Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans

Infobox Roman Catholic diocese
Roman Catholic Diocese of=Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans
Latin name of diocese=Archidioecesis Novae Aureliae


caption=The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis serves as mother church of the Archdiocese of New Orleans
location=New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
territory=Parishes of Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, St. Tammany, Washington
population=
rite=Roman Rite
Patron Saints=St. Louis
Our Lady of Prompt Succor
province=Archdiocese of New Orleans
established=April 25, 1793
cathedral=Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis
co-cathedral=
leadership=Archbishop of New Orleans
website= [http://www.arch-no.org/ Archdiocese of New Orleans]
pope=Benedict XVI
metropolitan=Alfred Clifton HughesArchbishop of New Orleans
ordinary=Alfred Clifton HughesArchbishop of New Orleans
auxiliary=Shelton Joseph Fabre, Roger Paul MorinThe Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans, officially in Latin "Archidioecesis Novae Aureliae", is an ecclesiastical division of the Roman Catholic Church administered from New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the second-oldest diocese in the present-day United States, having been elevated to the rank of diocese on 25 April 1793 by Pope Pius VI during Spanish colonial rule. Our Lady of Prompt Succor is the patron saint of the diocese and the Cathedral of Saint Louis is its mother church.

Led by an archbishop, the Archdiocese of New Orleans is the center of a larger ecclesiastical province. The Metropolitan Province of New Orleans include the suffragan Dioceses of Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Houma-Thibodaux, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport.

Summary

The archdiocese encompasses eight civil parishes in the New Orleans metropolitan area: Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, St. Tammany, and Washington. There are 137 church parishes in the archdiocese, ministered by 387 priests (including those belonging to religious orders), 187 permanent deacons, 84 brothers, and 432 sisters. There are 372,037 Catholics on the census of the Archdiocese, 36% of the total population of the area. The current head of the archdiocese is Archbishop Alfred Clifton Hughes. He is assisted by two auxiliary bishops, Shelton Joseph Fabre and Roger Paul Morin. There are two Archbishops Emeriti: Archbishop Francis Bible Schulte and Archbishop Philip Matthew Hannan.

History

The Catholic Church has had a presence in New Orleans since the founding of the city by the French in 1718. New Orleans and the rest of Louisiana west of the Mississippi were surrendered to the Spanish in 1763. From 1763 until 1783 the two Floridas were under British control, but as part of the Peace of Paris (1783) the two Florida colonies were regained from Great Britain. Thus, the pioneer parishes of New Orleans and Louisiana were incorporated into the Diocese of Louisiana and the Two Floridas when it was erected on 25 April 1793. The diocese originally encompassed the entire Louisiana Territory, from the Gulf of Mexico to Canadian border, as well as the Florida peninsula and the Gulf Coast.

The date of its establishment makes it the second-oldest diocese in the present-day United States: the Archdiocese of Baltimore was established on 6 November 1789. At the time of its establishment, the territory of the Diocese of Louisiana and the Two Floridas was part of the Archdiocese of San Cristobal de la Habana (Havana) in what is now Cuba.

The diocese was divided into smaller dioceses several times, and many modern dioceses in the central United States were originally part of the Diocese of Louisiana. As capital of the Louisiana, the city was sold to the United States in 1803. The diocese was renamed the Diocese of New Orleans in 1830, and encompassed what is now Louisiana and Mississippi. New Orleans was elevated to an archdiocese in 1850. As the population of Louisiana grew, the Archdiocese of New Orleans was further subdivided into several additional dioceses.

In its long history, the Archdiocese and the city of New Orleans have survived several major disasters, including several city-wide fires, a British invasion, the American Civil War, multiple yellow fever epidemics, anti-immigration and anti-Catholicism, the New Orleans Hurricane of 1915, Segregation, Hurricane Betsy, and an occasional financial crisis, not to mention Hurricane Katrina. Each time, the Archdiocese rebuilt damaged churches and rendered assistance to the victims of every disaster. More recently, the church has faced an increased demand for churches in the suburbs and a decline in attendance to inner-city parishes. The church has also weathered changes within the Roman Catholic Church, such as the Second Vatican Council, and changing spiritual values throughout the rest of the United States. Nolan, Charles E. [http://www.archdiocese-no.org/history/french.htm "A Brief History of the Archdiocese of New Orleans."] 2001 May. ]

The archdiocese sustained [http://catholic.org/clarionherald/gallery.php?photo=2 severe damage] from Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. Numerous churches and schools were flooded and battered by hurricane force winds. In the more heavily [http://www.catholic.org/clarionherald/gallery.php?photo=30 flooded neighborhoods,] such as St. Bernard Parish, many parish structures were wiped out entirely. Finney, Peter. [http://www.catholic.org/clarionherald/issue/20051001/ "Devastation."] The Clarion Herald. 2005 Oct. 1. Vol. 44, No. 9. ]

Over two years later, the long process of rebuilding the archdiocese continues. Et al. [http://www.catholic.org/clarionherald/issue/20060826/ "Katrina: Recovery/Renewal."] The Clarion Herald. 2006 Aug. 26. Vol. 45, No. 32. ]

Heritage

The Archdiocese of New Orleans is a culturally diverse community within the diverse city of New Orleans. As a major port, the city has attracted immigrants from around the world. New Orleans has had a large population of African American Catholics since the colonial days of the city. European immigrants, such as the Italians, German Bavarians and Irish have also been a part of the Archdiocese throughout its history. More recently, many Vietnamese Catholics from South Vietnam have settled in the city, as well as new waves of Mexicans, Hondurans, Nicaraguans and Cubans.

Landmarks

The best known church in the [http://archdiocese-no.org/parishes/index.html New Orleans Archdiocese] is the historic St. Louis Cathedral fronting the Spanish Plaza de Armas, now Jackson Square, in the French Quarter. This church was originally built in 1718, shortly after the founding of the city. The modest building was destroyed by fire several times before the current structure was built between 1789 and 1794 during the Spanish domination. During renovations to the cathedral between 1849 and 1851, St. Patrick's Church, the second-oldest parish in the city, served as the pro-cathedral of the archdiocese.

Bishops

*Luis Peñalver y Cárdenas (1793-1801)
*Francisco Porró y Reinado (1801-1803)
*John Carroll (1805-1812)*
*Louis-Guillaume Dubourg (1812-1826)**
*Joseph Rosati (1826-1829)***
*Leo-Raymond de Neckere (1829-1833)
*Antoine Blanc (1835-1850)

* As apostolic administrator.** From 1812 to 1815 as apostolic administrator.***Rosati was Bishop of St. Louis and administered New Orleans.

Archbishops

*Antoine Blanc (1850-1860)
*Jean-Marie Odin (1861-1870)
*Napoléon-Joseph Perché (1870-1883)
*Francois-Xavier Leray (1883-1887)
*Francis Janssens (1888-1897)
*Placide-Louis Chapelle (1897-1905)
*James Hubert Blenk (1906-1917)
*John William Shaw (1918-1934)
*Joseph Francis Rummel (1935-1964)
*John Patrick Cody (1964-1965)
*Philip Matthew Hannan (1965-1989)
*Francis Bible Schulte (1989-2001)
*Alfred Clifton Hughes (2002-present)

chools

econdary schools

High Schools

* Academy of the Sacred Heart (New Orleans)
* The Academy of Our Lady, (Gretna)
* Archbishop Chapelle High School (Unincorporated Jefferson Parish, Metairie address )
* Archbishop Hannan High School (Unincorporated St. Bernard Parish, Meraux address--moved to Unincorporated St. Tammany Parish after Hurricane Katrina)
* Archbishop Rummel High School (Unincorporated Jefferson Parish, Metairie address)
* Archbishop Shaw High School (Unincorporated Jefferson Parish, Marrero address)
* Brother Martin High School (New Orleans)
* Cabrini High School (New Orleans)
* De La Salle High School (New Orleans)
* Holy Cross High School (New Orleans)
* Holy Rosary High School (Metairie)
* Jesuit High School (New Orleans)
* Mount Carmel Academy (New Orleans)
* Pope John Paul II High School (Slidell, Louisiana) (Slidell)
* St. Charles Catholic High School (Unincorporated St. John the Baptist Parish, Laplace address)
* St. Augustine High School (New Orleans)
* St. Gerard Majella Alternative School (New Orleans)
* Saint Mary's Academy (New Orleans)
* St. Mary's Dominican High School (New Orleans)
* St. Paul's School (Covington)
* St. Scholastica Academy (Covington)
* Ursuline Academy (New Orleans)
* Xavier University Preparatory School (New Orleans)

Recently closed schools:
* Archbishop Blenk High School (Gretna) Merged with Immaculata High School for the 2007-2008 school year into The Academy of Our Lady (Gretna)
* Immaculata High School (Unincorporated Jefferson Parish, Marrero)
* Redeemer-Seton High School (New Orleans)

Middle schools and junior high schools

* Christian Brothers School (New Orleans)
* Henriette Delille Middle School (New Orleans)
* Marian Central Catholic Middle School (New Orleans)
* St. Rosalie Middle School (Unincorporated Jefferson Parish, Harvey address)

K-8 schools

* All Saints School (New Orleans)
* Annunciation School (Bogalusa)
* Ascension of Our Lord School (Laplace)
* Cathedral Academy (New Orleans)
* Christ the King Parish School (Terrytown)
* Corpus Christi School (New Orleans)
* Good Shepherd Nativity Mission (New Orleans)
* Holy Ghost School (New Orleans)
* Holy Name of Jesus School (New Orleans)
* Holy Name of Mary School (New Orleans)
* Holy Rosary Academy (New Orleans)
* Immaculate Conception School (Marrero)
* Immaculate Heart of Mary School (New Orleans)
* Mary Queen of Peace School (Mandeville)
* Our Lady of Divine Providence School (Metairie)
* Our Lady of Grace School (Reserve)
* Our Lady of Lourdes School (New Orleans)
* Our Lady of Lourdes School (Slidell)
* Our Lady of Perpetual Help School (Belle Chasse)
* Our Lady of Perpetual Help School (Kenner)
* Our Lady Of Prompt Succor School (Chalmette)
* Our Lady of Prompt Succor School (Westwego)
* Our Lady of the Lake School (Mandeville)
* Resurrection of Our Lord School (New Orleans)
* Sacred Heart of Jesus School (Norco)
* St Agnes Parochial School (Jefferson)
* St. Alphonsus School (New Orleans)
* St. Andrew the Apostle School (New Orleans)
* St. Angela Merici School (Metairie)
* St. Anthony of Padua School (New Orleans)
* St. Anthony School (Gretna)
* St. Ann School (Metairie)
* St. Benedict the Moor School (New Orleans)
* St. Benilde (Metairie)
* St. Catherine of Siena School (Metairie)
* St. Charles Borromeo (Destrehan)
* St. Christopher School (Metairie)
* St. Clement of Rome School (Metairie)
* St. Cletus School (Gretna)
* St. Dominic School (New Orleans)
* St. Edward the Confessor School (Metairie)
* St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (Kenner)
* St. Joan of Arc School (LaPlace)
* St. Joan of Arc School (New Orleans)
* St. Louis Cathedral School (New Orleans)
* St. Louis, King of France (Bucktown)
* St. Louise de Marillac School (Arabi)
* St. Margaret Mary School (Slidell)
* St. Mark School (Chalmette)
* St. Mary Magdalene School (Metairie)
* St. Matthew the Apostle School (River Ridge)
* St. Monica School (New Orleans)
* St. Paul the Apostle School (New Orleans)
* St. Peter Catholic School (Covington)
* St. Peter Claver School (New Orleans)
* St. Peter School (Reserve)
* St. Philip Neri (Metairie)
* St. Pius X School (New Orleans)
* St. Raymond School (New Orleans)
* St. Rita School (Harahan)
* St. Rita School (New Orleans)
* St. Robert Bellarmine School (Arabi)
* St. Rosalie Elementary School (Harvey)
* St. Simon Peter School (New Orleans)
* St. Stephen School (New Orleans)
* Stuart Hall School (New Orleans)
* Visitation of Our Lady School (Marrero)

Primary schools

* St. Rosalie School (Harvey, K-5)

Other

* Hope Haven Special School (Marrero)
* St. Michael's Special School (New Orleans)

Sources

References

See also

* The Province of New Orleans.

* List of the Roman Catholic dioceses of the United States.

General References.

* [http://www.archdiocese-no.org The Archdiocese of New Orleans Official Website.]

* Nolan, Charles E. " [http://www.archdiocese-no.org/history/french.htm A History of the Archdiocese of New Orleans.] " May 2001.

* Cheney, David M. [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dnewo.html Catholic Hierarchy Website.]

Other References.

* [http://www.archdiocese-no.org/about/missionstatement.html Archdiocesan Statistics.]

* [http://www.ccano.org/ Catholic Charities of New Orleans.]

* " [http://www.clarionherald.org/ The Clarion Herald,] " the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of New Orleans.

* John and Kathleen DeMajo. [http://www.neworleanschurches.com/ Gallery of New Orleans Churches,] including numerous Catholic Churches.

* The "Catholic Encyclopedia's" article for the [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11005b.htm Archdiocese of New Orleans.]

* [http://www.stopthemerger.net/ Organizational website devoted to the opposition of merging Archbishop Blenk and Immaculata high schools]