Black Saints Celebration: Our Lady of Grace reflects on race, equity & justice
Published 12:05 am Thursday, November 7, 2019
- Our Lady of Grace Church parishioners and a drum line were part of a parade held for Black Saints Celebration.
LAPLACE — Over the weekend, parishioners of Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church marched 1.8 miles in a parade down River Road, starting from St. Peter Catholic Church in Reserve. The parade honored Black Saints in celebration of November’s Black Catholic History Month, and the route carried a special meaning within the history of the church.
The oldest Our Lady of Grace parishioners recall St. Peter as the mother church. The Our Lady of Grace Parish origins trace back to St. Peter and the Reverend Monsignor Jean M. Eyraud. More than 80 years ago, Eyraud expressed, against much opposition, his desire to open a school for the African American children of the Parish.
The old John L. Ory school building was moved to Reserve as the first African American Parochial school in the community.
The school initially operated under the name St. Catherine School, named for St. Katherine Drexel, according to Father Christopher Chike Amadi, S.S.J.
The school became Our Lady of Grace, and a new church parish was formed.
“There was a need to open a church where the African American community could pray more as a community and have a more conducive place for them to worship and feel at home,” Amadi said.
Amadi was pleased to celebrate the history of not only the Our Lady of Grace Parish he leads today, but also the Black Saints who continue to be an inspiration for modern-day Catholics.
“The Black Saints Celebration has been going on since the 1980s in New Orleans, but this is the first time that it’s being brought to the River Parishes,” Amadi said. “That’s why it’s a big thing for us at Our Lady of Grace Church.”
Archbishop Gregory Aymond of the Archdiocese of New Orleans marched in the parade and presided over the prayer service that followed. Auxiliary Bishop Fernand J. Cheri was also present.
The parade and the prayer service honored the theme, “Open Wide Our Hearts: A reflection on race, equity and justice.”
Some of the Black Saints of the Catholic Church are shown off by local parishioners during Black Saints Celebration.
Dancers, a drum line and joyous singing accompanied the parade as parishioners carried on the legacies of the following Black Catholic Saints: Venerable Henriette Delille (1812-1862), Julia Greeley (d. 1918), Mother Mary Lange (1794-1882), Rev. Augustus Tolton (1854-1897) and Venerable Pierre Toussiant (1766-1853).
Additional information on the works of each Saint can be found at nolacatholic.org/black-catholic-history-month.
Amadi said the event also honored those in consideration for becoming Saints. He said the Black Saints are role models who have held onto unwavering faith in God despite all of life’s trials.
“We celebrate men and women who we feel have led a good life,” Amadi said. “It was beautiful seeing us carry those black Saints and having that parade. It’s a form of evangelization for us.”
The prayer service that followed at Our Lady of Grace included awards for members voted on by each of the church parishes in the Office of Black Catholic Ministries.
Representing Our Lady of Grace Parish was Nelson Romos, a young man recognized with the Sophie Aramboro Award for his dedication to serving the church.
As of press time, Our Lady of Grace Church was preparing to host a Town Hall meeting to address concerns of the Louisiana Tumor Registry not having enough information about all cancer cases in the community.
The Louisiana Department of Health and LSU New Orleans School of Public Health participated in the Tuesday evening town hall meeting.
Amadi said it was important for the church to provide a comfortable environment conducive to questions and answers.
“We provided a place for that because it’s a form of outreach to the community,” Amadi said. “The purpose is to inform residents of the cancer studies that have been done.”
