Lafayette Rebuilding Program: "The Krewe of Redeux"

In the days immediately following the historic flooding of the Acadiana portion of south Louisiana in August of 2016, the Lafayette Region partnered with Catholic Charities (and later also Rebuilding together) to bring aid and assistance to the disaster victims.  By early 2017, this partnership became a commitment to rebuild homes affected by hurricanes and flooding.

In February, the Lafayette Region hosted a crew of volunteers for the ninth consecutive year, this time rebuilding homes in three southwest Louisiana communities.  Volunteers came from Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia.  They also came from Texas, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and even from California. Because the rebuilding week (February 4-9, 2024) fell immediately before Mardi Gras, our crew (“krewe” in French) was appropriately named the Krewe of Redeux, which means “restore”.  As you will see, the krewe lived up to its name.

We restored homes.  Three, to be exact.  In Carencro, we ripped out a kitchen and bathroom, installed new cabinets and fixtures, painted walls, put down flooring and installed a wooden fence.  In Scott, we replaced damaged siding, installed new handrails and painted the home’s exterior.  And, in Breaux Bridge, we ripped out the kitchen floor, replaced floor joists and installed new flooring.

We restored lives.  Families moved back in to clean, fresh homes.  Some of the homeowners had lived for years in damaged homes with their belongings packed in damp boxes. In Breaux Bridge, our 100-year-old homeowner was not able to go into her kitchen because the sagging floor would not support her wheelchair.  By the week’s end, two of these homes were completely finished and Rebuilding Together had a crew ready to complete the third house the next week.

We restored pride.  Words are inadequate to describe the joy of the homeowners as they see their homes restored. The pride of the neighbors is evident, too, as they come out to witness the work being done.  They see the Catholic Charities disaster trailers and the Order of Malta and Rebuilding Together signs and they recognize that their neighborhood is not forgotten.  Order of Malta volunteers from throughout the Federal Association and beyond were in their community to help.

We restored ourselves.  Living and working and praying in community in service of others is joyful work.  We laugh a lot, we eat too much, and we restore each other as we restore the homes and lives and pride of others.  Statues of the Blessed Mother are in the yards of almost everywhere we work, reassuring us that where we are supposed to be.

And, with God’s grace and mercy, we will be there again next year.