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Introducing Sister Jane Louise Arbour

A bowl is a type of vessel. It is essential for containing many varied things: food, flowers, and holy water, to name a few. We humans are another kind of vessel, but we are able to contain things too. We are all capable of holding and distributing God’s love.

In our community, many people immediately come to mind when we think of something or someone as essential as a bowl. Sister Jane Louise Arbour is certainly one of them. She is quite practiced at spreading the positive effects of faith. Encouragement, knowledge, support, perspective and hope are among the many fruits of her Love at Work.

Her career of four decades is going strong. She works at St. Thomas More Parish in Baton Rouge. Her role has put her into contact with thousands of students, teachers, laypeople and colleagues, in addition to a range of people who are underserved by government and society.

A single mother and her three children, ages six, eight and ten, arrived in our country after spending three years in a refugee camp in Burma. They were completely without means and unable to speak English. Sister Jane and her parish swung into action. They created a list of items the family needed and posted it immediately at their church. Materials were donated and organized, an apartment was cleaned (and blessed), transportation for the family was arranged, errands were run, and a yard sale was conducted. Now this family has a new start. Sister Jane's role is pivotal, although she would probably not admit it.

Last year, Sister Jane ministered to the needs of a young soldier who was likely to be called back to Iraq. As he considered baptism, she shared his quest for knowledge, catechized him, approached the parish pastor, arranged for a sponsor, reached out to his mother and generally smoothed the path. Now a new Catholic has a fresh start.

How many people have benefited from Sister Jane’s attention? One might as well ask how many loaves of bread can be made from one bowl. While it is hard to gauge the sum effects of one person’s work, it is easy to see how we all depend on people like Sister Jane Louise Arbour.