Sr. Mary Lou Specha loves Mardi Gras.
Not the Mardi Gras celebrated in much of the United States with a half-hearted king cake and some beads, but the celebration that begins on the feast of Epiphany and continues until the last moments before Ash Wednesday begins. She loves the
real Mardi Gras in New Orleans, where she lives and ministers.
Specha, a Sister of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary from Dubuque, Iowa, has lived in New Orleans for more than a decade. She is the executive director of Hotel Hope, which provides short-term emergency housing for families experiencing homelessness. Specha's roommate, Presentation Sr. Julie Marsh, is director of operations at Hotel Hope.