St. Isidore Hosts Faith & Blue Night

On Oct. 14, law enforcement and members of the public gathered at St. Isidore Church in Baker and talked, listened to each other, and laughed as they discovered that they had the common desire of building a safe, inclusive community.

The “Faith & Blue” event is part of a national initiative that reinforces connections between law enforcement professionals and the communities they serve through houses of worship.

St. Isidore and the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Department began discussing the possibility of hosting Faith & Blue in the spring. As time grew nearer for the meeting, they began meeting bi-monthly, according to Father Frank Bass, pastor of St. Isidore.

“I am so impressed and pleased with the turnout of the number of community organizations that have come to be represented,” said Father Frank Bass, pastor of St. Isidore.

While St. Isidore and ministries from the Diocese of Baton Rouge were represented, the event was an interfaith event.

“Tonight, we have full representation of community services. We have community organizations like the Rotary Club, Capital Area Alzheimer’s Association, and various other healthcare organizations so that those in the Baker community, especially those who are in need, can come here and be informed and make use of those services,” said Fathe Top Right Photo: Members of the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Department connected with attendees at Faith & Blue Night.
 Above Photo: Deacon Joseph Shelley, right, represented the Rotary Club. Photos by Debbie Shelley/ The Catholic Commentator r Bass.

A positive result of Faith & Blue is that St. Isidore worked alongside law enforcement, particularly the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Department, Father Bass stated.

“And we relate to these men as fellow Christians as well as law enforcement professionals … The church community and the neighborhood have an opportunity to be
with these men and women in law enforcement in a live social situation and be able to become acquainted and get to know each other as human beings.

“I firmly believe that one of the best things that can happen is citizens developing genuine friendships with the people who are in law enforcement.”

Events such as Faith and Blue puts Jesus’ “hands and feet” to our faith, pointed out Father Bass.

“It’s a way to demonstrate that we’re not just ‘all words’ that our fruitful actions also help build the kingdom of God,” said Father Bass.

Major Thomas Frederick, chief of community engagement with the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Department, emphasized that Faith & Blue helps churches and communities build bridges and “work together as a team.”

“We all strive to keep the community safe and it’s such a nice event for us to get together,” said Major Frederick.

East Baton Rouge Sheriff Sid Gautreaux said community outreach is vital to his office in helping people address their concerns.

“I love community outreach because you never know whom you’re going to touch, who you’re going to help and that’s what makes these events so important for us,” said Gautreaux.

Representatives of the Diocese of Baton Rouge, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Baton Rouge, and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul informed people about the important work they do.
 Deacon Randall Waguespack, director of the Office of Life, Peace & Justice for the Diocese of Baton Rouge, informed people about the important work of his office.   “A lot of people didn’t realize that the diocese has an Office of Black Catholics,” said Deacon Alfred Adams, director of the office. “I’m offering them brochures, handing them the document we have, ‘We Have Seen and Heard’ and showing them the attributes we have from the Catholic Church and the Black culture.

“One man asked, ‘What’s the difference between Catholics and Black Catholics?’ I said, ‘No difference. It’s just we’re Black African American. But we worship as Catholics, so that would be people just like me.’ It’s about educating people.”
Deacon Randall Waguespack, director of the Office of Life Peace, and Justice of the Diocese of Baton Rouge, informed people about the important services provided by his office.

“I was excited to be asked to participate in the Faith & Blue event. I think it is a wonderful way to support our police officers and to have an opportunity to bring our neighborhoods together,” said Deacon Waguespack.

Deacon Shelley Joseph, who represented St. Isidore and the Rotary Club, talked enthusiastically about the Rotary Club at the local and international levels.

Rotary Club International, which serves 122 countries, includes clubs that work individually and together to promote peace, fight disease, provide clean water, sanitation and hygiene, save mothers and children, support education, grow local economies and protect the environment.
Debra Blacher director of the men's shelters and pharmacy for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Baton Rouge, discussed with people the crucial resources SVDP provides for the poor and marginalized in the Baton Rouge area.Deacon Joseph noted that a few years ago the Baker club partnered with a Rotary club in India to provide 2,000 free cataract surgeries for people in India.

Locally, after the 2016 flood, the Rosary Club partnered with manufacturers across the country to provide goods, furniture, and bathroom fixtures for people impacted by the disaster.

“We tried to do it right and we feel like we did a good service,” said Deacon Joseph.

Furthermore, the Rotary Club has an Interact youth club, in which high school students partner with the Rotary Club on projects and do their own projects. When the Baker Schools were in disrepair, the youth and club members reconverted classrooms that were used for storage back into classrooms.

 Deacon Alfred Adams represented the diocese as director of the Office of Black Catholics and talked to people about the contributions and rich history of the Black Catholics.Various ministries at St. Isidor bonded at the event as they cooked meals for attendees.

Linda Polk, regent of the Court of St. Jude of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas (CDA) at St. Isidore Church, said one of the primary programs of the Catholic Daughters is “The Circle of Love,” which guides members in serving the church and community.

“We are glad to be here to work with our faith and community leaders,” said Polk.

The Knights of Columbus Council 4085 Mother of Perpetual Help and its Ladies Auxiliary invited people to become members of, or to “come home” to, St. Isidore. 

Paula Gebhardt, president of the Louisiana Ladies Auxiliary Association, said the Ladies Auxiliary supports the Knights of Columbus and does their own projects.

“We’re talking to people about the faith,” said Gebhardt, who added that she told Sheriff Gautreaux, “Unless we change their hearts, we will never change their minds.”

“We do everything we can to help people and make them feel like they belong to the family of St. Isidore,” said Ron Gremillion, the council’s grand knight.

“We want people to know about all the good things going on here in our parish and community,” said Connie Moseley, president of St. Isidore's Ladies Auxiliary.
The East Baton Rouge Mosquito Abatement and Rodent Control Department demonstrated how mosquito eating fish help control those insects.