Sister
Stories
 Melanie
Guste
RSCJ, Weathering Storms and Supporting the
Environment
Melanie Guste, RSCJ, former CEO of the Louisiana
Association for Non Profit Organizations (LANO) and currently a
member of the provincial team of the Society of the Sacred Heart,
U.S. Province, based in St. Louis, believes in working wholeheartedly
to uphold “the integrity of creation.” Specifically,
in dealing with the devastation experienced by Gulf Coast inhabitants
over the past several years.
A native of New Orleans from a large family, Sister Guste was personally
affected by the storms. She went to work immediately to help nonprofits
across the Gulf areas of Louisiana recover and rebuild. “It’s
been a busy four years since Katrina,” she says, “and
long-term recovery continues through the resilient human effort
of the many volunteers, supporters and persons who call Louisiana
“home.” We have learned the difference between disaster
response and disaster preparedness. Preparedness means the protection
of our wetlands, the preservation and rebuilding of our barrier
reefs, and the health of our Gulf waters.”
To celebrate the 4th Katrinaversary, Sister Guste and other RSCJ
from New Orleans and Grand Coteau/Baton Rouge held a Healthy Gulf
event to support restoration of the coastal wetlands. They watched
Jared Arsement’s powerful documentary Paradise Faded: The
Fight for Louisiana, signed letters to present to their senators
in Congress, and developed action steps to take as a group. Other
groups can join the nationwide efforts related to coastal restoration
in the Gulf. For more information: http://healthygulf.org/
In addition to taking practical steps for survival, disaster planning
and long term recovery, Sister Guste recommends a “circle
of friends” for anyone faced with hurricanes or other disasters.
“While sitting in the darkness of eleven days of power outages
after Hurricane Ike, I received text messages from across the country
reminding me of the prayerful support of my sisters in the RSCJ
community. I can’t imagine weathering storms without the wisdom
and perspective of other loved ones.”
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