By Cheri Perkins Mantz, of the Catholic Herald Staff

In its Dec. 8, 2005 issue, your Catholic Herald reported that the Archdiocese of Milwaukee was adopting Our Lady of the Gulf Parish in Bay St. Louis, Miss., which was devastated after Hurricane Katrina overwhelmed it with a 35-foot wall of water.

St. Leonard Parish, Muskego, had been working with Our Lady of the Gulf since the hurricane hit last summer, and they brought the Mississippi parish’s needs to the attention of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

Bill Lehmann, a member of St. Leonard Parish, has journeyed to Mississippi four times to help the relief effort, and plans to go again this month. He uses his own talents to help wherever he can.

Lehmann, 26, has two associate’s degrees, one in electrical engineering and one in information technology with an emphasis on computer networking, and currently runs his own computer networking business. Since going to the South, he has cleared debris, figured out why sewers are clogged, fixed water pipes to restore running water, created two Web sites, and has done a variety of other tasks.

One Web site he created, tells the story of the rebuilding of the church, as well as coordinates volunteers and donations.

For Lehmann, the trips aren’t about recognition, fun, or vacationing.

“I think it’s a life experience,” Lehmann said. “It puts you in perspective of what you have. It’s hard to explain what it’s like down there. Young people here expect to have things. Down there, they show that you can continue on, even if you have nothing.”

Even though Lehmann has used his personal savings to fund his relief trips to the Gulf Coast, he doesn’t care. He says he’s fallen in love with the place.

“You just get so emotionally attached,” he said. “It’s like a Third World country in our country. You drive through these subdivisions and all you see are slabs of concrete that used to be homes.

“I have money here to buy stuff, take a shower, watch TV and enjoy life,” Lehmann continued. “These people work every day to rebuild and survive, so I want to help. If I had more money, I’d spend it to help them.”

While most people feel it’s important to send money or donate supplies, Lehmann hops a plane (or drives himself) to physically work with people and a place in need.

“I enjoy helping people and seeing their reaction,” Lehmann said. “People who know me would see it unusual if I just sent money.”

In an area that was hit by one of the worst hurricanes in modern history, Lehmann is adamant that the work there is not done.

“There is still a need there,” he said. “Even though it’s not front page news anymore. Getting back to normal is still two to three years away.”

While their lives aren’t back to normal, Lehmann said he was amazed by how positive people have been.

“I was surprised by how energetic people are,” he said. “You’d think they’d be like zombies, but honestly, you can go down there and say hi and they’ll tell you their life story. I was totally caught off guard with how people, after losing everything in their life, are still positive.”

Through about 300 photos Lehmann snapped during his trips to Our Lady of the Gulf, the devastation, and even the miracles, are evident. The brick church is still standing, though the roof was ripped off. Water entered the back of the church and exited the front of the church, taking the pews and other church contents out to sea. The other buildings on the property, including an all-girls’ high school, are damaged, but are slowly being repaired.

Photo by Bill Lehmann

Several of Lehmann’s photos show religious statues from the once beautifully-manicured grounds. While there are downed trees and debris within a few feet of the statues, Lehmann says the statues were not damaged at all.

“This one concrete statue of Mary weighed probably 100 pounds, it was submerged and a huge tree fell within feet of it, but it wasn’t damaged. You’d have to be amazed by the power of God.

“It’s funny how God works,” Lehmann continued. “I’ve met people down there who I’ll stay in touch with for the rest of my life. Everything fell into place so perfectly, that’s where I see God’s hand.”

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee is also adamant that there are still needs at this adopted parish. Therefore, a special collection will be taken in parishes March 25-26 and in schools March 28 as part of the “Rebuilding Lives, Restoring Hope” program. Funds raised will help rebuild Our Lady of the Gulf Parish, and also help fund more Wisconsin volunteers’ trips to the parish to help rebuild. Southeastern Wisconsin parishes that are currently sponsoring another Katrina-ravaged parish may direct their funds to their adopted parish.

Fr. Paul Esser, appointed coordinator of “Rebuilding Lives, Restoring Hope” by Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan, traveled to the Mississippi Gulf Coast in January to inspect the damage.

“I was impressed by the damage in Mississippi,” Fr. Esser said, “because all you hear about on the news is New Orleans. The whole Mississippi coast is devastated. These are our brothers and sisters down there.”

Fr. Esser hopes the upcoming collection will help rebuild not only Our Lady of the Gulf, but also the homes of the parishioners. He also hopes that others in the Milwaukee area will follow Lehmann’s example of lending a helping hand.

“I think basically he (Lehmann) said, ‘Let’s get down there and help,’ and that’s what he’s doing,” said Fr. Esser. “I hope others in Milwaukee will do the same.”

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