"St.Augustine Parish and its rich New Orleans history become victims of

[Swamp Rat]

Hurricane Katrina"

St. Augustine Parish to close
Treme church holds rich history of New Orleans
Friday, February 10, 2006
By Bruce Nolan
Staff writer (The Times-Picayune)

St.Augustine Parish and its rich New Orleans history become victims of Hurricane Katrina

Called to manage a floodscape of devastated church parishes and hollowed-out neighborhoods, the Archdiocese of New Orleans Thursday said it could no longer afford to subsidize a treasure that counts as one of Hurricane Katrina's walking wounded: St. Augustine Parish, the cradle of black Catholicism in New Orleans.

(snip)

But historic St. Augustine Parish will cease to exist in mid-March. Whatever future the community builds for itself, it will do so under another name and under a new pastor.

Founded in 1841 on a former plantation at the edge of the French Quarter, St. Augustine's roots are African, French, Haitian and Spanish. Its story provides a window into the rich cultural ancestry of old New Orleans.

The city's Creole families worshipped there, along with Haitians and free black people. Short pews arranged along the walls of the church welcomed slaves, an unusual piece of hospitality, according to parish histories.

(snip)

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-5/1139555625131400.xml

[rodeodance]

1. sad

[xchrom]

2. amazing -- to let that go.

very sad.

[Kurovski]

3. Recommended.

Beautiful history lost along with beautiful life.

[Swamp Rat]

4. Thank you... so many threads about what's happen to us drop like stones

in the ocean, while sensational topics are hotly debated.

Why is America forsaking us?

:cry:

[Kurovski]

11. I don't have an answer. So many shocking, hateful events piled on to us.

But the Gulf Coast storms took a part of my heart.

I think it did for many more Americans than are allowed to express it.

DU is likely reacting to "full-moon madness" today.

[pitohui]

12. not just america but the vatican also

the catholic church does not answer to george bush but, supposedly, to god

this seems to be a cold calculated financial decision on the part of the church

[flordehinojos]

5. fidel castro, as opposed to bush, reveres history.bush doesn't give a damn

about history, except for the idealization of war his father transmitted to him.

Many years ago, when I first came to this country, i worked for a while in the DIOCESE OF NATCHEZ-JACSON and worked for a little while with the BAPTISM RECORDS of people BAPTIZED in that Diocese back in the 1700 and 1800s. It was a treasure to behold. ST. AUGUSTINE PARISH's records must be invaluable...and the asshole doesn't give a damn!

[Swamp Rat]

6. Apparently not enough Americans give a damn either.

:(

[pitohui]

8. i think it is the vatican's place to give a damn also

as progressives our stand has been for separation of church and state

therefore it is hard to justify doing a 180 degrees and asking for public funds from the american taxpayer to support one of the wealthiest religions in the world, if the pope doesn't care and the catholic church as a whole does not care, i am not sure it is the place of the american taxpayer to do anything abt it

it's up to the members of the catholic church to call for accountability and to preserve church history

i wish i had a better answer but i think preserving church history should be the the preserve of the church

they seem to find gold enough to gild every statue and bit of church bric-a-brac in bavaria!

[EFerrari]

15. But this is an important point and a good suggestion.

People could write to the Archidioses, couldn't they, and express their thoughts about this closure?

[pitohui]

16. yes and they should talk to their priest as well

concerned catholics should make themselves heard if they want this preserved, i don't think this is a situation where an outsider can have much sway

[G_j]

7. wow

that is so depressing
it is almost like we are losing our souls these days

[Leopolds Ghost]

9. What, I don't understand. They are simply going to tear it down?

They no longer have a Black Catholic parish church in New Orleans? I don't understand.

[JVS]

13. Weekly worship will continue at St. Augustine.

[JVS]

10. The OP is misleading. The parish is merely being merged into...

the St. Peter Claver Parish which is next door. Weekly worship will continue at St. Augustine. Although it is surprising that the Archdiocese is unable to keep it independent, of course they're probably swamped with other churches that need their money, but your would think that other areas in the country would have bishops who wouldn't mind chipping in a bit.

[Swamp Rat]

23. Not really.

If you were from New Orleans and knew the cultural significance of St Aug you wouldn't say that. For example, St. Aug High School has one of the largest and best marching bands that has always participated in Mardi Gras parades. This alone is very important to New Orleans residents, but now it is gone. So, what you see on the surface does not belie what happens underneath - it is a profound loss for all of us (whether one is religious or not) here in New Orleans.

[Swamp Rat]

24. dupe

[Swamp Rat]

25. yet another dupe

Wassup?

[upi402]

29. TOO MANY MEN ON THE FIELD! - hawks won!

:hide:


:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:


:toast:

[suffragette]

14. What a huge cultural loss

From the end of the article:

"At the very moment the news reached them, Williams and a small group of men were standing at the edge of the property discussing plans for a New Orleans cultural event the Saturday before Mardi Gras: a drum circle, appearances by Mardi Gras Indians, maybe a brass band.

It would be an attempt to recover the culture of the storm-battered city, he said. And the place would have to be at St. Augustine.

Williams and the others absorbed the news of LeDoux's departure, and its implications, silently.

"We got to tell them how deep this is," said Ron Chisom, a community activist. "This cultural piece, it's really big." "

How hard to recover when the centers needed to do that are removed.

[Kurovski]

18. And so little support to bring NO back to what it was.

It is very telling of the Bush Administration.

Would you consider giving this thread a recommendation, suffragette?

[suffragette]

21. They don't want it to be what it was.

And that is a loss to all of us.
I've never been there, but just to know it was there made me glad.The culture, the cuisine, the music and the wonderful people that created that. The loss is enormous.

K&R
Thanks for reminding me.

[Kurovski]

17. Kick(nt)

[Olney Blue]

19. This is very sad. Thank you for letting us know, Swamp Rat.

:cry:

[Melissa G]

20. KnR! n/t

[Behind the Aegis]

22. K&R

I have no doubt the good people of NOLA will soon be saying "Laissez les bon temps rouler!" A city with such richness of diversity can only rely on its diversity to revive it. The winds couldn't destroy her, and neither could the lazy-ass government! Through the pain, misery, and despair, we will all see the true power of New Orleans when she returns to her former glory and serve as a testament to her history and her people!

[Swamp Rat]

26. This might not be important to the rest of America, but it is to us.

Y'all just don't understand. :(

[KoKo]

27. We just don't know what to do.................

I feel sometimes that no one cares about history anymore. About preserving our places that mean so much to generations. We are like a country gone crazy with tearing down instead of preserving.

The whole gulf coast disaster is overwhelming. A culture gone. It's like we lost part of American that we know will never come back. Growing up in Charleston, SC...I grew up with a huge sense of history. If it were obliterated (and another hurrican could take it out at any time) it would be a part of me that wouldn't be there anymore. I hate to see what's gone on there with the crazy development...but still people try to hold on to some of the areas on the islands to keep some place that holds cultures together.

We just don't know what to do...it seems everything's broken under these Republicans. They only want to destroy and rebuild if it's done through a Corporate vision. The people and who they are don't matter.

We just don't know what to do...so posts sink. I read ....I know others do...but it's just so painful...what can one say...

[upi402]

28. Yeah, I hate BushCo. -I hate to ask about the

wonderful cemetaries while the people are getting ousted from their hotels. I keep wondering, however.
I really wanted the hotel-homeless to resist and refuse to leave their room in unity. I bet the Bushbots would try to starve them out -EMBARGO- like they did with Saddam.

[stickdog]

30. Total crap. This is a classic BushCo binge & purge.

Binging on charitiable donations and bloated, taxpayer-funded recovery contracts while purging the poor and people of color.