A Legacy of Caring for the Elderly in New Orleans

By Aisha C. Young

Venerable Henriette Delille is the foundress of The Sisters of the Holy Family. Born in 1812, she was a descendant of enslaved people and a free woman of color. As her grandmother’s namesake (Henriette Labeau), she was “destined for eldercare.” Henriette enjoyed caring for aunts, uncles, great aunts, and great-uncles, as well as cousins who were scattered through the city.  She was also instructed by her mother in the art of nursing.  How to prepare medicines for the sick and using roots and herbs with curative properties was a skill that was passed on from mother to daughter by these colored nurses. After receiving the sacrament of confirmation,  Delille clearly became a woman committed to the Lord. Her guiding motto, written in a prayer book, captures what defined her heart and spurred her vocation: “I believe in God. I hope in God. I love. I want to live and die for God.”

The Sisters of the Holy Family (SSF) was founded in New Orleans on Nov. 1, 1842, and is the second oldest Black order of religious women in the United States. It began when Delille and two friends, Josephine Charles and Juliette Gaudin, opened their home to a few elderly enslaved people who needed care. Upon completing novitiate training, she professed vows as Mother Superior along with her two friends to form the Sisters of the Holy Family. The sisters nursed the aged and sick, cared for patients during the Yellow Fever epidemic and opened schools. Henriette, Josephine, and Julia took genuine delight in visiting the sick and the aged, feeding the indigent, teaching religion to the poor and the enslaved, and praying in church. Their motto was “One Heart and One Soul.” They committed to three obligations:

Their first obligation was to be pious women, beyond reproach. Their rules stated that each woman should “seek to bring back the Glory of God and the salvation of the neighbor by a charitable and edifying behavior.” Their rules stipulated that if a member of the congregation was to fall into considerable fault and continue to give scandal, the superior either alone or with assistance of her council will admonish her three times in a charitable manner. If the advice is not heeded, she will be dropped from the membership of the Congregation.”

The second goal the women defined for themselves was to help each other. They recognized that each woman alone could do little to evangelize or care for others. It was only through their collective strength that they could address the needs of the population to which they ministered.

The third and main goal of their ministry was their commitment to the larger community. The women wrote in their constitution that “the sick, the infirm, and the poor” were the first and dearest objects of the solitude of the Congregation.”

The Sisters of the Holy Family were among the few beneficent Black organizations in the 19th century. Even through 1860, the sisters cared for elderly women. A census taker visited the convent and discovered the care of a blind 115-year-old Guinea pauper named Charlotte. In the beginning, Father Etienne Rousellon, the order’s clergy sponsor, thought that the Sisters of the Holy Family would be a cloistered order of nuns. However that was not in line with their charism. The name “Sisters of the Holy Family” did not appear in the Catholic Directories until 1870, and the sisters were not permitted to wear a habit until 1872, 30 years after they were founded.

 Henriette Delille’s cause for canonization was opened in 1988, and she was declred Venerable in 2010. The Sisters of the Holy Family is currently the largest Black order of nuns. It is still open and vibrant. A portrait of Black philathropist Thomy Lafon is prominently placed in the foyer of the Mother House of the Sisters of the Holy Family today. The Lafon Nursing Home has been housed directly across the street from the motherhouse since 1973. There is now an activity center on the site. It, too, is still open and vibrant.

 Because of the beliefs upon which the Sisters of the Holy Family was founded, they have continued with elder care for nearly two centuries. According to the Sisters of the Holy Family Archives, the Lafon Nursing Home was the first of its kind in the city. The City Directory of the 1800s listed the organization as the St. Bernard Home and the Hospital of the Holy Family. The Home-Hospital did extensive work on behalf of the citizenry stricken during the yellow fever epidemic and received special citations from the city for its service. The capacity of the home has been maintained throughout the years, with admissions made at first by personal request and later through the agencies established by the city and state regulatory bodies. Mother Mary Consuella Mistric was the administrator of the Lafon Home for the Aged from 1915-1965.

St. John Berchmans Manor is a joint venture between the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Sisters of the Holy Family.  This 150-unit complex opened to residents on Dec. 7, 1982. This facility provides housing to low-income elderly and handicapped. There is 24-hour security for the residents.

On April 7, 1987, Delille Inn, an independent living center, opened in New Orleans.  Delille Inn is another joint venture between HUD and the Sisters of the Holy Family. HUD’s residential area includes 51 unfurnished apartments, 38 one-bedroom apartments, and 13 efficiency units. The Sisters of the Holy Family provided a multi-purpose area for the residents, which included an assembly room, kitchen, meeting room, lounge area, and bathrooms. Residents participate in many activities and outings throughout the year, including the Lafon Nursing Home Carnival Ball. The Sisters of the Holy Family provide spiritual development to the residents with Mass on Saturdays and First Fridays. A chaplain is available onsite.

The Sisters of the Holy Family also provided other long-term care options. In 1847, the Association de la Sainte Famille began to provide outside funding to support the work of the order. Hospice de la Société de la Saint Famille erected the building acquired by the association and began operations on June 6, 1849. Known as the Hospice of the Holy Family, it was established “to come to the aid of aged persons who are sick and poor and who in their difficult situation do not know where to go for relief of their pains.” It was the first of its kind in New Orleans for African Americans. Unfortunately, after many decades this facility is closed.

(Aisha C. Young is President of the Colorado Springs Council for Black Catholics.)