New Orleans woman being considered for Sainthood

I found an article about a New Orleans nun, Henriette Delille, who worked caring for cast-off slaves in antebellum New Orleans. She's being considered for sainthood by the Vatican. On Monday, Pope Benedict XVI declared Delille to be "venerable," which is two steps away from formally being recognized as a saint. The article claims that "Delille's story could have happened only in pre-Civil War New Orleans." The city contained a large, eclectic group of people from different racial, social, and economic backgrounds. Delille was a French-speaking woman of African descent, which is speaks to the diversity of races and unique cultures found in the city to this very day. There are many connections to be made to things we have discussed in class. First of all, Delille's story reminds me of the pastor in the graphic novel, New Orleans AD, who went back to the city to care for victims of Katrina. Religious leaders often have an important role in rebuilding communities. Also, the fact that Delille could canonized for caring for cast-off slaves reminds one of New Orleans' tumultuous past and the racial tensions that still exist in the city. For example, there are the rather baseless claims that the government did not respond so quickly to Katrina because it was mostly minority communities that had to bare the brunt of the damage. Regardless, Dellile's story is an important example of New Orleans culture.

Here is a link to the article: http://www.nola.com/religion/index.ssf/2010/03/henriette_delille_moves_closer_to_sainthood_for_work_with_new_orleans_slaves.html