The Blue Goose, a rebuilt surplus pickup truck towing a loader trailer, hit the afternoon traffic on the Atlanta expressway and moved straight through to Ignatius House.

The caravan carries a complete set of equipment and five Jesuits known as the Brothers Maintenance Corps. The corps arrived at Ignatius House April 19 to begin their sixth assignment in the ten-state area of the New Orleans Province.

“The purpose of our group is to maintain and renovate the Jesuit houses in the province and we are subject to call at any of these places,” said Brother Lloyd Barry, S.J., coordinator.

The brothers are all mechanics and skilled in the building trades. Brother Barry, who does most of the carpenter work, said, “We pitch in together and do everything, but each one has his own specialty. Brother Lonergan does the plumbing, Brother Nowak is primarily an electrician, Brother Gussio is a specialist in sheet rock, plaster and paint work. Brother Cabral is our ‘second story man.’ He likes to climb ladders.”

Brother Cabral said, “I was on the roof here one day to repair leaks and gather the mud-dobbers and wasps from under the eaves. About 35 wasps refused to have their humble adobes destroyed and circled around me. I had a sprayer in one hand, a scraper in the other hand, and both feet on the ladder.”

Brother Gussio discovered a garden snake on the roof and a village of ants. He said, “The ants swarmed all over me.”

There are more than roof repairs at the residence and retreat house to keep the brothers busy. Among the corps’ other projects is painting, improving the air-conditioning system at the retreat house and rebuilding the flagstone steps to prevent erosion along the hill at the residence.

The corps arrived from Mobile, Ala., where they completed a year’s work at Spring Hill College. The original buildings were constructed in 1836, and the corps renovated faculty quarters that were almost uninhabitable. Father Hein said, “There was no hot running water. All new electrical wiring was necessary, the 18-foot-high ceilings were lowered, air-conditioning and carpeting were installed. They moved an entire kitchen to the second floor.”

What do the brothers do in their spare time? In Mobile, they repaired houses in the slum area. Brother Lonergan said, “In one home there was an 85-year-old woman with no one to take care of her house.”

In Grand Coteau, La., where the brothers were assigned maintenance work at the novitiate, they visited the Jesuit parish of Christ the King in a Negro neighborhood. Brother Barry said, “Forty men of the parish offered to help renovate the gym after their work. They came in from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m. every night for about seven weeks until we finished.”

At Ignatius House, Brother Lonergan, a native Texan, is the ‘cook.’ He prefers to plan menus with a barbecue base. Brother Gassio spends some time fishing in the Chattahoochee River. Brother Cabral, a sports fan, says his real hobby is people. “I love children. I go to the choir practices and sing in the folk Masses at the Cathedral of Christ the King and talked with Spanish-speaking inmates at the Federal Penitentiary.” The brothers have visited the Community of Christ Our Brother, the Trappist Monastery, Stone Mountain and parts of North Georgia. Their work and travel gives them an opportunity to meet people and develops a ‘family spirit’ through the close association with the priests, brothers and students in the Province.

The corps plans to stay at Ignatius House until all the work is completed and will be here to celebrate their second anniversary May 21. Father Hein said, “It is a tremendous help to have the Maintenance Corps visit me -- both as companions and because they are doing this necessary work. I wish they could stay longer.”