Archbishop removes beloved Black priest from the oldest Black Catholic church in U.S.

LeDoux’s announcement signaled the end of his 16-year tenure at the oldest African American Roman Catholic Church in the United States.

“St. Augustine is among the parishes the archdiocese plans to consolidate as it seeks to deal with $84 million in uninsured losses,” according to an Associated Press report.

“The archdiocese is careful to point out that St. Augustine’s will only close as a parish but will still be open for mass on Sundays and some other functions like funerals and weddings.

“Its building suffered only wind damage from Katrina and will remain open. ‘Show up on Sunday, and you won’t miss a beat,’ said the Rev. William Maestri, a spokesman for the archdiocese.”

Father LeDoux, 76, one of few Black Catholic priests in New Orleans and undoubtedly the most beloved, will be replaced by a white priest, Rev. Michael Jacques.

The fact that Jacques is being brought in is a clear indication that the Archdiocese wants to get rid of LeDoux, who is know for hard-hitting but God-inspired columns in the Louisiana Weekly newspaper and other publications.

Repeated calls to the Archdiocese of New Orleans and emails from the San Francisco Bay View requesting comments were not returned or answered.

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