Dated: 1-9-03
In recent months I have been drawn to the status (or perhaps I should more accurately say the plight of) the Cause of Canonization of Mother Henriette Delille. What strikes me as odd and unforgivable is that she has been an official candidate for sainthood by the Catholic Church since 1989 (13 full years), yet she is virtually unknown among Catholics -- including parishioners and clergy alike.

After much thought and searching into this issue, I have come to the conclusion that the reason Mother Henriette Delille is so widely unknown and unrecognized is because she is TRAPPED IN RACIAL LIMBO -- as it exists in the eyes, in the hearts, and in the workings of mankind. Yes, "racial limbo." Though that may not be a recognized term, it's existence is real -- very real -- as much so as the air we breathe.

What I'm talking about is that her cause for canonization is trapped between the Black vs. White, stone cold, racial riff that exists in the U. S. We all preach the brotherliness and oneness of mankind in the eyes of God, yet we practice Black/White division and separateness nearly as much in the 21st century as we did in the 18th century. As a colleague recently reminded me, yes there have been changes, but those changes are on the surface, not underneath. In other words, not much has changed in the "un-spoken words," in the "mental attitudes," and/or in the "mind-set" of the leadership of the U. S. with regards to the Black/White issue.

It is my opinion that the cause of canonization of Mother Henriette Delille is caught slap dabbed in the middle of that racial divide, and as a result she is unknown and unrecognized. As such it may take a miracle from her to ever be canonized at all.

Henriette Delille was the daughter of a quadroon and a Frenchman. As far as her physical appearance is concerned, very little about her looked Black or African American; she looked White. But then it was natural for her to look White because there was significantly more white blood in her veins than Black. Yet here in the 21st century, due to America's blind-sighted adherence to the Rule of Hypodescent (ie., which in essence mandates that White plus Black ancestry equals 100% Black -- period), Delille is point blank and unabashedly considered Black (ie., African American). Absolutely no credit nor positive publicity is given -- not by the Catholic Church nor the news media -- to her preponderance of French (ie., White) heritage. It's as though her French heritage was dirty, evil, and nasty as some foul taboo to be hidden, unacknowledged, and swept under the rug. It is precisely this great disparity between the body of a White woman (that being her physical appearance as evidenced by her photo) and the descriptions of her as Black/African-American that pushes the majority of Catholics away from her.

For the most part the educated citizenry of this country got over the prejudicial treatment of bastard children years ago (though technically Delille was not in that category in accordance with the laws existent at the time of her birth). However, the known Black/White element of her being causes people in this century to shy away from her to an even greater extent than the manner in which bastard children were treated just a few years ago.

Due to the racial divide Henriette Delille is virtually unknown today. A great many African Americans look at her photo and they see a white woman, or they see some foul and ugly result of slavery. As such they shy away from her. Of the Blacks that do embrace her, many do so because they think she turned her back on all that was White in her ancestry. Many White people, upon hearing that she is labeled Black or African American, immediately shy away from her because they do not want to be linked in any way to blackness. It is my opinion that in the eyes of God, Henriette Delille was a multi-racial person wherein part of her ancestry was Black and part of her ancestry was White -- wherein all of the elements of her heritage are valued as critical elements of her composite being. In that regard I think that the Catholic Church in its capacity as the Apostle of The Lord God has the dire responsibility of setting the record straight with regards to the racial composition of Mother Henriette Delille. Who more than the leadership of the Catholic Church -- and I'm referring to priests and nuns alike -- spreads the word of the brotherhood of mankind. And yet it appears that in the Delille case the church leadership has succumbed to 21st century "politically correct or incorrect thinking" of the major Black vs. White parties that run this country. As I said, God knows that the child of one Black and one White parent is not 100% Black, and I think the leadership of the church knows it. Yet, in the name of hatred for all that is White or in the name of accumulating the most votes, the Black leadership of this country insists that the offspring of such a relationship is Black. The White leadership in this country also insists that the offspring of such parents are Black also, though for different reasons. For both groups, White and Black, the wounds of slavery and/or of subconscious hatred and incompatibility runs deep.

Does the leadership of the Catholic Church realize that according to the 2000 Census there were thousands of individuals in the U.S. who indicated that they are multi-racial? According to census projections in a few years with the rise in White/Black interracial marriages there will be thousands and thousands more multi-racial children of part Black blood born in this country. Are all of these children being taught that they are Black or African American -- period -- and that they should turn their backs on any and all aspects of their White heritage? I think not!

For all of the above reasons, I think that the time is ripe, and the time is now for the Catholic Church to take a positive, active stance in celebrating and praising multi-racialism rather than keeping it hidden in the closet. Who better could be the messenger of God, and the instrument of the church in ringing in this racial awareness than Mother Henriette Delille?

Slavery can be damned without damning what present day society perceives as illicit offspring. In this day and age I think it is highly improper to refer to Mother Delille as a "Free Woman of Color," as a "Black," and/or as an "African American" without giving full and equal recognition and praise to her French heritage within the same sentence.

Mother Delille accomplished what she did not by being Black, for if she were solely Black in the 1800's the chains of slavery would have surely held her back. Instead she leveraged the privileges of whiteness that was in her blood to the advantage of her choosing. Of course it was her choosing to devote her life to the servitude of the less fortunate slaves, yet such service could have well been rendered by one who was 100% White. What I'm getting at is that most likely the reasons why Mother Delille did what she did can only be found in the sum total of all of the elements of her composite being, as opposed to the pitting of the White vs. Black within her as is commonly described by the popular news media, which apparently meets the approval of the church and the major Black and White leadership organizations.

If some simple catch-word is desired by the church to describe Mother Delille racially then I would strongly encourage the use of the phrase "Multi-Racial" with elements of French, Black, and perhaps Spanish and Indian in her ancestry. And yes, Mother Delille was indeed a member of the Creole Culture.

Respectfully,
JOHN O. SARPY

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