You won't believe what the Church did to Father Plantevigne
Cher, you know how we talk about our history, the good and the bad, right? Well, there's a story making the rounds that just breaks your heart, baby. It's about Father John Plantevigne, the first Black Josephite priest from our state back in the early 1900s. You'd think that would be a source of pride, a cause for celebration in a city like ours, but the Catholic Church here in New Awlins, they wouldn't let him say Mass. Imagine that, a man of God, ordained and ready to serve his community, and they wouldn't let him do his sacred work because of the color of his skin.
This wasn't just some small slight; the man died "a broken man with a broken heart" because of it. You can't tell me that don't sting, even all these years later. We got churches on every corner here, from St. Louis Cathedral in the French Quarter to all the little neighborhood churches in the Tremé and Bywater. To think of someone dedicated to that path being denied his calling, right here in the most Catholic city in the South, it's just a raw deal. It reminds you that even with all our beauty and culture, New Awlins still got some ugly scars from the past we gotta remember. That's New Orleans, baby—we bury our dead above ground and keep the music below, but some hurts, they just linger.
### What This Means for New Orleans
* **A painful reminder:** This story throws a spotlight on the racial discrimination that was woven into the fabric of our city, even within its most revered institutions. It's easy to romanticize the past, but stories like Father Plantevigne's keep us honest. * **Cultural legacy:** While our city celebrates its vibrant Black culture and history, especially in places like the Tremé, stories of systemic oppression often get overlooked. This is a crucial piece of our shared history that deserves to be known. * **Ongoing dialogue:** It’s a moment to reflect on how far we've come and how much further we still need to go in ensuring true equality and justice for all, especially in a place where faith and community are so intertwined.
This isn't just a historical footnote, cher. This is part of *our* story, the real New Awlins story, the one you don't always hear on Bourbon Street. It's about understanding the deep roots of our resilience, but also acknowledging the pain that was unjustly inflicted, right here in our own backyard.
That's the kind of deep dive Bobby and the team get into every single morning, where y'at? Catch 'em live at mornings.live.