My celebration of Holy Week began this year in a very different way. Instead of spending Palm Sunday in our home-parish, hustling up and down the sidewalk between the church and the social hall checking to see if all the working parts are in place (it’s not my job, it’s my personality), I spent an amazing two hours with our close friends, Nicole and Ralph Johnson at their parish in New Orleans. Touted as the “Uptown church with the down-home message,” the parish of Blessed Sacrament/St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church did not disappoint.
Formed by a diocesan reorganization following Hurricane Katrina in 2008, the then separate parish of Blessed Sacrament joined St. Joan of Arc and the two became one. I tried to find more information on the history of the two parishes, but couldn’t find any online. I did learn that New Orleans is the home of the largest concentration of Afro-American Catholics in the United States, in large part due to the city’s French roots and the “Code Noir” in 1724 which required all slave-holders to have their slaves baptized Catholic. Surprisingly, Catholic Churches in New Orleans were not segregated by race until Reconstruction to appease white supremacists. Whatever its particular history, my history with Blessed Sacrament/St. Joan of Arc, is one of warmth and impassioned embrace of the Spirit.
In keeping with the tradition of Palm Sunday, Mass began with an outdoor procession. Instead of the perfunctory walk up and down the parking lot as I’ve experienced in the past, the members of Blessed Sacrament/St. Joan of Arc processed around six blocks neighboring their church, onto the city streets, singing and waving to the folks sipping coffee on their front porches as we walked by. Returning to the church, we entered to the large sound of gospel music. To say the choir was good would be like saying the Mona Lisa is a nice painting. Both are masterpieces!
Although Catholic Mass is essentially the same everywhere, all are seasoned with local customs and traditions. At Blessed Sacrament/St. Joan of Arc the seasoning is Cajun; it is very spicy and leaves a warm feeling inside. And, while I was aware that Dave and I were among a mere handful of white faces in the congregation, I never felt anything but acceptance and belonging. After all, we were not different, we were the same – Catholic Christians celebrating Jesus’ entry into our lives.