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Packing the van with the help of friends at Corpus Christi Parish, Elsmere, DE, on October 2, 2005

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Packing the van with supplies for Katrina victims. Srs. Sandy Grieco and Redempta Sweeney are assisted by students of St. Mark's High School, Wilmington, DE, on October 4, 2005


Sr. Sandy getting in the van after our "numerous" stops.


The kids and Nero (the dog) playing in the van after it was empty. ( Left to right) Christopher, Dana, Jessica and Kylie.


Sr. Redempta and Dana


Stephanie and Joey


Dana, Joey and Jessica with their new backpacks from
St. Mark's High School


"Little" Christopher sorting through some clothes.


This is just one pile of debris from the damaged homes.


Rick and Gail outside their new home. They were just getting ready to move in. Now, they are living in a FEMA trailer.


Joey and Kristy's area


Damage in the area of Slidell, LA


Slidell, LA



This kind of damage was all along the way down through Louisiana.

A few days after the initial hit of Hurricane Katrina, my brother (Richard) contacted me and tried to give the information on where and how all the family members were doing at this tragic time. He was relieved to report that all were safe, but in shock from the tremendous damage done from the wind, rain and floodwaters.

It was a horrific and frustrating ordeal for the family members when Katrina hit the Louisiana and Mississippi coastline. They were not sure where everyone ended up, or if everyone got out of the flood damaged areas. Their stories are too numerous to convey, but each family experienced Katrina in their own unique set of circumstances.

My brother, Richard & his wife Brenda, his children and their families were directly affected in Slidell, LA. My nephew Richard, Jr. & wife Gail Grieco, children Trey & Kylie, my niece Teri (Grieco) & husband Troy Fowler, children Tony, Jessica & Dana, my nephew Joseph & wife Kristy, children Stephanie & Joey Grieco and another nephew, Christopher Grieco and Little Chris are still trying to recover from the wrath of Katrina, but they say every day is getting better. Richard (Jr.), Joseph & Christopher lost all of their possessions and had to completely gut their homes due to the flood damage caused by Katrina. My niece Teri and brother Richard had wind damage and loss of some appliances, water heaters, etc.

One night, a week after Katrina, Sr. Sandra had a dream and knew she was being called to do more for her family members affected by the hurricane. After much prayer and discussion with Sr. Redempta we decided that we could do this mission trip with the support of the community, all our friends. Sr. Sandra then called Sr. Mary Persico, President of the IHM Community and shared her dream to go to Louisiana with a cargo van full of supplies. Sr. Mary immediately responded with money from the IHM Hurricane Relief Fund and said the community would help in obtaining the van. In the dream was a "white" cargo van filled with supplies. The dream came true, Sr. John Michele and Sr. Jeanne Marie drove the van to Allentown for us to pick up. Imagine my surprise when I saw it was a "white" van. We knew this was a start of a good thing.

Then the networking began. With numerous phone calls, emails and the help of many wonderful, giving and supportive friends the mission started to take shape. With the assistance of Fr. Greg Corrigan and Corpus Christi Parish, St. Mark's High School, administration, faculty, staff, students, co-workers, colleagues from Neumann College, Catholic Charities of Wilmington, DE, friends from Macy's Dept. Store in Deptford, NJ, other organizations, and many friends so dear to us, the Mission Trip to Slidell, LA was making a dream come true. All of these good people gave testament to the adage to never give up on your dreams and wishes. On Sunday, October 2, 2005 Sr. Redempta and Sr. Sandra attended the 10:30 a.m. Mass at Corpus Christi Parish in Elsmere, DE. After communion, Fr. Greg and the Parishioners had a Blessing Ceremony to send us on our way. The Congregation extended hands over us and prayed with Fr. Greg that we would have a safe trip. We were to bring all the love and prayers from the good people of the North to the good people of the South. After the Liturgy, some of the parishioners helped to load the cargo van with blankets, bedspreads, towels, sheets, clothing, dishes, toiletries, laundry supplies, cleaning supplies and many more items too numerous to mention. Other families donated microwaves, toaster ovens, food, utensils, glassware, and many more gift cards to various stores like Lowe's & Wal-Mart for them to buy items that couldn't be shipped.

On Wednesday, October 5, 2005, Sr. Redempta Sweeney and I set out to deliver a cargo van full of many treasures to my family members who were affected by Katrina. As soon as we hit the Mississippi borderline, we started to see the tremendous damage to the foliage. Large trees looked like they were shredded into matchsticks. We wondered how the trees were removed from the highways and back roads because it had to be a major undertaking for the work crews. It was just unbelievable that this much damage could be caused by one storm.

At first, Sr. Redempta thought we could never make that drive to Louisiana, over 1,200 miles one-way. But, we prayed and knew that with lots of prayer and support that the Good Lord would get us down and back without any trouble. We had great weather both ways and when we arrived on October 7, at 7:00 p.m., at Teri's home (my niece) the whole family plus some friends of the family were all gathered there to unload and distribute all the goods. When we got out of the van everyone was crying and just so happy to see "Aunt Sandy" and now adopted "Aunt Redempta." It was like Christmas and Birthdays being celebrated all at one time. Everyone looked so exhausted, still in shock, wondering if anything would ever get back to normal. Those feelings seemed to disappear for a few hours while we enjoyed each other's company and experienced the "dream." The kids were having a ball with their new clothes and especially with the new school backpacks , that the students from St.Mark's assembled for them. They were so excited for the first time since the hurricane. For awhile, the trauma and fears were forgotten and their little spirits were uplifted with smiles and laughter.

When the five families divided all the material things, we were able to give each family $650 and gift cards to spend on things they needed for particular needs. They were overwhelmed to say the least. They just were so overcome with gratitude that people would donate and give money to help them personally. If only everyone were there to share in this experience of love and giving. In spirit we did bring all your love and prayers to all of them.

For example, one family bought a new water pump to enable them to get the electricity up and running in their home, and my brother was able to buy a new water heater for his home. So many things came to the families from the money, gifts, donations and generosity of so many people.

The next day we spent driving from house to house to see the damage sustained by each family. Just driving around the towns of Slidell and Pearl River was a horrific experience. To see the devastation first hand was an experience we will never forget.

To walk through each family's devastation was a journey into another world. To see how exhausted and frustrated they were just trying to cope with the different situations was heart breaking. Our arms held them,we hugged them and just opened our hearts to listen to each and every story they had to share with us.

The following day we were able to get together for dinner at my brother's place. Everyone brought whatever they could for a potluck dinner. We did manage a few good laughs, a good card game and getting to know the little ones a bit better. It had been over five years since we have seen any of the children. They were all very precious.

We then drove into New Orleans along Lake Ponchatrain. This was an out of the body experience. There were empty foundations where at one time houses were standing. So many homes were just washed away or blown apart. It was the worst devastation I have ever seen in my life. We then headed into New Orleans by the Superdome. My nephew works in the building next to the Superdome. He had some pictures on his computer that one would never believe. As we were leaving the city at night it was a very depressing and eieery feeling, the 9th Ward was completely in darkness. To know that over a million people once lived in that area and were now scattered all over the country was mind-boggling. The emotional, psychological and physical damage had affected every single person, but their spiritual and personal spirits of rebuilding and supporting each other was so evident. They were obviously committed to putting things back together and making it a better place to live.

On Saturday evening, we attended Mass at St. Peter and Paul's church. Again, it was an experience to see the aged population suffering from the devastation. Their hearts were broken, but again God's loving care and prayer was what kept them going. The Pastor shared how the different parishes were reaching out to each other and giving assistance whereever it was possible. Through it all, they prayed that God was with them and God would take care of those affected by Katrina.

The next day, we headed back North. By this time, we were exhausted and overwhelmed by the experience of Katrina. We couldn't imagine how the families and all those affected by the hurricane's devastation would ever recover. All we knew, is that with God's grace, the generosity of many and the determination of the families in Louisiana , life will return to some normalcy. Maybe not in the same way they experienced it in the past, but with a greater respect for LIFE and LOVE for each other in the future.

It took two and half days to make the return trip back to Wilmington, DE. It was a trip deeply rooted in God's love and there will never be enough words to express our gratefulness to God and our thanks for all the prayers that got us down and back with great care. It was only through the amazing generosity of all of God's people that made our trip one to remember. It was a blessing to have been able to help the families being affected by Katrina. Katrina will never be forgotten, but Katrina will never know how much love and togetherness she brought to those who were ravaged by her devastating ways either.

God bless and a special thanks to the Sisters of IHM. To all those who have touched the hearts and lives of many Katrina victims through your donations, we are grateful. And for the gift of family and friends who are held near and dear to our I.H.M. Hearts we are eternally grateful.

Thankfully,

Sr. Sandra Grieco, IHM
Sr. Redempta Sweeney, IHM

Superdome