A statement from our lodge written by outgoing Noble Grand Darren Labarthe , regarding the New Year’s Day tragedy in our home city of New Orleans. The Noble Grand and several of our members visited the memorial this morning, 1/5/2025, to bring flowers and the condolences of our Lodge.
Tragedy. A word that carries the weight of immense suffering, loss, and despair. It shatters our sense of security, challenges our understanding of the world, and leaves us grappling with questions that may never have satisfying answers.
In the face of tragedy, we are often left feeling helpless, adrift in a sea of grief. Anger, confusion, and a profound sense of injustice can consume us. More significantly when it happens here in our city and in our community.
Yet, within the depths of tragedy, we also find extraordinary resilience. We witness acts of incredible courage, compassion, and selflessness. Crescent City Lodge No. 73 Odd Fellows of New Orleans collectively finds in some ways to relive the distress in our community by supporting one another, strangers and neighbors who offer acts of kindness, and a collective spirit of hope emerges from the darkness.
Tragedy forces us to confront our mortality, to cherish the preciousness of life, and to appreciate the bonds us of Friendship, Love, and Truth that binds us together. It reminds us that even in the darkest of times, there is always the potential for light, for healing, and for the enduring strength of the human spirit.
The Odd Fellows of New Orleans stand and pray with you.