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Antoine Blanc, 1792-1860
by William L Greene $35.00
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Antoine Blanc: 1792-1860 |
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Stock Number: 1-59804-448-6
Author: William L Greene |
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ANTOINE BLANC, fourth bishop and first archbishop of New Orleans. He was a
native of Sury-le-Comtal, France born in the year 1792, right at the end of
the French Revolution. He was ordained a priest in 1817 and answered the
appeal of the newly ordained bishop of New Orleans, William DuBourg, the
second bishop of the See, who was rounding up recruits in Europe for his
diocese.
Blanc came to the America, and was first sent
to Pointe Coupée, Baton Rouge, were he also covered the missions of
Feliciana. He was the appointed Vicar General and Administrator of New
Orleans, and became the fourth bishop of New Orleans in 1835. In 1850, New
Orleans became an archdiocese and Antoine Blanc became the first Archbishop
of the See.
Archbishop Blanc served as Bishop and
Archbishop just short of twenty-five years. From 1835 until his death in
1860, the number of chapels and churches in Louisiana increased from
twenty-six to seventy-three, including forty-seven new parishes in New
Orleans, along the Mississippi and bayous and in towns. As the population
and number of Catholics increased, especially in South and West Louisiana,
the need for parishes were much in demand.
A “new era” was begun. He established the
first seminary in Louisiana, at Plattenville from which many priests were
ordained, among whom were Father Menard who was the outstanding missionary
of the Lafourche area, and many others. Two colleges were established,
eight academies for young women, nine free schools, thirteen orphanages, two
hospitals and two homes for the elderly. Parish organizations grew, two
diocesan synods and two provincial councils were held. The power of the
trustee system at St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans was all but eliminated,
and many parishes regulations were strictly enforced. All these came about
because of the “new era” that Antoine Blanc promoted at the initial thrust
of his episcopacy.
Church historian Roger Baudier in the
Catholic Church in Louisiana
credits this humble carpenter’s son in a single sentence: “Unquestionably,
Archbishop Blanc was the chosen instrument of Divine Providence for the
revivification of the Church in Louisiana.”
The book is to be published in the very near future, from
Claitor’s Publishing Company, Baton Rouge. It has 170 pages, covering the
early family life, seminary learning, his missionary life, and a chronology,
illustrations, an extensive bibliography and index. |
