The following is a letter that Notre Dame High School Principal Chris Cipriano sent to the Notre Dame community. Recently, Notre Dame partnered with St. Charles Catholic High School in LaPlace, Louisiana, to provide much-needed relief after Hurricane Ida. Over $15,000 in cash and donations was raised in just 48 hours, and Principal Cipriano and Scott Bannon drove a packed truck down to Louisiana themselves.
The images on television did not do it justice … the downed trees and power lines, the piles of debris, the sea of blue tarps on the roofs of homes lucky enough to still have a roof, the countless roofs with damage that still needed a tarp, the significant structural damage to homes and businesses. Category four Hurricane Ida and her 150 mile per hour winds had left a mark on southeastern Louisiana. After a two-day drive, seeing everything firsthand quickly put into perspective for me the gravity of the situation.
As our packed UHaul traveled west on I-10 from New Orleans, where we had spent the night, along Lake Ponchartrain and into LaPlace, the damage increased exponentially. This New Englander had never witnessed such devastation from the power of Mother Nature which resulted in a harsh reality for so many sixteen days after a storm made landfall – no power, ridiculous humidity, and in many ways, the loss of so much, including, I must imagine, hope.
Our journey to LaPlace, Louisiana started as a crazy idea about two weeks ago. Wanting to help in any way possible, our team discussed a few ideas. The goal was to find a way to make our help personal. We decided to reach out to a school in the New Orleans area. An online search turned up about ten Catholic high schools near New Orleans. One immediately jumped out to me: St. Charles Catholic High School. It reminded me so much of Notre Dame – a Diocesan co-ed high school with a diverse student body of about 450 students. Little did I know at that moment as I read about their school, St. Charles called LaPlace home – one of the hardest-hit cities in Louisiana.
With the subject line “Prayers from Connecticut” and an offer of support, I emailed the St. Charles administration. Days went by without a response. After all they were going through, I wasn’t surprised. A week later, though, I received an email thanking us for the prayers, explaining that their community had been very hard hit, and assuring us that any support we could send would be put to good use. One additional email later, the assistant principal, a St. Charles graduate herself, told me that yes, they would most certainly be able to accept a delivery of goods and distribute them to their community. The need was significant.
The assistant principal’s reply set into motion an ambitious 48-hour project in Fairfield. Our goal was to move quickly – as we wanted to get whatever we collected to LaPlace fast, in response to the immediate need. Our Notre Dame family responded in a truly overwhelming fashion – raising more than $15,000 in cash and donations in just two days. The response, quite frankly, was humbling. Our parents and students far exceeded my expectations. One of our families donated $2,500 to purchase supplies for St. Charles. Another secured a donated U-Haul truck. Another gave $1,000 to cover gas and travel expenses. Countless others gave $25, $50, or $100 … and hundreds more donated from a list that included toilet paper, toys, pasta, pet food, and brooms. Local schools and churches joined our effort. The list of requested items from St. Charles exceeded 50 items. The truck was packed with multiple of every item on that list.
Scott Bannon and I set out on Sunday morning on a journey we will not soon forget. Neither of us had ever driven this far – it was 1,408 miles in total – taking us through eleven states (CT, NY, NJ, PA, MD, WV, VA, TN, GA, MS, AL) over two days until we arrived at our destination in Louisiana. After arriving a few hours early to visit some of the sites in New Orleans (it was a relative ghost town), we joined the St. Charles community for mass on Tuesday morning. Mass was supposed to be in their courtyard, but the torrential rains from Hurricane Nicholas had stretched eastward into Louisiana not only moving the mass into their still powerless chapel, but also leading me to pray for all of those in homes whose roofs definitely could not withstand another five to ten inches of rain.
Following Mass, I witnessed the beauty of the St. Charles community. Over 30 students, parents, faculty, and staff were on hand (they haven’t been in school since late August) to help offload the donations from Connecticut. Despite all that they had been through over the previous two weeks, with smiles on their faces, they made quick work of the significant number of goods we sent. In between countless thank you’s, they assured us that everything we brought would be put to good use.
The St. Charles resiliency was inspirational. In the face of so much destruction, in a reality of so many challenges, in a community filled with so much uncertainty, the folks at St. Charles still spoke about how much they had to be thankful for. On this Tuesday morning, I was proud that we added Notre Dame to their gratitude list.
It is my hope that the ND and St. Charles paths will cross again in the future – next time for a much happier and brighter reason. In the meantime, know that all that you did, Notre Dame, for a school you had never heard of before, is truly helping to make a difference. As we all move forward with our lives, please continue to keep Louisiana and all of those struggling to recover in LaPlace in your prayers.
As I reflect upon this experience, I recognize that while we made the trek to help their community, they gave me something too – inspiration, gratitude, hope, and a renewed appreciation for what is truly good in the world.
Sincerely,
Christopher Cipriano
Principal