Catholics Mix Faith and Dating Henriette’S Life
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Inside Archbishop Buechlein . 5 Editorial . 4 Question Corner . 9 The Sunday and Daily Readings . 9 Serving the CChurchCriterion in Centralr andi Southert n Indianae Since 1960rion www.archindy.org July 9, 2004 Vol. XXXXIII, No. 39 75¢ Priest’s decade of research yields Photo by Brandon A Evans Brandon Photo by book on Mother Henriette Delille NEW ORLEANS (CNS)—Henriette Delille, a free black woman born in New Orleans around 1810 and descended from a long line of free black women, set aside the life expected of her and made a courageous choice to live for God, said her biographer. She founded the Sisters of the Holy Family, a religious community for black women. Researching and writing the biography of Mother Henriette Delille was like putting together the pieces of a jig- saw puzzle, said Benedictine Father Cyprian Davis. His forthcoming book, Henriette Delille, Servant of Slaves, Witness to the Poor, chroni- cles the life of the free black woman. Fr. Cyprian Father Davis, a Davis, O.S.B. professor of Sam Mitchel, left, shares a conversation with Chris Reitz, right, during an evening of Catholic Speed Dating on June 6 at St. Christopher Parish in Church history at Saint Meinrad School Indianapolis. Ron Schnellbacher, center, carries on a conversation with a woman, who is out of sight behind Mitchel. of Theology in Indiana, said he wanted the book to be a “serious scholarly work” and has spent the past 10 years assem- bling the various pieces of Mother Catholics mix faith and dating Henriette’s life. “All the pieces are not there,” he said, By Brandon A. Evans enter into a conversation lasting several Good Shepherd Parish in Indianapolis, “but you work with what you have and minutes. Time is called, and the partners gives singles a chance to find someone make an educated guess about the miss- Speed dating is a modern twist on the switch and meet other people. It is, in a with one important thing that they have ing pieces.” concept of love at first sight—a shortcut certain way, choreographed mingling. At in common—their faith. In 1994, the Sisters of the Holy around the often complicated ordeal of the end, the singles mark down which of “Peter and I had a conversation last Family chose Father Davis to write the finding someone to date. the people they met that they would like to summer,” Mack said. They talked about biography of their foundress, whose can- The 25 singles gathered at St. Christo- share a date with. the difficulty of Catholic singles in their onization cause was accepted in 1988 by pher Parish in Indianapolis one evening The facilitators line up mutual matches 20s, 30s and 40s finding someone else the Vatican Congregation for Saints’ last month put their own spin on this new then contact the people with that informa- who is a committed Catholic. Causes. If her cause advances, she could method of finding someone to go out tion and let them decide if they will pursue Schenk said that no other Catholic become the first African-American saint. with: They made it Catholic. the match. program for young adults had encom- “When you do a biography, you want The concept of speed dating is simple: Catholic speed dating, started in the passed dating as part of their programs. good sources like diaries and letters. take a roomful of singles and systemati- archdiocese by Peter Schenk of St. Jude “The groups that we were involved There was very little of that,” he told the cally require one man and one woman to Parish in Indianapolis and Theresa Mack of See DATING, page 16 Clarion Herald, newspaper of the New Orleans Archdiocese. He found his information in civil records, Church records and financial Several parishes start holy hours for vocations records, and in the archives of the Sisters of the Holy Family. By Sean Gallagher Center in Bloomington. Surprisingly, in the middle of some He also displayed and explained a See DELILLE, page 2 Approximately one year ago, prayer booklet, In Prayer for Vocations: Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein The Holy Rosary and Eucharistic unveiled a series of strategic goals for Adoration, which he offered to be used the archdiocese that were designed to in the holy hours at each parish. In col- seek its renewal in the coming years. laboration with the Indianapolis Serra Together, they are called “A New Club, 5,000 copies of the booklet were Moment of Grace 2007.” printed for the archdiocese so that each Father Joseph Moriarty, vocation parish could have approximately director for the archdiocese, recently 30 copies. launched an initiative aimed at achieving The booklet was an adapted form of one of those goals. one published by the Rogationist In response to the archbishop’s goal to Fathers, a religious order based in “engage the perpetual adoration aposto- California that seeks to promote voca- late” in order to promote vocations to the tions. Printed by the Rogationists, the priesthood and religious life, Father booklet was customized for the archdio- Moriarty, in collaboration with the cese by placing a letter from the arch- Indianapolis Serra Club, invited the pas- bishop on the inside front cover and a tors and parish life coordinators of every prayer he wrote on the back cover. parish in the archdiocese to establish a Father Moriarty decided to invite all monthly holy hour of eucharistic adora- archdiocesan parishes to have a monthly tion for vocations. holy hour for vocations after experienc- Father Moriarty spoke about this to ing some success in a pilot program that many of the priests of the archdiocese on he oversaw earlier this year. June 7 at their biannual priesthood day In it, he asked the pastors of held this year at the St. Paul Catholic See VOCATIONS, page 2 Page 2 The Criterion Friday, July 9, 2004 be intelligent and resourceful entrepre- four elderly women, probably former neurs, amassing money and property.” slaves, who lived in a house next door to PROGRAM CNS file photo continued from page 1 Although her mother claimed herself the sisters. to be illiterate, he noted, she was a busi- Judging by the sisters’ library and bookkeeping records, Father Davis found nesswoman who bought and sold prop- archives, which contained the works of Mother Henriette’s rules for the sodality erty and slaves. St. Francis de Sales and St. Teresa of or confraternity that she was planning to Mother Henriette’s sister, Cecile, had Avila, Father Davis concluded that the form. “Her name was not on the list of several children by a wealthy man and fledgling group was made up of educated members, but the rules were in her hand- inherited a comfortable settlement when and literate women. writing,” he said. he died. That would have been the nor- “They had a rather good library, equal The Delille family became free mal thing for Henriette to do, said Father to many others of literate and educated because Mother Henriette’s great, great Davis, but it was not the case for her. In people,” Father Davis added. grandmother, Nanette, who was from about 1836, she underwent a religious Mother Henriette had been sick peri- Africa and was brought to America as a experience during which she wrote, “I odically during her life. When she made slave, was freed after the death of her wish to live and die for God.” her first will in 1851, she was described owner. Years later, Nanette had amassed “She was active in baptizing slaves as being very sick. Eighteen months enough money to buy her daughter, and encouraging marriages among later, she drew up another will in which Cecile, and two of her grandchildren out them,” said Father Davis. she left a gift to help “continue the chari- of slavery. Records at St. Louis Cathedral and table works that I have founded.” Under Spanish rule at the time, St. Augustine Church show that she was A surprise in this will, Father Davis Louisiana had laws on slaves’ rights so a a frequent sponsor at baptisms. said, was that she freed her slave, Betsy, slave could be bought out of slavery over Additionally, she was active in the but put her in her brother’s care until she the wishes of his or her owner. St. Claude School, an establishment for could be freed without having to leave “Under their law,” said Father Davis, the education of young girls of color. Louisiana, as the law at that time Henriette Delille, a free black woman born in “a slave could demand that an owner “We don’t know how much she taught required. In a third will, in 1860, she New Orleans around 1810, set aside the life name a price for the slave’s freedom, and at the school,” said Father Davis. “We simply freed Betsy. expected of her and made a courageous choice if the owner refused, there was a court can only hypothesize that she instructed Mother Henriette died in 1862, proba- to live for God, said her biographer, Bene- process that could be followed.” at the school.” bly of tuberculosis, Father Davis said. dictine Father Cyprian Davis. His forthcoming Mother Henriette’s family was not During the 1840s, Mother Henriette Father Davis said he enjoyed doing book, Henriette Delille, Servant of Slaves, poor, Father Davis said. “In fact, her began assembling the group of women the research for his book. Witness to the Poor, chronicles the life of the uncle was a man of wealth,” he added. who would become the Sisters of the “Trying to put it all together was more founder of the Sisters of the Holy Family.