Dear Friends,

Most Americans are deprived of art. Most live in ugly communities, in ugly homes, filled with ugly things not the least of which are the ugly things they worship on their televisions, radios, and computers. They shop in ugly stores along ugly roads filled with ugly noises. America is a consuming, money-craved land to the point that much of what passes for art is really little more than shiny tentacles of the great and terrible consumerism Leviathan.

Although Aaron Broussard, former mayor of Jefferson Parish and Kenner, was quite an unattractive man in physical appearance, he knew that to build a great place to live required investing public funds in the arts. He tirelessly worked to build Kenner’s Rivertown. At its peak in the early 90s, it was a surprisingly beautiful place worthy of more than a single visit. The Saints Museum, Mardi Gras Museum, castle, theatre, and planetarium were bolstered later by one of the Metro’s great French Creole restaurants, Le Parvenu, which began a fifteen year streak of shrouded grandeur in 1995. Rivertown survived Katrina’s winds and waters, but it could not survive the post-Katrina movement back to Orleans Parish, nor Broussard’s illegal dealings, which ended him in federal prison. That his public legacy will be that of theft from the public, and not a thriving artistic commune in southern Kenner, will be another living tribute to the story of Icarus or Chaucer’s Chaunticleer.

There are communities throughout America that buck the trend of ugly. Of particular note, I think of New Orleans, San Francisco, Sante Fe, Fairhope, AL (although The Grand is a grossly overrated resort), Princeton, and Seaside, FL. After a recent visit, I can now add Carmel, or more commonly known since 1906, as Carmel-by-the-Sea to this list.

Carmel is, in fact, by the sea, and is located at the midpoint of the California coastline. Its water is the deepest blue and its sand the lightest white of any along that long coastline. Its name comes from that wonderful mountain in Israel where Elijah battled the prophets of Baal. There, hundreds of Baalites sought to show Baal’s superiority over the Lord God. Elijah knew better.

The rules were straightforward: bulls and animals were brought to the altars of the most high. There the false prophets would call for Baal to set the animals on fire. Elijah would do the same, entreating his God. Elijah knew the truth of his God’s greatness, so to show just how great is God, he soaked the altar and his sacrificial animals in water. All prayed for their god to send down fire and light the altar, to prove which God was the almighty. Of course, the God of Abraham and Isaac won that battle.

Afterward, Elijah returned to the top of the mountain named Carmel and he saw a dark cloud. Soon the parched land suffering from a three year drought was awash in vibrant rains. The fields filled with grains and fruits. God and God’s people were triumphant. Elijah and all of my dear readers, are filled with zeal having been zealous for the Lord God of hosts!

For New Orleanians, when one hears Carmel, the mind usually wanders from the biblical story to that of the Lakeview all-girls school, Mount Carmel, which is usually said in the native tongue so quickly that the entire name blends to a rushed “montcarmull.” I recall going to a 2000 homecoming dance with a sophomore from Mount Carmel. We visited the planetarium in Rivertown. As the lights in that domed room dimmed, the MCA Cub tried to steal a kiss from me. I remained steadfast, however, turning my lips to the side, saving them for the embrace of my Beloved.

The Carmelites originally were amongst the most strict of all hermits. Only several centuries after their founding were its members allowed to leave their cells, eat during the winter months, or even enjoy the taste of meat. By the late 16th century, Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross transformed the order in Spain from that of reclusive mendicants to those who served a purpose in building a better world, just as Jesus commanded. Even so, the Carmelites still are monks and tend to focus inwardly rather than outwardly.

Believe it or not, the Carmel Mission in the so-named California town is actually a Franscican mission founded by Junipero Serra, a Franciscan priest. Serra was born on the Spanish island of Mallorca, 100 miles south of Barcelona. After his religious awakening, he learned his mission was to Mexico. Near Mexico City, he joined the famed Portola Expedition in 1769 on its travels up the California coast, then known as Alta California. Serra established the mission at Carmel in 1771, moving it from the colonial capital ten miles north at Monterey, before traveling northward to San Francisco. During just 13 years, Serra established nine missions from San Diego to San Francisco. It was this holy work that gives good justification for calling Father Serra the Father of California. Like almost all good and lasting things in our world, their origins are planted in the Gospel of our Lord.

This post was edited on 10/22/20 at 3:47 pm