Finding Grace in Katrina: Listening Circles

Since Katrina, a new ministry has emerged at Tau House.  Tens of thousands of college age volunteers have blanketed the city with their love and hard work helping us recover from this hurricane.  By word of mouth, some groups have heard about Tau House and have come to us for hospitality and prayer.  We have had what we call “Listening Circles.”  After a few days of volunteer work these students would gather at Tau to hear our stories and reflect on their experience in a prayerful setting.  It’s all about putting faces on the facts and figures of Katrina.  To say the experience is “moving” is an understatement.   These people’s lives are changed.  It’s not a ministry that Tau House “planned” to do; it just happened-- an answer to a call, and it's perhaps all the more satisfying because of that.   We recently hosted a group from Brown University and received a thank you that is below…

Dear Sr. Ann & Everyone at Tau House,

Thank you all so much for such a wonderful experience at the Tau House last month!  Our Brown-RISD Catholic students were deeply touched by your hospitality and by the beautiful spirituality evident in the community.  The listening circle was lauded as THE event of the week, as they loved the opportunity to reflect on their time thus far and hear from their peers & from all of you.  I, too, was thankful that they were able to experience a NEW prayer form that they could be the authors of, in a sense.

We were also deeply touched by your hospitality in feeding us dinner.  I absolutely hated that we had to rush so much, & I hope you all know how thankful we truly were.  Our group was noticeably closer on Thursday morning and I’m still hearing about how much everyone loved you all & the Tau House community, even as we’ve settled in back on campus.  Many, many blessings on your continued ministry – we will certainly be back!