First Grace UMC

Growing up in the Catholic Church, I thought we were always friendly. My thoughts have stayed this way until I went on the class field trip to First Grace United Methodist Church. As soon as we walked in we received a bunch of “hello, welcome to First Grace.” This made my nerves ease at once. At my church, the priest does welcome visitors, but the whole congregation welcomed us at FGUMC. This warm welcome was followed through when peace was said. At my church, we only say, “peace be with you” to the couple of people around us. At First Grace UMC, they walk around saying, “peace be with you” to everyone. These random people coming up to me to say peace made me feel not only really welcome, but it made me feel like I was part of their church. Without such welcoming arms, I don’t think I would have enjoyed the mass as much as I did. I am really glad I got to experience First Grace.  

Photo Credit: Google Images

Above Ground Tombs

Above ground tombs in New Orleans cemeteries are a characteristic of the city that few other American cities have. According to this article, the original cemetery in New Orleans was the St. Peter Street Cemetery located in an area that is now part of the French Quarter. Originally, graves were dug in the ground however, it was fairly common due to the low ground level, for water to fill the grave soon after it was shoveled.

Picture of flooded cemetery courtesy of this site.

Once the St. Peter St. graveyard was at full capacity, the Spanish governor of New Orleans, Esteban Miro, established St. Louis Cemetery No.1 which would allow resident to be buried in the above ground, wall vault system that was popular in Spain at the time. Fumes coming from the still common ground burials were reported to have caused several epidemics during the 1830's and thus the city passed a law banning all burials in the established cemeteries unless they were in above ground vaults or tombs. This is the reason why today, all Catholic cemeteries in the city are filled with tombs and vaults.

A Welcoming Reception

I thought it would be nice if I shared my reflection on the visit to First Grace United Methodist Church on Sunday. I apologize for it being a bit lengthy (it came out to be four pages in Word). I hope you enjoy reading it and I hope it takes up a good chunk of space on the blog! *Edit: I posted this before class and the notice about not posting the entire paper. So please don't leave hateful comments :D

A Welcoming Reception

            First Grace United Methodist Church, a church that resides on Canal and is home to a thriving community of worshipers. The church is the living embodiment of two racially distinct congregations. First United Methodist and Grace United Methodist was a predominately white and black congregation, respectively. The devastation of Hurricane Katrina led to the union of the two and as a result First Grace United Methodist was formed. The church’s simple and natural appearance gives off a reassuring aura. The interior of the church houses the congregation within its warm infrastructure. In addition, all the members wore the smile and warmth of a welcoming gathering. From the appearance to the members, I felt that I was welcomed at First Grace United Methodist Church.

            At First Grace United Methodist Church, I was under constant bombardment of great hospitality. Everything the church offered was welcoming in every detail and aspect. I appreciated every moment of their kindness. The members of the congregation were very welcoming and excited to have us as their guest. Personally, I have never been to a church outside of a Catholic Church. Almost everything about the church was new. Most of the Catholic Churches I attend are structured very orderly and the atmosphere is usually dense. At First Grace however, the atmosphere was very different. The service extended beyond the simple church and member relationship. The members of the congregation were actually a part of the service. Each member of the congregation served as the extension of the church. Everyone had the desire and passion to establish a perfect unity of peace. It was in this state of mind where I found that I was comfortable and welcomed.

            In addition, the music at First Grace served as the core in the welcoming atmosphere. Personally, the music stood out the most in terms of my new experience. The music at First Grace was very lively and rich. The singing was echoed throughout the church in the voices of its members and it rang alongside the upbeats of the drums. The drumming was similar to a pulse; it fueled and replenished each voice with its powerful rhythms. The clapping and swaying of the congregation helped the music to take on a physical form. The music reflected their minds and spirits. I felt that they could continue on forever, singing and dancing to their heart and mind’s content. Indeed it did so felt that way, as the music seemed to have no boundaries. The themes of the songs were constantly implemented over and over again. The endless cycles ultimately established a message; a message that spoke directly to the people. It was a message developed by the people and conveyed for the people. Participation in the worship was opened to all regardless their age, voice, or talent. It was a gathering where all were welcome to participate.

            Moreover, the presentation given by President Kimbrough of Dillard University practically summed up my impression of the church. President Kimbrough described the church as peculiar. It was peculiar in terms of the church being distinct and unique. For me such a term best described my impression as well. Coming from a strict Catholic based family, I was often found in the church. I lived only blocks away from the local church and it sort of became my second home. During the summer, I felt that church was similar to the attendance of a summer school. My parents worked the entire summer without breaks and that placed my siblings and I in the care of my grandparents. Living with my grandparents and the addition to living near the church, there was absolutely no excuse in my Catholic driven family for not attending. Honestly, as a kid spending my summer attending mass was not in my best interest. I grew to dislike the church, as I perceived it to be boring. As a normal kid it was an only a reasonable conclusion. As I grew older my impression changed, as I became more understanding of the church and its purpose. The process took eight years to develop and it only became possible with the work of my family and my attendance at a Catholic institution. However, I feel that my conclusion that I reached while I was a kid is the norm for a great majority. In my community, kids are forced to attend mass and their motivation for mass is lacking. This becomes a problem, as some kids do not grow out of this state. This leads to the development of adults that are not capable of living a proper and righteous life as a Catholic.

            On the contrary, the service at First Grace is not only welcoming but encouraging as well. Reverend Shawn brought this to my attention when he mentioned that the youth and teens come to the church out of their own will. He mentions that the youth comes to the church in search of a home. The church welcomes them and assures them that it is their place of belonging. There are mentors that are devoted in looking after them. When the youth comes to the church, they see the faces of their mentors. This struck me as something extraordinary. The church’s peculiar environment draws in the youth to develop in its presence. I am not saying the Catholic Church does not do a great deal to nurture the youth but the methods they employ are not as effective. At First Grace the youth are able to grow and relate to the church’s congregation and service.

            Overall, my experience at First Grace was an enjoyable one due to the component of a welcoming congregation. The diverse nature of the church reflected its rich history and culture. The music of the congregation thrives in the voices of its member. The members of the congregation are crucial to the service. Without the members, the congregation loses it value of unity. Some may argue that it is a hindrance due to its demanding necessity. But in the realm of religions, a strong and faithful congregation is the objective to obtain. The members have a responsibility to uphold their beliefs and morals and the duty to spread their message. At First Grace, the members do just that in their welcoming nature.

Adrien De Pauger

In case you read my previous post about the St. Louis Cathedral, I mentioned a specific person: Adrien De Pauger. He was the one who designed and built the cathedral. However, there De Pauger was also very influencial in New Orleans as he not only designed this church, but he also designed Vieux Carre, known today as the French Quarter. Moreover, he was the first to draw a map of New Orleans. He was the one who named Bourbon and Royal street.  This street plan is still used today. Working with his partner, engineer Le Blond de La Tour, and also using slave labor, De Pauger was able to "construct the settlement making use of water-resistant cypress wood for raised cottage construction" (Wikipedia). I was really interested in finding out more about De Pauger but there is little if any information about him. All that is known is his works and that he was supposedly buried beneath the Cathedral. For a pictorial history of De Pauger, click Here.  

Looking beyond the wishing tomb

Marie Laveau's grave myths

There are a lot of secrets about the powers of Marie Laveua even in the after life. There are various believed rituals thought to work to ask for help from the voodoo queen herself. The three most common rituals are to knock three times on the slab and ask a favor. Also, there are always penciled crosses on the slab. There is also the belief that you draw an 
'X' on a cup that is attached to the tomb and place your hand over it. You then rub your foot three times against the bottom, throw some silver coins into the cup, and make your wish. The third belief is to leave offering of food, money, and flowers, then ask for Marie's help after turning around three times and marking a cross with red brick on the stone.

Mardi Gras Skeletons

Mardi Gras Skeletons

I was able to attend the talk at about the baby dolls and the skeletons at Loyola. I thought it was really interesting to learn more about the traditions and the thought behind the practice. The brothers who spoke about their lifestyle with participating as these bones. What they explained was very related to what we have learned in class about; they invoke the deceased and try to celebrate as them. Since Mardi Gras is a celebration to remember to enjoy life, they are there to remind us that we all die. They explained to us that they often are asked by parents to scare their kids into doing their work; I found this rather comedic. They are a very interesting tradition to remember while celebrating Mardi Gras.  

More on Mardi Gras Krewes

Look Around!

Here's some information on the more popular krewes:

Zulu is over 100 years old!

Rex has held more parades than any other krewe!

Endymion gets its name from Greek mythology, being the most handsome of mean and the god of youth and fertility!

Maroon Communities

Louisiana Swamp

A "Maroon" is defined as any person who is a mixture of African descent and also a descendant of a regions indigenous people (usually racially labelled "Reds" due to their skin color). This does not limit Maroons to exist only in the United States for they existed elsewhere including parts of Asia (in the loosest definition of the word). Although prominent populations existed mainly in the southern United States where the Trans-Atlantic slave trade truly blossomed, populations emerged from South Asia to the Caribbean, from as north as Nova Scotia, Canada to as far south as Argentina. Their presence in the United States was most significant in the states of Florida, Louisiana, North Carolina and Virginia where several Maroons successfully banded together to form functional communities along rivers, such as the Rigolets, lakes, like Pontchartrain and Borgne, and throughout the swampland's in each state. A common trait among these Maroon communities was that they were nearly (if not entirely) comprised of fugitive slaves and aboriginals who were enemies of the past policies of the United States of that era. Another common trait between these communities was there dedication to resisting white oppression and the slave trade. Although some aboriginal tribes allied with local governments in countries which had Maroon communities (and even returned escaped slaves to their masters), some also aided these formerly enslaved people. In some cases, Maroon communities owe much of their success to these aboriginal tribes including the Maroon community in Florida, called the Black Seminoles, who were famously allied with the aboriginal tribe, the Seminole Indians.

Fun Facts on Marie Laveau!

1. She practiced New Orleans Voodoo, but was a lifelong devout Catholic. She was baptized, married and had her children baptized in St. Louis Cathedral. After she abdicated her “throne” as Voodoo Queen later in life, she dedicated herself to such philanthropic endeavors as feeding and comforting condemned prisoners who were headed for the gallows.

2. Many sources link her with another legendary New Orleans figure, Pere Antoine.Some say he officiated her wedding and baptized at least some of her children. Some say they actually worked together, caring for victims of yellow fever.

3. Depending on the source, she was either a rival of or apprentice to a Voodoo priest named Doctor John. Guess whose stage name was inspired by him? Yep, ol’ Mack Rebennack, who wrote this groovy song about her.

4. Strangely enough, Shel Silverstein – you know, the guy who wrote the kids’ books The Giving Tree and Where The Sidewalk Ends – wrote a song about Marie Laveau, performed by Dr. Hook. It’s not even remotely based on fact, but an amusing little ditty. (Shel also wrote “A Boy Named Sue” for Johnny Cash. Totally unrelated, but totally interesting, don’t you think?)

5. Most sources say her father, Charles Laveau, was a wealthy, white plantation owner. But there are those who suggest that her father was a free man of color, who spelled his surname, Laveaux. There’s even a government-issued historical plaque on a building in the Marigny that supports this theory.

Marie Laveau’s beauty and mystique are captured in many renderings, like this one by New Orleans artist, Dimitri Fouquet. (Image courtesy of nola.humidbeings.com)

6. After her first husband either died or disappeared, she had a white, common law husband, named Christophe Glapion, with whom she had as few as seven, or as many as 15 children. Apparently, as a free woman of color, she wasn’t legally allowed to marry a white man, but managed to live and procreate together.

7. She owned slaves! Wow, New Orleans had some really complicated social strata back then, and Marie Laveau was a prime example.

8. She was a highly sought-after hairdresserfor wealthy Creole and American women. Many say she gained power and prestige by becoming a confidante and sometimes Voodoo practitioner to these powerful citizens. Many also say blackmail may have played a role in her success.

9. Remember that scandalous 2009 incidentwhen reality show characters crashed a White House state dinner? Desiree Glapion Rogers, the first African-American White House social secretary and descendant of Marie Laveau, was at the center of that controversy. She stepped down soon thereafter, but became CEO of the publisher of Jet and Ebony magazines. Among her bragging rights is that she’s a two-time queen of the Krewe of Zulu.

Check Out More Here!

First Grace United Methodist: A Union out of Devastation

First Grace United Church from their site.

First Grace United Methodist Church is a fine example of the bonding of New Orleans as a result of Hurricane Katrina.  First Graces United Church is actually the bonding of two churches less than one block away from each other.  First United Church was a predominantly white congregation, and Grace United Methodist was a predominantly African-American congregation, yet when they both dealt with the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, they came together under one combined church: First Grace.  This church is said to be one of the most diverse churches in the city of New Orleans.  In this article, Stephanie Martin states,

 “It’s the coming together. It’s black, it’s white, it’s Latino … and it’s love. I guarantee you if you come, you’re gonna feel the love!”  First Grace is again, a classic example of the teamwork and love shared among New Orleanians as a result of Katrina.  I find it fascinating that Katrina, something so devastating  could bring people together, and that through religion is where we find such strong and courageous examples of love and support in New Orleans.

Voodoo Dolls

I remember a brief discussion in class about Voodoo candles and their purposes. That led Dr. Wessinger to mention some shops in New Orleans that sells authentic Voodoo supplies. Usually when I  think of Voodoo shops, I immediately associated it with Voodoo dolls. I know its the wrong mindset to have since it has been commercialized as something sinister. Personally, I don't know a lot about Voodoo dolls beyond the famous image of the pin and doll. I looked up a neat article here, that gives a nice background and explanation to Voodoo dolls.


In a sense, Voodoo dolls can serve as an object of both good and evil. A practitioner of Voodoo implements that the dolls are capable working such phenomenons. A Voodoo doll that is mass produced holds no value in power. Typically Voodoo dolls are made with characters or traits in mind and are usually blessed with certain spells. Ultimately, the doll becomes a vessel that invites Spirits to act through.

First Grace United

First Grace United Methodist Church is the existing Protestant congregation formed from the merger of two
pre-Katrina churches, First United Methodist Church and Grace United Methodist Church . This merger is significant because it merged the historically white congregation of First Grace United Methodist and the historically black congregation of Grace United Methodist Church. During the interim period after Katrina

First Grace United Methodist Church

and before the merger, both churches struggled with maintaining their numbers as well several problems with attaining a proper worship space (Grace United had to host worship services in a school for a year before the merger). In the first year after the merger in 2007, the congregation size more than doubled from 60 members to 130 and is becoming increasingly diverse with the recent addition of a minister from the Hispanic/Latino ministries. Currently, the goals of the congregation are to promote Christ through worship and public services in charities which include but are not limited to; running a womens shelter called Hagar's House, serving free meals on Sundays and hosting free English and Spanish classes. Presently, the congregation worships in the First Grace United Methodist Church on Canal Street.  

Burying Statues Upside Down

During last Thursday's class, Dr. Wessinger mentioned having found a statue of a saint buried upside down in her yard. This seemed very appealing to me so I thought I might try to find some more information on this subject. This is what I found.

After searching through many religious websites I found that by far, Saint Joseph, the husband of Mary, was the most popular saint to bury in the ground. The tradition, according to this website, is traced back to Saint Teresa of Avila, who prayed to Saint Joseph, the patron saint of buying and selling houses to help find land for Christian converts. This tradition has carried on over the centuries and even today, many faithful homeowners plant their Saint Joe in the ground in hopes that he may help sell their house for them. There is no clear indication that the statue should be burying right side up or upside down. Tradition simply points towards the latter.

Marie's prison altars

In class on Thursday, we discussed the passages we had to read for class. In that discussion it was mentioned that after her retirement as Voodoo Queen, Marie Laveau began to devote most of her time to the Roman Catholic Faith and doing charity work. Of Marie's charity works, none caught people's attention more than her prison visits, which got an article in the Daily Picayune. The article stated that Marie would visit prisoners who were about to be executed, erect an altar and pray for them. Though no details about the altars was every found I believe that Marie was building an altar for Baron Samedi, the Loa of the dead and father of the Gede nation to help ease the prisoners' pain and transition to death. This seems to be a reasonable assumption given that fact that Papa Samedi is the Loa that controls the crossroad between life and death and is a great healer. 

Looking deeper into Marie Laveau's grave

 Marie Laveu's grave myths

The location, rituals, and myths about the grave of the 19th century voodoo queen, Mari Laveau, are all well hidden among those who hold the answer. The grave is sometimes is also referred to as the "wishing tomb". This name comes from the various myths about the different powers that have been acquire by Marie Laveau, as the voodoo queen, in the after-life. According to csicop.org there are a couple of more believed rituals that can help you get a wish granted by the voodoo queen herself. The first one is if you knock on the tomb 3 times and ask a wish it will come true. The second one, is draw one x on a cup next to the tomb, place your hand over it, rub your foot against the bottom, throw some silver coins into the cup, and make a wish . The third is to leave offerings of food, money and flowers, then ask for Marie's help after turning around three times and marking a cross withe red brick on the stone. Though we don't know if any of these are actually true, it just ads more mestique to the whole voodo queen.

Sister Helen Prejean

Sister Helen Prejean’s lecture focused mainly on the American legal system and more specifically, on the death penalty for convicted murderers. To help the audience understand her points, she related the story of one death row inmate named Patrick, and how he came to be on death row. It was Patrick’s execution that prompted her to start this ministry across the nation, calling for an end to the death penalty in the courts. A few of her main points were that the death penalty does not help either the convict nor the victims and their families, that it actually causes more harm than good, and that the death penalty is inherently racist. While here arguments are not watertight, her lecture did help us learn more about the American legal system and how the victims react with the entire process.

            One of the most fascinating aspects of her lecture was when she spoke of her encounters with various families of murder victims and their view on the whole scenario. I found it enlightening that for some families, the legal system actually brings more frustration and turmoil to their lives than it does solace. Due to the inherent nature of murder cases, both the attorneys and prosecutors will pull out all of the stops and attempt nearly every legal strategy to win their case, which will almost always result in incredibly long and drawn out court cases. It harms the victim since he or she will be constantly unsure of whether or not he or she will lose and face a life sentence or the death penalty. It harms the victim’s families in that they’re constantly told that winning the case and watching the murderer be executed will bring them peace, but the actual court process just makes their lives worse. Sister Helen Prejean’s lecture brought us more insight into the actual lives of the victim’s families and convict about to face the death penalty. She allowed us to see more of the legal system than what is just on paper.

            I actually do not see how much of what Sister Helen Prejean spoke of relates to our class since our class focuses more on the religions common to the city of New Orleans. I feel that her lecture would be more apropos to a class on morality or ethics, or to a law course. The fact that Patrick was born-again and found God could tie in to our course, but the main lecture actually had little to do with religion. As for whether or not I liked the lecture, I would have to say that there were some aspects of her lecture that didn’t agree with me. Her talk did present new information and a new way of looking at the death penalty, but I still found fault with some of her arguments. I also couldn’t shake the thought that, since her work began wither relationship with Patrick and then having to see him die, what if she saw Patrick and his partner murder the children instead. Would her view on the death penalty be different in that case? Ultimately, I did enjoy her lecture and wish her the best of luck in her endeavors.   

First Grace United Methodist

Some of the First Grace United Methodist Church Choir 

Two years after Hurricane Katrina hit in October the two United Methodist congregations merged to form one united congregation. Grade Methodist had 155 years of history as a rich African-American cultured congregation. But, when Katrina blew through out of the Gulf of Mexico it scattered 100 or so members out of New Orleans. First Methodist was even older than Grace. Its history goes back to 184 years ago, and it was one of the flagships of white mainline Protestantism in New Orleans. 

First Methodist opened in the fall on 1960s on Canal Street, built at a cost of $12 million in today's dollars. Now today they  have 1200 members and to accommodate for the large amount of people they had three services each Sunday. The rise of suburbs and the cultural and political upheavals in the '60s and '70s brought down First Methodist and other urban mainline Protestant congregations into a long decline. 

The dynamics of present day First Grace today are not only shaped by the collaboration of the two previous congregations. But a sizable third party: the new post-Katrina members. Many of them young and with children, Hispanics, and from all walks of life. 

Mardi Gras Colors

The three traditional colors of Mardi Gras are purple, yellow and green. Purple represents justice, green represents faith and yellow represents power. The story behind the choice of these three colors is that they were chosen by Grand Duke Alexis Alexandrovitch Romanoff of Russia when he visited New Orleans in 1872. While in the city, the Krewe of Rex granted him the honor of choosing the official colors of Mardi Gras and the colors also became the official colors of the House of Romanoff.  The colors chosen for the holiday also affected the choice of colors for new universities that sprang up in the city. Louisiana State University chose purple and gold due to the large amount of fabric of that color in the city and Tulane purchased much of the remaining color, green.