In darkness...
In August 2007, Fr. Robert Cooper was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. Just two years removed from one of the most devastating natural disasters in United States history the need for good leaders and good shepherds was never more critical for a diocese. “The diocese I was studying for was not the same diocese I was ordained for.”
After the storm, the Archdiocese of New Orleans needed to close 30 churches deemed structurally unsound due to Hurricane Katrina.
“With the effects of the storm a lot of things have changed in the dioceses; both with the number of people we minister to and the areas of ministry that have become most critical.”
The floods dispersed 106,000 Catholics from the New Orleans area.
“Much of our ministry directly after Katrina was of course helping people; helping people see hope, even though there was so much darkness that surrounded us,” said Fr. Robert Copper, who serves as Parochial Vicar of St. Clement of Rome Church in Metairie, LA.
In darkness there is light…
Ordained just 17 months, at the age of 29, Fr. Cooper enrolled in Catholic Leadership Institute’s
Good Leaders, Good Shepherds (GLGS) program. “I thought this would be an excellent opportunity to help me develop skills to effectively minister to the people that God has entrusted to my care,” said Fr. Cooper. However, the people entrusted to his care were still wounded.
Having arrived at his first assignment in August 2007, Fr. Cooper found himself amidst a people still trying to repair their homes, their hearts and their faith. Fr. Cooper surmised that nails, paint and wood could rebuild the physical structure of the churches, but he was confident it would be strong and healthy leaders that would help uplift and restore the Church of the Archdiocese of New Orleans.
Newly ordained, Fr. Cooper found comfort in the fraternal bond that develops during the Good Leader, Good Shepherds experience. “To be able to go to others who have been in ministry longer than I have, to ask questions, seek advice and seek counsel has been invaluable,” he said. GLGS promotes an open, candid exchange between the participants which allows them to learn from one another and grow in their leadership abilities. In bringing together the trials and triumphs of the last three years, the participants were able to breathe new life into their relationships; relationships that had taken a backseat to the immediate needs of a devastated community.
In darkness there is light and in light there is hope.
Rebuilding not only requires the necessary tools, but the appropriate individuals to use those tools. One of the fundamental components of GLGS is helping participants identify people that will assist them in bringing their visions to a reality. “I hope to be a great collaborator,” said Fr. Cooper. “I want to be able to invite individuals to truly be able to see the gifts that God has given them and use those gifts to serve the Church.” Fr. Cooper and his brother priests look to Jesus’ model of leadership for guidance; the cornerstone of the Good Leaders, Good Shepherds training. Priest participants understand that they too, will need to call forth disciples to help them carry out their visions to help share the Kingdom of God.
Three years removed from Hurricane Katrina, Fr. Cooper has sensed a new excitement in the faithful of New Orleans. “We are starting to see the shift from the darkness into the light of the Resurrection,” he said.
That same sense of excitement is mirrored in the classroom of Good Leaders, Good Shepherds where Fr. Cooper has observed a spark of enthusiasm in his brother priests and an overwhelming sense of gratitude to those that have made the experience possible. “I really think it is by our example, by the way we continue in the priestly ministry, that we show people that this excitement, this enthusiasm, is what the Lord is calling us to,” said Fr. Cooper. “As the Holy Father stated, ‘Christ needs priests who are mature, virile, capable of cultivating an authentic spiritual paternity.’ The spiritual paternity that Pope Benedict speaks of is only possible if we as priests continue to cultivate within us the heart and mind of Christ, the Good Shepherd, who leads His flock in self-sacrificial love.”
*Statistics regarding hurricane devastation were obtained from articles published in the National Catholic Register (2006) and USA Today (2008).
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