SSF MAIN SITE
(excerpt from the Henriette Delille brochure)
In this piece, the reader will be told about Henriette Delille, what she did, why she is important, and why she is a candidate for sainthood.
Born in 1812, Henriette Delille was a real life person like you and me. She was born a free woman of color and lived her life in New Orleans, Louisiana. Henriette was surrounded by family and friends.
Among Henriette's relatives was her great, great grandmother who was a slave from West Africa. Her mother and the other women in her family formed liaisons or serial monogamous relationships with white men. This means colored women "in concubinage" with wealthy white men. In recent findings, in funeral records, Henriette may have given birth to two sons who died before the age of three. She had one sister and two brothers, one of whom died in infancy. Descendants have been found and are in touch with the Sisters.
When Henriette was 24 years old, she underwent a religious experience. This religious experience is expressed in a brief declaration of faith and love. On the flyleaf of a book centered on the Eucharist, is a profession of love, in her own handwriting. Written in French: "Je crois en Dieu. J'espère en Dieu. J'aime. Je v[eux] vivre et mourir pour Dieu."
In 1836 Henriette drew up the rules and regulations for devout Christian women, which would eventually become the Society of the Holy Family. The group was founded for the purpose of nursing the sick, caring for the poor, and instructing the ignorant.
Born in 1812, Henriette Delille was a real life person like you and me. She was born a free woman of color and lived her life in New Orleans, Louisiana. Henriette was surrounded by family and friends.
Among Henriette's relatives was her great, great grandmother who was a slave from West Africa. Her mother and the other women in her family formed liaisons or serial monogamous relationships with white men. This means colored women "in concubinage" with wealthy white men. In recent findings, in funeral records, Henriette may have given birth to two sons who died before the age of three. She had one sister and two brothers, one of whom died in infancy. Descendants have been found and are in touch with the Sisters.
When Henriette was 24 years old, she underwent a religious experience. This religious experience is expressed in a brief declaration of faith and love. On the flyleaf of a book centered on the Eucharist, is a profession of love, in her own handwriting. Written in French: "Je crois en Dieu. J'espère en Dieu. J'aime. Je v[eux] vivre et mourir pour Dieu."
In 1836 Henriette drew up the rules and regulations for devout Christian women, which would eventually become the Society of the Holy Family. The group was founded for the purpose of nursing the sick, caring for the poor, and instructing the ignorant.
1842 is the date for the founding of the Sisters of the Holy Family for the same purposes. Henriette was assisted by her friends, Juliette Gaudin and Josephine Charles. Records show that these women served as godmothers to many: slaves, free, children, and adults. They also witnessed many marriages.
With a three pronged program and a set of carefully drawn up rules, they
expressed their apostolic intentions through caring for the sick,
helping the poor, and instructing the ignorant of their people, free and
enslaved, children and adults, in the name of Jesus Christ and the
Church.
expressed their apostolic intentions through caring for the sick,
helping the poor, and instructing the ignorant of their people, free and
enslaved, children and adults, in the name of Jesus Christ and the
Church.
VENERABLE HENRIETTE DELILLE
- A descendant of slaves
- A native New Orleanian
- An evangelizer
– A servant of the poor.
Henriette lived a holy life, caring for the slaves, the sick, the orphaned, the aged, the forgotten
and the despised.
When canonized,
she will become the first
U.S. native born
African American saint.
Henriette lived her prayer:
“I believe in God.
I hope in God. I love. I want to live and die for God.”
Mother Henriette founded the Sisters of the Holy Family in 1842.
They took into their home elderly women who needed more than visitation, and thereby opened America's first Catholic home for the elderly of its kind, as recorded in the National Register. Noteworthy are the heroic efforts of the early Sisters who cared for the sick and the dying during the yellow fever epidemics that struck New Orleans in 1853 and 1897.
In the eyes of the world Henriette may not have accomplished much, but her obituary and the Catholic Church tell us otherwise. “ . . . (Henriette) devoted herself untiringly for many years, without reserve, to the religious instruction of the people of New Orleans, principally of slaves. . . .” The last line of her obituary reads, ". . . for the love of Jesus Christ she had become the humble and devout servant of the slaves.”
Because she lived such a holy, prayerful, and virtuous life, we, the Sisters of the Holy Family, wanted to present her to the world as a model of a true Christian. Therefore, we asked, from the Catholic Church, permission to begin a canonization process. Through the efforts of the late Archbishop Philip Hannan, this request was granted by Blessed John Paul II in 1988. The Church then declared her "Servant of God."
The process to sainthood has four phases: servant of God, venerable, blessed, and saint. Two of the phases, servant of God and venerable, are complete. Venerable was decreed by Pope Benedict XVI March 27, 2010.
Venerable Henriette Delille is the first United States native born African American whose cause for canonization has been officially opened by the Catholic Church. What remains for the process to be complete is the validation of an alleged miracle which is now being processed. If all goes well and Pope Benedict XVI issues the decree of the alleged miracle's authenticity, then Henriette will be proclaimed blessed.
What follows is a glorious ceremony and celebration in New Orleans. A second miracle would be needed for sainthood.
Venerable Henriette Delille lived her prayer: "I believe in God. I hope in God. I love. I want to live and die for God."
Please join us in praying for her beatification.
In the eyes of the world Henriette may not have accomplished much, but her obituary and the Catholic Church tell us otherwise. “ . . . (Henriette) devoted herself untiringly for many years, without reserve, to the religious instruction of the people of New Orleans, principally of slaves. . . .” The last line of her obituary reads, ". . . for the love of Jesus Christ she had become the humble and devout servant of the slaves.”
Because she lived such a holy, prayerful, and virtuous life, we, the Sisters of the Holy Family, wanted to present her to the world as a model of a true Christian. Therefore, we asked, from the Catholic Church, permission to begin a canonization process. Through the efforts of the late Archbishop Philip Hannan, this request was granted by Blessed John Paul II in 1988. The Church then declared her "Servant of God."
The process to sainthood has four phases: servant of God, venerable, blessed, and saint. Two of the phases, servant of God and venerable, are complete. Venerable was decreed by Pope Benedict XVI March 27, 2010.
Venerable Henriette Delille is the first United States native born African American whose cause for canonization has been officially opened by the Catholic Church. What remains for the process to be complete is the validation of an alleged miracle which is now being processed. If all goes well and Pope Benedict XVI issues the decree of the alleged miracle's authenticity, then Henriette will be proclaimed blessed.
What follows is a glorious ceremony and celebration in New Orleans. A second miracle would be needed for sainthood.
Venerable Henriette Delille lived her prayer: "I believe in God. I hope in God. I love. I want to live and die for God."
Please join us in praying for her beatification.
DATES AND EVENTS IN THE LIFE OF
VENERABLE HENRIETTE DELILLE
DATES AND EVENTS IN THE LIFE OF
VENERABLE HENRIETTE DELILLE
1812
Date used for Birth. A baptismal certificate has not been found. The theologians who studied the positio accepted that she must have been baptized since she received other sacraments. Also that Henriette could have had the baptism of desire.
Her obituary states, “. . . Miss Henriette Delille had for long years consecrated herself totally to God without reservation to the instruction of the ignorant and principally to the slave . . . .”
The following is Henriette’s prayer that inspired her courage to found the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Family. Her prayer is "I believe in God, I hope In God. I love. I want to live and die for God."
1828-1830
This information, Henriette gave birth to two sons who died very young, was found in funeral records in 2004. The theologians explained that this was within acceptable limits because Henriette had not yet made her Confirmation and her life thereafter showed heroic virtue.
Henriette’s great, great grandmother
was a slave from West Africa.
The women in her family formed liaison relationships with white men.
She had two brothers, one died in
infancy, and one sister.
Descendants from her sister and
brother have been found. They are
in touch with the Sisters.
1836
When Henriette was 24 years old, she underwent a religious experience of some intensity. “This religious experience is expressed in a brief declaration of faith and love. On the flyleaf of a book centered on the Eucharist., is found a profession of love in her own handwriting.” Written in French, translated
“I believe in God. I hope in God.
I love. I want to live and die for God.”
(Cyprian Davis)
1836
Henriette drew up the rules and regulations for The Sisters of the Congregation of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
They are described as “a certain group of pious women founded for the purpose of nursing the sick, caring for the poor, and instructing the ignorant.
Recognized by the Church in 1841.
Henriette was assisted by her
lifelong friends, Juliette Gaudin
and Josephine Charles.
1838
Henriette Delille began serving as sponsor and witness for slaves and other people of color in the carrying out the sacramental ministry. Records of her ministry may be found at St. Mary’s Church, St. Augustine, and St. Louis Cathedral.
She continued her apostolic ministry
by acting as witness for marriages,
sponsor for many baptisms, slave,
free, adults, and children. Thus the
old baptistery at St. Louis Cathedral
was made into a prayer room in
Henriette’s honor.
Henriette also catechized with Pere
Etienne Rousselon at St. Augustine
Church and the school on St. Claude
1842
is the date for the founding of the Sisters of the Holy Family for the same purpose as the Sisters of the Presentation.
It is also the year for the founding of
the Old Folks Home because the
Sisters took in old, sick people as
soon as they began to live in
community. This home continues
today.
According to Sister Bernard Deggs’
Journal , this community was very
poor and the Sisters made many
sacrifices so that they might
accomplish their mission.
1847
To help Henriette accomplish her work, loyal lay men and women of her race established The Association of the Holy Family.
They helped to build a new home for the elderly and the sick, dedicated in 1849, Hospice if the Holy Family.
1851
Henriette had personally purchased a home for the Sisters to live in community and to further their ministry.
Henriette faced many obstacles in
forms of social, political, and
financial opposition, but she
overcame them.
In the face of slavery and racism she
persevered.
She spent her life caring for the sick
and the elderly, assisting the poor,
catechizing and instructing the
unlearned.
1862
Henriette died at the age of 50. The last line of her obituary reads: “ (Henriette) for the love of Jesus Christ made herself the humble devout servant of slaves.”
Her legacy lives on