Cajun Country: Roman Catholicism & Other Rites
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Roman Catholicism is an integral part of the
culture and landscape of southern Louisiana, in striking contrast to the
fundamental Protestantism of the rest of the South. Several examples
illustrate this theme.
Click on photos to see more. 1) a small Catholic town, Convent, LA, on the Mississippi River 2) a Jesuit retreat for lay people, Manresa House of Retreats |
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3) festival of bonfires in St.
John, St. Charles, St. James, and Ascension parishes since the 1700s.
Wooden structures are built on top of the Mississippi River levee at 50 yard
internals for about two miles. Preceding the winter solstice and during the
weeks before Christmas, each night one fire is lit. This pagan practice was
incorporated into Catholicism. 4) above-ground graves, whether in a rural cemetery or larger town |
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5) the German Catholics in Roberts Cove -- not all Catholics are of
French origin. 6) Saint Valerie shrine at St. Joseph Cathedral in Thiboduax has an ornate glass and wooden casket containing a wax body embedded with an actual severed arm of St. Valerie. Fr. Charles Menard obtained the arm on a visit to Rome in 1867. |
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