St. Frances Cabrini Church
Encyclopedia
St. Frances Cabrini Church was a Roman Catholic
church in New Orleans, Louisiana
the heart of the parish of the same name in the Archdiocese of New Orleans
. The parish was an area bounded by Lake Pontchartrain
, mid-city,and two major canals. The parish was carved from St. Raphael Parish in 1953 and the original church was but a small quonset hut built by the men in the parish. They later added an extension wing to it, to make the quonset hut L-shaped to accommodate the growing neighborhood and population in the parish. Unfortunately, the quonset hut was accidentally burned to the ground one early morning in 1961.
The parish had also built a parochial grammar school for grades kindegarten through eighth grade on the same campus grounds as the church quonset hut and rectory house. Years later, a second building on the campus grounds was built, called the towers, which provided for additional classroom facilities for the grammar school.
Years later with more growth the parish and the archdiocese contributed to building a parochial high school across the street from the campus. It was an all (and only) girls Academy called St. Joseph Academy for grades 9 through 12.
Plans for a new church were already underway when the quonset hut had burned down. The gymnasium of St. Joseph Academy was temporarily used to conduct Masses and other church services until the new church was built. In 1963, the new church structure was completed; it was a masterpiece in architectural design and modernity. The modern stained glass and sweeping arcs of the white roof curved up to the tallest white steeple and steel cross ever seen in this part of the residential lakefront section of New Orleans. The altar of the church was an enormous and masterful single carving in one piece of marble, commissioned in Italy. The altar crucifix was similarly imported. It was a three dimensional wooden image of the resurrected Christ that was suspended by steel cables that appeared nearly invisible to the naked eye. This very large statue of the risen Christ with flowing robe ascending above the altar provided a unique and reverential atmosphere from all other churches in the city of New Orleans. The pews were made of blanched wood, and the floors a white terrazzo which all further lightened the atmosphere to an almost ethereal quality within the church, especially when reflecting sunlight through the stained glass around the roof's modern arcs. The bottom of the church's great steeple dove past the roof down into the church as four curved pillars and represented structural yet graceful markings bounding the altar area.
on August 29, 2005, including wind damages and flood waters and from standing in nearly 10 feet (3 m) of water for many weeks before the city authorities could drain the flood water from the city. The damages were so extensive that the Archdiocese of New Orleans decided not to try and refurbish the church or demolish it and rebuild anew. The decision was partly because the church's roof was very challenging and costly to maintain requiring constant repairs which often went beyond the parish's means. For some years prior to Katrina, the parish itself had undergone somewhat of a transformation since time necessitated that the great generation of members who founded the parish and built the churches pass on the torch to lead the parish to a new generation that unfortunately was less engaged and smaller in population. The parish was gaining new and younger families to the area when hurricane Katrina devastated all the surrounding neighborhoods as well as the parish causing the entire parish to be displaced.
Holy Cross plans to tear down St. Frances Cabrini church to make room for the relocation of Holy Cross High School (relocating from their 100 year old historical building and campus grounds on the Mississippi river levee in the lower 9th ward that was severely damaged due to Hurricane Katrina).
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
church in New Orleans, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
the heart of the parish of the same name in the Archdiocese of New Orleans
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans, officially in Latin Archidioecesis Novae Aureliae, is an ecclesiastical division of the Roman Catholic Church administered from New Orleans, Louisiana...
. The parish was an area bounded by Lake Pontchartrain
Lake Pontchartrain
Lake Pontchartrain is a brackish estuary located in southeastern Louisiana. It is the second-largest inland saltwater body of water in the United States, after the Great Salt Lake in Utah, and the largest lake in Louisiana. As an estuary, Pontchartrain is not a true lake.It covers an area of with...
, mid-city,and two major canals. The parish was carved from St. Raphael Parish in 1953 and the original church was but a small quonset hut built by the men in the parish. They later added an extension wing to it, to make the quonset hut L-shaped to accommodate the growing neighborhood and population in the parish. Unfortunately, the quonset hut was accidentally burned to the ground one early morning in 1961.
The parish had also built a parochial grammar school for grades kindegarten through eighth grade on the same campus grounds as the church quonset hut and rectory house. Years later, a second building on the campus grounds was built, called the towers, which provided for additional classroom facilities for the grammar school.
Years later with more growth the parish and the archdiocese contributed to building a parochial high school across the street from the campus. It was an all (and only) girls Academy called St. Joseph Academy for grades 9 through 12.
Plans for a new church were already underway when the quonset hut had burned down. The gymnasium of St. Joseph Academy was temporarily used to conduct Masses and other church services until the new church was built. In 1963, the new church structure was completed; it was a masterpiece in architectural design and modernity. The modern stained glass and sweeping arcs of the white roof curved up to the tallest white steeple and steel cross ever seen in this part of the residential lakefront section of New Orleans. The altar of the church was an enormous and masterful single carving in one piece of marble, commissioned in Italy. The altar crucifix was similarly imported. It was a three dimensional wooden image of the resurrected Christ that was suspended by steel cables that appeared nearly invisible to the naked eye. This very large statue of the risen Christ with flowing robe ascending above the altar provided a unique and reverential atmosphere from all other churches in the city of New Orleans. The pews were made of blanched wood, and the floors a white terrazzo which all further lightened the atmosphere to an almost ethereal quality within the church, especially when reflecting sunlight through the stained glass around the roof's modern arcs. The bottom of the church's great steeple dove past the roof down into the church as four curved pillars and represented structural yet graceful markings bounding the altar area.
After Hurricane Katrina
The church suffered great damage from hurricane KatrinaHurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
on August 29, 2005, including wind damages and flood waters and from standing in nearly 10 feet (3 m) of water for many weeks before the city authorities could drain the flood water from the city. The damages were so extensive that the Archdiocese of New Orleans decided not to try and refurbish the church or demolish it and rebuild anew. The decision was partly because the church's roof was very challenging and costly to maintain requiring constant repairs which often went beyond the parish's means. For some years prior to Katrina, the parish itself had undergone somewhat of a transformation since time necessitated that the great generation of members who founded the parish and built the churches pass on the torch to lead the parish to a new generation that unfortunately was less engaged and smaller in population. The parish was gaining new and younger families to the area when hurricane Katrina devastated all the surrounding neighborhoods as well as the parish causing the entire parish to be displaced.
Sale to Holy Cross High School
Since hurricane Katrina, the neighborhoods in and around this parish have been slow to repopulate for the many reasons other New Orleans neighborhoods similarly affected have been slow. The parish members who could attend met several times with the Archdiocese of New Orleans to discuss its rebuilding plans. The Archdiocese declared that it was not planning on bringing the two schools on the campus grounds back to life since they had not yet seen sufficient population in the area to justify this very expensive endeavor. The parish members finally decided to vote and the majority voted to sell the parish campus grounds to Holy Cross High School, formerly located in the lower ninth ward of New Orleans. The Archdiocese agreed and supported this decision. This school is a parochial all (and only) boys school for grades 5 through 12.Holy Cross plans to tear down St. Frances Cabrini church to make room for the relocation of Holy Cross High School (relocating from their 100 year old historical building and campus grounds on the Mississippi river levee in the lower 9th ward that was severely damaged due to Hurricane Katrina).