In 1920, the well-known Corpus Christi Parish in the Seventh Ward of New Orleans had only been in existence four years. Creole master-builder Louis Charbonnet donated his time and talent to design and oversee the construction of the combination church-school building on Onzaga Street, which was dedicated in 1920. The sanctuary within the school building served as the parish’s place of worship until the beautiful Spanish-mission style edifice on Saint Bernard Avenue was constructed in 1930. Shown here are the delegates to the Tenth National Convention of the Knights of Peter Claver. These men come from some of the most well-known Creole families in Lousiana and along the Gulf Coast; among them – Creuzot, Faustina, Mason, Felton, Aubry, Figaro, Charbonnet, et als.
Corpus Christi was the fifth parish in New Orleans erected for parishioners of color. The first four were Saint Katherine’s on Tulane Avenue, established in 1895; Saint Dominic’s (later renamed Saint Joan of Arc) in 1909; Blessed Sacrament in 1915; Holy Ghost in 1915. The first four parishes were all located in the Uptown section of the city.
J.C.L.H.
What about St Augustine in Treme?
Saint Augustine’s in Treme was not historically a black parish. It was erected for the people of the Faubourg Treme, who were Creoles, both white and black. It maintained more or less a racial balance until the 1890s when the Sicilian migration shifted the scales towards white. In the Jim Crow era it was considered a “white” parish. Only with the neighborhood changes of the 1960s and 1970s did the parish become predominantly black. The ones I mentioned in the post were erected with the intent of being “national parishes” for blacks. I gave the first five, the others were All Saints, Holy Redeemer, Saint Peter Claver, Saint Raymond, Saint David, Saint Philip the Apostle, and Saint Paul the Apostle.
Thanks for this great history! I am saddened that so few of these parishes remain.