1+ week, 4+ day ago (368+ words) Coadjutor Archbishop James Checchio waves to his mother, Helen, during a Tuesday Mass at St. Louis Cathedral to welcome to him to the Archdiocese of New Orleans." Hundreds of members and leaders of the Archdiocese of New Orleans welcomed their new archbishop" Coadjutor"Archbishop James Checchio" on Tuesday afternoon at St. Louis Cathedral,"the spiritual home of the local Catholic Church in the heart of the French Quarter." They were joined by local civic and business leaders, who formally greeted him in a welcome Mass." Checcio is"Pope Leo XIV's"chosen successor to Archbishop Gregory Aymond, who has led the local church since 2009 and has reached the mandatory age of retirement."Checchio will work alongside Aymond as coadjutor until Aymond formally retires." The Mass opened with the presentation of Apostolic Mandate, the official document appointing Checchio, presented by Cardinal Christophe…...

4+ week, 4+ hour ago (95+ words) In Catholic communities across southeast Louisiana, All Saints Day is a sacred time of remembrance and reflection. Each Nov. 1, families visit cemeteries from around southeast Louisiana to clean and ... In Catholic communities across southeast Louisiana, All Saints Day is a sacred time of remembrance and reflection. Each Nov. 1, families visit cemeteries from around southeast Louisiana to clean and decorate tombs, place flowers and candles, and pray for loved ones who have died. Rooted in Louisiana's French Catholic heritage, the day blends faith and family, ritual and remembrance. It's less about mourning than connection....

2+ week, 23+ hour ago (155+ words) Antoine Blanc was named bishop of the Diocese of New Orleans in 1835" One of the most important figures in the more than 300-year history of the local Catholic church arrived in New Orleans on Nov. 22, 1835 " 190 years ago this week " as Bishop Antoine Blanc was consecrated the fourth bishop of New Orleans and its first archbishop." In his 2000 history of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, archivist Charles E. Nolan wrote that "if one person can be singled out who changed the course of Louisiana Catholicism, that person was Archbishop Antoine Blanc." A native of Sury-le-Comtal near Lyon, France, Blanc was sent to minister in New Orleans in 1831. Four years later, he was named bishop and was the leader of the local church when it was elevated to an archdiocese in 1850. Archbishop Blanc died in 1860 and is buried in the sanctuary of St....

2+ week, 5+ day ago (1075+ words) The Archdiocese of New Orleans is putting dozens of individual parishes and charitable organizations under federal bankruptcy protection this week,part of the local church's broader plan to end itslong-running bankruptcy casein a way that resolves past claims of clergy sexual abuse once and for all. Attorneys for the archdiocese said that 157 parishes, charities and other entities affiliated with the local Roman Catholic church will file for Chapter 11 beginning on Wednesday. The cases will be filed as part of what is known as a pre-packaged bankruptcy, which is a streamlined processwith an expedited timeline and fewer legal requirements. The goal, according toattorney Douglas Draper, who represents the church parishes and agencies, is for those affiliates to close out all future liabilities from the decades old clergy abuse scandal. In return, the parishes and charities will be responsible for contributing a…...

3+ week, 5+ day ago (691+ words) St. Mary's Chapel in Convent, Louisiana, is a mission of St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church." The building was placed on the Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation's Most Endangered List for 2021, and the organization is working to get it registered on the National Register of Historic Places. If successful, Chauvin has plans to preserve the original siding, interior and replace the steeple to reflect the original structure that was destroyed by Hurricane Betsy in 1965. What is the current condition of the chapel?" It's in disrepair. It's in need of a roof. The last time it had a roof was 1923, and it's an asbestos slate roof. It was meant to be a 100-year roof, and I think we've squeezed every 100 years out of it. We formed the nonprofit to start repairs." St. Mary's Chapel is a mission of St. Michael the…...

3+ week, 6+ day ago (875+ words) Episcopal clergy take part in the Pride parade in New Orleans. Preaching love and acceptance in a turbulent time, Louisiana Episcopalians are working to rally support for the LGBTQ+ community. Their latest effort, a fundraising concert, stems from Inclusive Louisiana, an organization of LGBTQ+ Episcopalians and their allies. Inclusive Louisiana's mission, as described on the website of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana, is to help the church "to proclaim and embody God's all-inclusive love for LGBTQ persons and those who love them." Clergy within the organization stress the importance of their work. The Rev. Tommy Dillon, who became the first openly gay priest ordained in the Diocese of Louisiana in 2003, helped form the first version of the group, then called Integrity. The Rev. Tommy Dillon is rector of St. Margaret's Episcopal Church in Baton Rouge. Dillon, now rector of St....

1+ week, 6+ day ago (750+ words) Monica Harris with the Mother Catherine Seals puppet Gastelum and the Mudlark Puppeteers are erecting a tent in Oliver Bush Park near the original site of the Manger to tell the story of Mother Catherine, from her humble beginnings to becoming a sought-after medium and nationally known spiritualist. The show features six puppeteers, using more than 100 rod and shadow puppets, and a live band playing jazz and gospel. The show runs Nov. 21-23. Mother Catherine was born Nanny Cowans in Kentucky. She arrived in New Orleans at age 16 and found work doing laundry and later as a cook. She married at 17, but her husband beat her and the marriage didn't last. Abuse from later husbands was worse, and she suffered a stroke, as recounted in Gastelum's "Mother Catherine and the Temple of the Innocent Blood." Then named Nanny Jenkins, she was…...

1+ week, 2+ day ago (1096+ words) Archbishop Gregory Aymond took the witness stand Thursday in the federal bankruptcy court, defending his decision five years ago to place the local church under bankruptcy protection and arguing that a $230 million settlement is the fairest way to compensate hundreds of clergy sex abuse survivors. During more than an hour of testimony, Aymond also vowed to uphold new child protection measures designed to guard against future clergy abuse and apologized to abuse survivors on behalf of the nation's second-oldest Roman Catholic diocese. "I know you have been through a lot of pain," Aymond said. "It is unfortunate and embarrassing for me as a priest to think that someone in a trusted position, like a priest or minister, would take advantage of someone sexually. So, my heartfelt apology to those who have been abused." Archbishop Gregory Aymond, at his residence in…...