Deacon Bauer ramps up SAM post retirement
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When Deacon Louie Bauer of St. Margaret Mary Parish in Slidell was preparing to be ordained as a permanent deacon in 2006, he never expected the archdiocese to assign him to serve in a recovery facility for addicts and alcoholics, a place he said parents tell you to stay away from.
Now, as Deacon Bauer is retired from his job at Boh Brothers Construction Co. after almost 50 years, the only thing he sees himself doing is committing his time to the Substance Abuse Ministry (SAM).
Building bridges
Deacon Bauer began this type of work during his clinical pastoral training, where deacons in formation are assigned to serve in a ministry of charity. When he learned he was being sent to Bridge House, a New Orleans nonprofit that provides long-term residential addiction treatment for men and women, his first thought was, “I’ve built bridges before – no problem.”
“I had no clue what Bridge House was, and by the look on my face, it was clear they knew I didn’t know what it was,” Deacon Bauer said. “But I went into it knowing that God must have a plan, and somehow I was going to bring Jesus to the people at Bridge House.”
Recalling one of his first memories at Bridge House, Deacon Bauer described his initial encounter with a man who, despite his intimidating appearance, approached him and pulled out a wrinkled picture of St. Jude.
“He said ‘I’ve been praying this prayer to St. Jude, is this a good prayer?’ And I said, ‘Oh yes, good prayer, good saint, stick with Jude,’” Deacon Bauer laughed. “His name was Howard. He had a name. He was somebody’s daddy, somebody’s son and somebody’s brother. That’s when it hit me that these are real people.”
After about seven months of serving at Bridge House twice a week, his time there was up, and Deacon Bauer said he knew by how emotional he was in leaving that he was called to this ministry.
Once ordained and assigned to his home parish, Deacon Bauer took on another ministry of charity assignment at Southeast Louisiana Hospital in Mandeville (now Northlake Behavioral Health). For 15 years, up until 2022, he served in the hospital’s drug rehabilitation facility, faithfully stopping there every Tuesday night on his way home to Slidell after working in Hammond. He would often stay until 10:30 p.m., ministering to the people in the facility.
“Around 2011 was when I realized I had to find more ways to serve in this way,” Deacon Bauer said. “So many I knew were dying from this, and there were people losing their children and families being broken up. I knew God was calling me to this, and to do nothing would have been the sin of omission.”
‘You’re not alone’
It was Divine Mercy Sunday in 2011 when Deacon Bauer announced at all five weekend services that he would be starting SAM. In his homily, he reflected on the apostles locking themselves in the upper room out of fear and posed a question: How many people struggling with addiction feel similarly trapped by their addiction? He spoke about the fear of judgment and stigma that keeps many from seeking help.
“After mentioning I was going to start this, I asked people by a show of hands if they had been afflicted with an addiction or affected by someone else’s addiction,” Deacon Bauer said. “I was hard-pressed to find a hand that wasn’t raised. I told them to look around, because they were not alone.”
“You’re not alone” became the motto of Deacon Bauer’s ministry. From that point forward, he began to host two meetings each month: one informational and educational, where he invites speakers, families, or recovered addicts to share their experiences, and one faith-based, where the group will participate in a Bible study aimed to help participants reconnect with God.
“It’s not just a disease that affects our brain, but it’s a spiritual disease that disconnects us with God,” he said.
Future of SAM
Now that Deacon Bauer is retired, his goal is to expand the ministry by establishing a SAM group in each deanery of the archdiocese. He also plans to relaunch community forums on addiction resources and treatment, which have been successful in the past, the last one before this year taking place in 2022. These forums aim to reach a broader audience beyond just his parish, featuring a variety of speakers who address different aspects of addiction and recovery, from medical professionals to individuals in long-term sobriety. The goal is to offer the community comprehensive information and resources on addiction recovery.
The next forum, on Feb. 26 at 6 P.M. in St. Margaret Mary's gymnasium, will feature Dr. Dan Lynch, a specialist in addiction medicine, who provided insights into addiction treatment. The event will also have over 35 specialized resources that will be present.
Deacon Bauer emphasized that these resources are not just for Catholics but for anyone struggling with addiction. He noted that when people see how they are treated in the church, it serves as a powerful tool for evangelization, inspiring them to want to be a part of the community.
“One of the most rewarding things – though I have mixed feelings about it – is when you stop seeing the people who would come regularly,” he said. “Not because we did anything wrong, but because we did everything right. They’re sober, back in society, married, with a job and they don’t need it anymore.”
From sponsoring a young woman who had struggled with addiction for years through the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) to becoming Catholic, to presiding over the funeral of a woman who had died while sober – and sharing this truth with the congregation, which led to an outpouring of support and understanding instead of judgment – Deacon Bauer said he can’t imagine himself doing anything else for the foreseeable future.
He recalled a quote that said, “Two of the greatest days of a person’s life is the day they were born and the day they discover why.”
“I found my why. I would’ve never chosen this, but God works in miraculous ways,” he said. “He filled a void that was needed not only for myself but also for the community.”