein said that one part of the original ceiling painting shown through, five words that read, "He is risen for us."

The school, she explained, was a mess. "We worked in the cafeteria, washing down the walls and painting them. The books in the library had swelled so much that they had to be pried out. They showed us ‘before’ pictures of desks floating."

Each person on the trip was asked to bring two new books to donate to the school. The groups’ efforts did not go unappreciated.

"Parents with kids in the school drove by and thanked us," she said. "The people were very hospitable. It didn’t matter how bad it got for them, they had hope.

"We brought our lunch one day, and the rest of the days they provided food for us."

Who was the elderly couple who brought the group lunch each day?

"They’re names were ‘Mary and Joseph,’" Stein said, smiling.

"I’d love to go back. People are trying to do it all themselves. The pastor and principal have done everything for the school. They’ve got it going again."

Prior to leaving New Orleans, the group was able to visit Bourbon Street, which Stein said appeared to be back to normal, complete with all kinds of good music, good seafood, and a good dose of hope.

Teresa Frieb - Olmitz

Eve Nelson - Johnson

Elaine Eck - Sharon

Mattie Sheldon -

Medicine Lodge

Kari Beth Chadd - Greensburg

Julie Hutgles - Sharon

Desire Fuentes - Great Bend

Helene Maire - Manhattan

Sue DiMoia - Levittown, PA

Danielle Stein - Wright

Laura Mattingly -

Louisville, PA

Sister Teri Wall - Denver, CO

Sister Francine Schwarzen-berger - Denver, CO

Sister MaryLou Desena - Great Bend

Sister Myra Arney -

Great Bend

Sister Mary Hilary - Panchataula, LA