A Purple Knight legacy: The priests of St. Augustine

By Peter Finney Jr.
Clarion Herald

It’s been a whirlwind 10 months for St. Augustine High School.

Last June, the school received a $1.5 million, no-strings-attached grant from Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s #StartSmall Initiative to upgrade its campus facilities and implement new educational programs.

Last month, CBS’ “60 Minutes” profiled St. Augustine’s fabled Marching 100 band with a 20-minute feature that reached millions of viewers around the world.

Later that evening, several Purple Knight alums were honored as finalists at the 2021 Grammy Awards.

But St. Augustine’s feel-good roll extends far beyond academics to the school’s religious formation.

Since St. Augustine opened its doors in 1951, staffed by Josephite priests and brothers, no fewer than 15 graduates have gone on to become either priests, permanent deacons or religious brothers. According to Father Tony Ricard, a 1982 graduate who is the campus minister and chair of the theology department at the school, that makes St. Augustine the leading Catholic high school for Black vocations in the U.S.

No other school comes close

“St. Augustine High School has definitely produced the most Black Catholic priests in the history of the United States,” Father Ricard said. “There’s no other high school that would come close.”

To celebrate its legacy of religious vocations, St. Augustine will host a special Mass for the entire student body on April 23.

The principal celebrant will be New Orleans Auxiliary Bishop Fernand Cheri – a former St. Aug teacher – who will be joined at the altar by Father Joseph Dyer, a priest of the Diocese of Jackson (Mississippi). A 1962 graduate, Father Dyer is the first St. Augustine graduate to be ordained to the priesthood.

Assisting at the altar will be a proud alumnus “bookend” of sorts. Deacon Ajani Gibson, a 2011 graduate, will be ordained to the priesthood in June by Archbishop Gregory Aymond.

Father Ricard said he doesn’t know if the student body comprehends the school’s vocational trailblazing, “because the coolest thing is that at St. Augustine, our kids take for granted that they have Black priests around. They’re always assumed that there must be Black priests everywhere. They have no idea that this is not the norm.”

St. Aug’s priestly fraternity

Father Ricard offered the following comments on the priest alumni of St. Augustine:

1.) Father Joseph Dyer ’62, ordained in 1974, Diocese of Jackson: “Father Dyer has been one of the most successful pastors in the Jackson Diocese. He has helped to save several poor church communities.”

 

2.) Josephite Father Kenneth Howard ’63, ordained in 1987: He joined the Josephites to serve as a religious brother. “It was a decade later that he felt the call to become a priest,” Father Ricard said.

3.) Father Kenneth Brown ’67, ordained in 2006, Diocese of Monterey, California: He earned a doctorate in English from the University of Iowa. Before entering the seminary, he taught at Dillard University in New Orleans. He died in 2015.

 

4.) Josephite Father Lawrene Leduff-Gutierrez  ’75 ordained in 1985, Diocese of Beaumont: “Father Larry was very heath-conscious. He went to the gym daily and was known for his physical strength.” He died unexpectedly of a heart attack in 2003.

 

5.) Father R. Tony (Rodney) Ricard ’82, ordained in 1995, Archdiocese of New Orleans: Before entering the seminary, Father Ricard taught in New Orleans public schools. Since ordination, he has published 12 books and has preached in 23 other countries. For the past 21 seasons, he has served as the Catholic chaplain of the New Orleans Saints. He serves as the campus minister and head of the theology department at St. Aug and is the pastor of St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish in New Orleans.

6.) Josephite Father Henry Davis ’84 (attended St. Aug from 1980-81), ordained in 1993, Archdiocese of New Orleans: While attending St. Augustine, Father Davis answered the call to become a priest, transferring to St. John Vianney Prep. Following his ordination, he taught at St. Aug for nine years and served on the board of trustees for six years. After two years in Nigeria as the rector of the Josephite House of Formation, he returned to New Orleans in 2015 to become the school’s chief religious officer. He teaches theology, is the pastor of Corpus Christi-Epiphany Parish and serves as the dean of the Cathedral Deanery.

7.) Dominican Father Jeffrey Ott ’84, ordained in 2002: Father Ott is known for his dynamic preaching and his ability to read the hearts of his parishioners. He is pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Atlanta, the oldest Black Catholic church in Georgia.

 

8.) Father John Raphael ’85, ordained in 1995 for the Josephites and now a priest for the Diocese of Nashville: He is known for his passion for education and his love for the priesthood. Following Hurricane Katrina, he served as the principal and later the president of St. Augustine.

 

9.) Norbertine Father Claude (Arthaniel) Williams ’98, ordained in 2009: From 2004-07, Father Williams studied at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in sacred theology with a concentration in dogmatics. He served for five years as assistant dean of students at St. Michael’s Preparatory High School in Silverado, California.
 

10.) Father Daniel Green ’03, ordained in 2013, Archdiocese of New Orleans: Father Green initially thought he was called to be a politician. He served as student body president of St. Augustine and Loyola University New Orleans. He is known for his dynamic preaching and his work in youth ministry. He is pastor of St. Maria Goretti Parish and serves as the director of the archdiocesan Office for Black Catholic Ministries.
 

11.) Deacon Ajani Gibson ’11 will be ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of New Orleans on June 5. He was class valedictorian. Deacon Gibson, his father Malcolm and brother Malik were Purple Knight Award recipients. He graduated from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., with a master’s degree in theology. He entered Notre Dame Seminary in 2017.

Other vocations include: Deacon Jesse Watley, a permanent deacon of the archdiocese; Josephite Brother Damien Wilson (deceased); Josephite Brother Ricardo Gourrier (deceased); and Dominican Brother Herman Johnson.

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