Let me start off by saying two things.

First, that during the time after Katrina and Rita, a huge percentage of the assistance and mobilization on behalf of our city and the Gulf Coast refugees everywhere was performed by church groups of all denominations. I am immensely thankful for all that they have done for us. I want no mistake about that.

Secondly, while I do not embrace religion myself I do have a great respect for the beliefs of others as long as it is not forced upon me.

Now that you have an idea of my starting point lets talk about the intersection of community and the Catholic Archdiocese here in New Orleans in the post-deluge era. You see the Catholic Church has been consolidating its resources across the country. What this translates into is the simple fact that churches are closing everywhere. Here in New Orleans, a majority Catholic city, the news of church closures has not been taken well.

In response, parishioners at two local churches have occupied the buildings in a set of 24/7 vigils as they protest the consolidation. While similar vigils have been taking place in Boston and New York, there is a somewhat different tenor to proceedings here in the Crescent City. You see, no matter what your views on religion may be, it is a source of community and of solace during hard times. As our population continues to deal with wreckage, post-traumatic stress disorder, constant allegations of corruption, and the various other vagaries of the post-Katrina landscape this move by the Archdiocese is viewed as an affront by many.

Yesterday things came to head. Police were brought in to remove the parishioners holding vigil at St. Henry’s and Our Lady of Good Counsel churches. Living not far from Our Lady of Good Counsel, the church I grew up across the street from, I headed over when a fellow blogger notified me of the situation. By the time I arrived two people had been arrested–local photographer Harold Baquet and author Poppy Z. Brite. The officers had to break down a 100-year-old door in order to get in.

Via the New York Times:

One of the protesters, Harold Baquet, a photographer, dismissed the priest-shortage argument, saying that Our Lady of Good Counsel had been making good use of retired priests. Mr. Baquet, who was not arrested, decried both the closing of his church and the forced entry on Tuesday.

“We turned that community into something ethnically, racially and culturally diverse,” Mr. Baquet said.

He added, “Breaking down the old cypress door was abominable, anti-Christian, anti-justice, anti-peace. It’s a drastic overreaction. We weren’t trying to hurt anybody. We were just trying to maintain a Christian community.”

Whatever the right and wrong of the matter may be, and there is plenty of disputation on that topic, this is emblematic of the feelings of our community. So many failures followed in the wake of Katrina that we are all burned out emotionally. The parishioners of these churches feel that they are being deserted or failed by their Archdiocese, much as we have al been failed by FEMA and the other governmental agencies that are supposed to provide aid or support in times of need.

When every day brings news of another murder, when you are surrounded by the still-damaged remains of your home three years later, when every promise of aid seems to disappear in a cloud of red tape and perceived corruption, things like this can be profoundly demoralizing.

As it has been for the past three years, community is what sustains us. Unfortunately the feeling is that community is also what is constantly under fire.