Eunice needs nurturing

I have fallen in love with a city. Eunice has seduced me. Though I am a minister in this city, I am also a visitor. My tired eyes beheld many small towns in Acadiana before resting on Eunice. But what I have seen here is a revelation. It is like watching a sunrise after decades of darkness. Eunice is radiant and alive when so many small communities are all but dead. I have fallen in love with a city. And so I fear for its future.
Eunice cannot survive as it is. Our economy is based on being a regional center. But our region is dying. Our youth and our busiensses are leaving us, devoured by the ever-consuming jaws of Lafayette. We have tried to woo industry and have failed. We have tried to woo commerce, and have failed. We need hope. We need a future. We need a boost to our economy. And the only place we can find it is in tourism. But in order to capitalize on tourism, we need to have something to offer tourists. And so that is what I propose: just as Lafayette is a commercial center, and Lake Charles is an industrial center, so Eunice must crown herself the cultural center of Acadiana.
We will take all of the cultural gifts to our city and unite them in one powerful vision. We will become a cradle of the arts, fostering painting, theatre, poetry, music, dance and festivals. We have long had the artists; now we have the vision. We will burst with the beauty of culture. We will be a light on the prairie. Young people will dream of coming to Eunice, and no longer dream of leaving it. Our economy will revive. And so will our community.
It will take a city-wide effort to do this. It will take commitment, and pride. It will take the conquest of anxiety, and doubts, and handwringing, and of those who stand in the way. It will take you, whoever you are who is reading this. Do not worry about the details; the details are being worked out. You can help us work them out. But know that this is not a castle in the sky. Intelligent, driven, creative people are part of this movement. Something more than words is happening. We have created a Chamber for Culture and a Confederation of Artists. A new strategy to market the city of Eunice is underway. The city is buzzing. But for now, behold the brightness of our future, as Eunice reinvents herself as the blazing heart of culture in Acadiana. Feel your own heart thump faster, faster, faster. We have a future, and it is more incredible than we could have dreamed a year ago. The golden age of our city is just beginning. From now on, when people think of art, of culture, of humanity, and of true greatness, they will think of Eunice. And they, too, will fall in love with a city.
Fr. Clinton Sensat