A Few Words . . .

Hi all,

I want to begin the blog by saying how happy I am I went to tour today. I think all of us who went can take along something that will last forever. In a word, we toured Downtown New Orleans (and French Quarter) to discuss several aspects of the "Antebellum South." One thing that I found interesting was that not many whites owned slaves. Slaves, in essence, were only for the wealthy. I originally had the thought that all whites owned slaved; however, the speaker told us statistics that proved otherwise.

Anyhow, this weekend I'm going to the New Orleans City Hall. There will be a Unity Walk for all Cajuns and Creoles (whatever that means?...hehe.) I think it will be a fun event. Should you decide to come, here is some information:

Louisiana Creoles and Cajuns in Louisiana are cordially invited to the UNITY WALK in New Orleans, Saturday, 10 April 2010. The event begins at 10am at New Orleans City Hall and ends at 2pm at Lafayette Square. Bring your Louisiana Creole and Cajun flags and march for unity. Contact: Anna 504.821.7228

Next, since we're talking about Creole culture, I think Henriette Delille should be mentioned. After the tour, we visited a small plaque that was dedicated to her. I think she was an incredible woman with an enormous heart. According to the Times Picayune, Henriette Delille spent years caring for cast-off slaves, impoverished Africans and people of color in antebellum New Orleans.



According to the article I read, Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday issued a decree declaring Delille “venerable,” a status two steps removed from being formally recognized as a saint. It means the Vatican process that examines the historical record is formally convinced that Delille lived a life of “heroic virtue.”

I'm going to briefly attempt to sum up Canonization procedures in the Catholic Church. Basically, in order to be a saint in the Church, two miracles need to be accredited to you. (You can be dead or alive.) Various research (taking several years) is done to make sure that it is truly an 'out-of-the-ordinary' miracle that occurred.

Basically, Vatican has begun to do research into one of the miracles accredited to Delille. The potential miracle was one done in 1998. It was the cure of a 4-year-old Houston girl suffering from an overwhelming pulmonary infection. However, it may be many months, or more, before the order knows whether the Vatican concurs.

According to the article, advocates are encouraging people to ask for Delille’s favor in prayers, so that she will receive the two miracles needed for canonization.

For Complete Article Click Here.

Also, before leaving, please go to the French Quarter Festival! French Quarter Festival is from April 9 - April 11.

For more information Click Here.

I wish you a great weekend. There are plenty of activities that you can do!

Have fun,

--André