A group of nuns engaged in a snowball fight with a priest at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church & School in Metairie, Louisiana, during a snowstorm on Tuesday.
METAIRIE, La. – Snow is still the topic of conversation among a group of Louisiana nuns, but they had no idea their prayers were about to be answered in a truly memorable way.
The trio of Dominican Sisters of Saint Cecilia based in Nashville were newcomers to St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Parish in Metairie, Louisiana, nestled in the New Orleans metro.
“Before the Christmas break, when it was 75 degrees, humid and muggy, there was talk of praying for snow when we got back from break,” said Kristine Cerniglia of the parish.
One of the sisters, ever the optimist, even encouraged her middle schoolers to pray to various patron saints for snow.
FILE – A nun pens her bible while leading a bible study.
(Glenn Asakawa/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
It seems those prayers were answered on Tuesday while the Gulf Coast braced for its worst winter storm in over 120 years, including the first-ever Blizzard Warning in Louisiana.
“Since 1895, I believe we have only ever gotten 1-3 inches of snow,” said Cerniglia, noting that the parish received 10 inches of snow.
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The record-breaking storm brought heavy snow to New Orleans, blanketing palm trees in fresh flakes and halting the normally busy Big Easy.
Yet amidst the chaos, the same group of sisters who once prayed for snow found a moment of unexpected joy – trading their rosaries for snowballs in a spirited battle with Rev. Tim Hedrick, a fellow priest.
NEW ORLEANS HAS SEEN MORE SNOW THAN ALASKA’S BIGGEST CITY SO FAR THIS WINTER
A group of nuns engaged in a snowball fight with a priest at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church & School in Metairie, Louisiana, during a snowstorm on Tuesday.
(St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church & School in Metairie, Louisiana /TMX)
Hedrick has certainly experienced a range of weather-related challenges, from playing tackle football during Hurricane Ida to the recent snowy showdown.
“When all these disasters happen, it’s fun to do something for people, anyone stuck at home,” Hedrick told FOX Weather.
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Meteorological winter is already halfway over, believe it or not, according to the FOX Forecast Center. So far, it’s been a relatively mild winter for much of the country. However, some regions have seen a significant amount of snowfall.
The southern Plains, mid-South, Ohio Valley, mid-Atlantic and the mountains of the Northwest have been particularly snow-heavy this winter, with snowfall in some areas exceeding 400% of the average.
Memphis, Tennessee, leads with 7.5 inches of snow so far, exceeding the average of 0.7 inches by a whopping 1,071%.