Not just another parade for St. Aug’s Marching 100

    His words might be called prophetic.
Archbishop Philip M. Hannan concluded his autobiography, “The Archbishop Wore Combat Boots,” with the following theological reflection:
    “From my perspective … I will accomplish in death what I could not in life because as priests we are most fully alive when we die,” Archbishop Hannan wrote. “If we don’t feel that way, we certainly have not served the cause of Christ as we were meant to. In the final spiritual analysis, to fulfill the will of God, a priest must die in life as did his own Son. And when that time comes, with the grace of God, I am ready.”
    There were many amazing highlights in a week filled with somber and soaring emotions relating to the death and life of Archbishop Hannan. Because of Archbishop Hannan’s longevity, this was the first funeral for an archbishop of New Orleans since Archbishop Joseph F. Rummel died in 1964.
    But among the most amazing sights – and sounds – came from the St. Augustine High School Marching 100, which led the 4 1/2-mile procession on Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 5, from Notre Dame Seminary to St. Louis Cathedral.
    The band’s presence, requested by Archbishop Gregory Aymond, was more than just another honor for a school that has produced thousands of top graduates since opening as the city’s first Catholic high school for African-American males in 1951.
    Reflecting on Archbishop Hannan’s words, this was a tangible sign that a priest’s death has the power to bring a fractured family together.
    No one needs to rehash the tensions that have escalated since February when St. Augustine held a town hall meeting in its gym in support of its tradition of using corporal punishment as part of its discipline. Archbishop Aymond and the Josephites who have run the school have made it clear they wanted the practice to end. The dispute has grown so acrimonious that the issue of school governance is now in federal court, and a resolution, humanly speaking, seems so far away.
    But on Wednesday, at least, the family came together as the Marching 100 marched down Carrollton Avenue to accompany Archbishop Hannan’s body to its final resting place beneath the sanctuary of St. Louis Cathedral.
    St. Aug has played for mayors, governors and presidents, for Rex and Macy’s, and for the granddaddy of them all, the New Year’s Day Rose Bowl parade in Pasadena, but this was different. This “parade” was for an archbishop who did much to ameliorate racial tensions in mid-1960s New Orleans by opening the Notre Dame Seminary swimming pool to black kids who attended the Summer WITNESS program and who started programs to educate and feed at-risk youths.
    “I’m excited in light of everything else that has been going on,” said St. Augustine principal Don Boucree. “I’m hoping this will lead to bringing us together. Sometimes it takes the death of someone to bring people back together – like in any family.”
    Boucree, 52, was a student at St. Augustine when Archbishop Hannan visited his senior class in the gym. The archbishop had a tradition of visiting the senior class of every Catholic high school, and when he came, he called the students into a general assembly and then kicked out the teachers and administrators so that he could speak directly to the kids.
    “He gave a short little message focusing on being a Christian man and being a man of service,” Boucree said.
    And, Boucree remembers, his actions matched his words.
    “I remember as a kid being able to go swimming at the seminary,” Boucree said. “Growing up in Treme, we didn’t have a pool to go swimming in. City Park closed its pool first, and then Audubon followed. But there was never a question about going to Notre Dame Seminary. I took it for granted. I loved it because I thought it was a better place to swim anyway.”
    Boucree is hoping that retelling these stories – and honoring the priest who made it possible – will help resolve some of the current difficulties.
    “Maybe honoring Archbishop Hannan can do that,” Boucree said. “Archbishop Hannan was a bridge builder. Maybe this will build that bridge for us.”
    What an amazing accomplishment that would be in death.
    Peter Finney Jr. can be reached at pfinney@clarionherald.org.