- Feb 5, 2002
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I don’t know how other priests put their names in the hat for parish assignments. Some dioceses don’t even let you ask. I’m sure many that do ask write a formal email to the bishop cc’ing the vicar general. I’ve only asked for an assignment once, and the vicar general was sitting in his recliner beside me. It was in the height of the COVID lockdown and we each had a COVID-era sized pour of an Old Fashioned. I had heard rumors that Our Lady of Mount Carmel would possibly be open as an assignment that upcoming year, so five sips in I texted my bishop, and a few months later, I got the call.
I had been to St. Francisville a few times, for day trips and friends’ weddings. If you know about St. Francisville, you know it’s no Molokai and I’m no Damien. It is a quaint town of only 1,500 or so residents. Though small, it packs a mighty tourism punch. Little boutiques dot the one street downtown. Bed & Breakfast Inns are a staple. As you cruise down its only main road, Ferdinand St., you are welcomed by historic homes, well kept, some of which are antebellum, all of which add their unique natural character. Unlike many places in South Louisiana, St. Francisville has not historically boasted a deep Catholic culture. In the 18th century, Franciscan Capuchins from Pointe Coupee would cross the Mississippi to bury their dead in the bluffs during rainy season, but most of the time, the population was made up of English Episcopalians and Methodists. Even so, there has always been a Catholic presence, even if a small one.
At the end of Ferdinand Street, just before dropping down toward the river, you reach Catholic Hill. Archbishop Perche of New Orleans must have had a keen eye for location, because in 1871 he told the Catholics of the town to “buy that hill and build a church,” as legend goes, with the plans of General P.T. Beauregard. Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church sits prominently on the highest point of St. Francisville overlooking Bayou Sara, the once thriving port city, now practically deserted due to the great flood of 1929.
Continued below.
www.jdvjournal.com
I had been to St. Francisville a few times, for day trips and friends’ weddings. If you know about St. Francisville, you know it’s no Molokai and I’m no Damien. It is a quaint town of only 1,500 or so residents. Though small, it packs a mighty tourism punch. Little boutiques dot the one street downtown. Bed & Breakfast Inns are a staple. As you cruise down its only main road, Ferdinand St., you are welcomed by historic homes, well kept, some of which are antebellum, all of which add their unique natural character. Unlike many places in South Louisiana, St. Francisville has not historically boasted a deep Catholic culture. In the 18th century, Franciscan Capuchins from Pointe Coupee would cross the Mississippi to bury their dead in the bluffs during rainy season, but most of the time, the population was made up of English Episcopalians and Methodists. Even so, there has always been a Catholic presence, even if a small one.
At the end of Ferdinand Street, just before dropping down toward the river, you reach Catholic Hill. Archbishop Perche of New Orleans must have had a keen eye for location, because in 1871 he told the Catholics of the town to “buy that hill and build a church,” as legend goes, with the plans of General P.T. Beauregard. Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church sits prominently on the highest point of St. Francisville overlooking Bayou Sara, the once thriving port city, now practically deserted due to the great flood of 1929.
Continued below.
"The Secular Priest for a Secular Age" by Fr. Brad Doyle — Joie de Vivre
I don’t know how other priests put their names in the hat for parish assignments. Some dioceses don’t even let you ask. I’m sure many that do ask write a formal email to the bishop cc’ing the vicar general. I’ve only asked for an assignment once, and the vicar general was sitting in his recliner bes
www.jdvjournal.com
