Sisters of the Holy Family - Season 1 Episode 3
S1E3: Sisters of the Holy Family
Join us as we head to New Orleans to visit Venerable Henriette Delille and the Sisters of the Holy Family. Henriette wanted to join the Catholic church as a nun, but as a “natural” daughter and a person of color, no order that would accept her. In response, Henriette founded her own order, the Sisters of the Holy Family. Through the powerful life and legacy of Henriette and the order she founded, we have a window into the experiences of the Black Catholic tradition in the South and the church’s complicated history with racism and racial justice.
Henriette’s story requires us to address moments when the church has failed its call to support racial justice and the full personhood of all people. We discuss the mixed history of the Catholic Church in the South, and offer some ways to learn from the story of Henriette as we continue to work for equality and justice in the church.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Gaustad, Edwin S., and Mark A. Noll, eds. A Documentary History of Religion in America to 1877. Third Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2003.
Gaustad, Edwin, and Leigh Schmidt. The Religious History of America The Heart of the American Story from Colonial Times to Today. Revised Edition. New York: HarperOne, 2002.
Griffith, Ruth Marie, ed. American Religions: A Documentary History. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008.
Andrews, Edward Deming. The Gift to Be Simple: Songs, Dances and Rituals of the American Shakers. New York: Dover Publications Inc, 1967.
Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty. “Witness to Freedom: Ven. Henriette Delille,” 2006. https://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/religious-liberty/fortnight-for-freedom/upload/Henriette-Delille-Fortnight-2016.pdf.
Collum, Danny Duncan. Black and Catholic in the Jim Crow South: The Stuff That Makes Community. New York: Paulist Press, 2006.
Copeland, M. Shawn. “Tradition and the Traditions of African American Catholicism.” Theological Studies 61, no. 4 (December 1, 2000): 632–55. https://doi.org/10.1177/004056390006100402.
Copeland, Mary Shawn. The Subversive Power of Love: The Vision of Henriette Delille. New York: Paulist Press, 2009.
Davis, Cyprian. “Black Catholics in Nineteenth Century America.” U.S. Catholic Historian 5, no. 1 (1986): 1–17.
Farrelly, Maura Jane. “Catholicism in the Early South.” The Journal of Southern Religion 14 (2012). http://jsr.fsu.edu/issues/vol14/farrelly.html.
Sisters of the Holy Family. “Henriette Delille.” Accessed June 21, 2020. https://www.sistersoftheholyfamily.com/henriette-delille.
Old Ursuline Convent Museum. “‘One Heart, One Soul’: The Life and Legacy of Henriette Delille.” Accessed June 21, 2020. https://www.oldursulineconventmuseum.com/pastexhibit.
Phelps, Jamie T, ed. Black and Catholic: The Challenge and Gift of Black Folk: Contributions of African American Experience and Thought to Catholic Theology. Milwaukee, WI: Marquette University Press, 2002.
Porche-Frilot, Donna Marie. “Propelled by Faith: Henriette Delille and the Literacy Practices of Black Women Religious in Antebellum New Orleans.” LSU Doctorial Dissertations, Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, 2005.
Old Ursuline Convent Museum. “Timeline.” Accessed June 21, 2020. https://www.oldursulineconventmuseum.com/timeline.
Archdiocese of Washington. “Venerable Henriette Delille.” Accessed June 21, 2020. https://adw.org/living-the-faith/our-cultures/black-history-month/venerable-henriette-delille/.
Zeitz, Josh. “When America Hated Catholics.” POLITICO Magazine. Accessed June 21, 2020. https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/09/when-america-hated-catholics-213177.
ABOUT CHURCH HISTORIA
Christianity is not an “or” religion.
The incarnation itself demands that we hold in tension that Jesus was both fully human and fully God.
Christianity is an “and” religion.
We think the variety within the Christian tradition is beautiful. We like to use the word tapestry to describe that diversity, the richness that helps us see and hold in tension and balance the “and” of Christianity. This tapestry, with its many shapes and colors across denominations, regions, and countries, helps us hold that tension in which we find ourselves.
Church Historia celebrates the tapestry of the Christian tradition through the lens of history. Hosted by church historian Stephanie Fulbright and church history enthusiast Leslie Eiler Thompson, this new podcast identifies people and places in the Christian tradition and uses their stories to discover new threads in the tapestry of Christianity.
For Christians and non-Christians alike, this journey through the past will help us see ourselves, our neighbors, and our present realities more vibrantly. Season 1, “Who Are Your People?” explores Southern Christian traditions and the history that frames them.
Sign up for the email list to get updates on Church Historia, and additional information when episodes release.
ABOUT THE HOSTS
STEPHANIE FULBRIGHT
HOST, IN-PODCAST HISTORIAN,
AND TEA MISTRESS
Stephanie had an interest in history from a young age and fell in love with Church History in college. In 2017, Stephanie completed her Master of Theological Studies, in Public History of Religion, at Vanderbilt University. Her thesis, Contentious Histories: Why They’re Important and How to Tell Them Well, encourages those in reconciliation and community justice work to think about how history connects with the work they do.
A lifelong passion of Stephanie’s is sharing history and tools of historical thought with others, so we can experience the world around us more deeply and become better neighbors. Stephanie frequently teaches church history and Sunday School programs.
Stephanie can often be found with a cup of tea, a good book, and her Great Dane puppy, Mouse.
LESLIE EILER THOMPSON
CO-HOST, PRODUCER,
AND IDITAROD EXPERT
With a math-teaching father and art-teaching mother, it’s no surprise that Leslie Eiler Thompson’s work often strikes a balance between craft and calculation. Highly creative, idiosyncratic, and multi-faceted, Leslie’s work finds itself taking shape in many forms - from storytelling and writing to podcast hosting (Someone Like Me Podcast) & producing (Tokens Podcast), to owning a creative marketing and publicity studio. There’s even some singing sprinkled into the mix.
Spending most of her childhood and adolescent years on a theatrical stage sparked an attitude of curiosity in Leslie, one which has developed into a call to humanize - to work with heart and to share with purpose and meaning.
Inspiration strikes Leslie in the English-Ivy covered hills just outside of Nashville, Tennessee. In 2020, Leslie got to experience the Iditarod dog sled race in Alaska, but that’s another story for another time.