A pilgrimage journey into slavery

Story and photos by Raquel S. Derganz Baker | ARCHDIOCESAN COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE

To celebrate the conclusion of Black Catholic History Month, the archdiocesan Office of Black Catholic Ministries hosted “From Whence We Come: A Black Catholic Pilgrimage” Nov. 23. About 60 people attended. The group celebrated Mass at St. John the Baptist Church in Edgard and then learned more about slavery in Louisiana during a tour of the Whitney Plantation. Pilgrims walked the grounds of the historic site, learned about the plantation’s founding father Ambroise Heidel and his family and had the opportunity to step inside a slave cabin. At left, in memory of the slaves, Elaine Castello rings a bell that used to wake the slaves on the plantation.