NEW ORLEANS, LA 

Holy Ghost Catholic Church in New Orleans, LA celebrated its one hundredth anniversary as a place of Catholic worship on October 17-18, 2015 with a weekend of parish festivities.  Now part of St. Katharine Drexel Parish, Holy Ghost Church was founded by the Spiritans in the Uptown neighborhood of New Orleans in 1915 with the financial assistance of St. Katharine Drexel and some African-American Catholics.  The Spiritan community faithfully served the Holy Ghost community for 92 years until 2007 when the parish was merged with the neighboring St. Francis DeSales and Holy Trinity Parishes as part of the re-structuring of the Archdiocese after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.  Thirteen Spiritan pastors and dozens of other Spiritan associates faithfully served the parish community during the first ten decades of the parish.

Fr. Michel Boutot, C.S.Sp., the last Spiritan pastor at Holy Ghost and currently serving as Provincial of the Spiritan community in Quebec, represented the Spiritan community at the parish celebration this month which included an Anniversary Banquet on Saturday, October 17th at Xavier University Hall from 5:00-9:00 PM which was attended by more than 350 people.  Among the attendees were some priests and deacons who were originally from Holy Ghost Parish and that are now working in various dioceses in the country, and the President of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, Sr. Donna Breslin, S.B.S., along with some Sisters of the Holy Family.

On Sunday, October 18th, there was a Mass of Thanksgiving celebrated at the church by Archbishop Gregory Aymond, the Archbishop of New Orleans.  The church was overflowing as hundreds of parishioners from the past and present came together for a weekend of praise and worship which celebrated the dedication and faith of the many people who contributed to the proud history and tradition of Holy Ghost Church.

On many occasions during the celebrations, parishioners, guest speakers and organizers thanked the Spiritans for their fidelity and hard work at Holy Ghost Parish. The parishioners of St. Katharine Drexel and those who attended the celebrations were moved by the history presentations that was shown during the festivities. It can go without saying that the people of Holy Ghost Church remember with joy the great work of the Spiritans in New Orleans. Archbishop Aymond expressed his deep appreciation to the Spiritans on behalf of the Archdiocese and the people of New Orleans.