Pastor retells ‘War of the Pews’
Donaldsonville -- The Rev. Jermone LeDoux used humor and his knowledge of history and theology to recount the tale of a New Orleans Catholic church he wrote about in his book “The War of the Pews.”
LeDoux’s talk -- a Black History Month lecture on Feb. 9 at the Ascension Parish Library in Donaldsonville -- centered on his book and his time as pastor at St. Augustine Church.
The priest, who now serves as a parochial administrator at Our Mother of Mercy Church in Fort Worth, Texas, said he left the New Orleans church “at one in the morning” on March 20, 2006, after the New Orleans Archdiocese had decided to close the church.
“Those were very trying times,” he said, as he described the chaos that ensued after the church was officially closed and later reopened.
“What really happened, to this day, I’m not really sure,” he said, adding that St. Augustine was one of six churches set to close after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans.
Pressure from parishioners and church supporters from around the world resulted in the church’s reopening, he said. But saving the church did not mean saving LeDoux’s position as its pastor.
However, he said his goal was always to save the historic Tremé-area church.
He said that as he was packing to leave, the rectory “was a beehive of activity.”
His book published by Donaldsonville publisher Mary Gehman, details his final days at the church and the takeover of the rectory by a group of young people who refused to leave the church.
St. Augustine was built in 1841 for $25,000 after free people of color living in the area spearheaded its construction, he said.
While under construction, blacks people living in the neighborhood began to purchase pews — a tradition that existed in many Catholic churches at that time, he said.
“This made the white folks nervous,” he said.
Both black and white families started buying up the pews and started what became to be known as “the war of the pews,” he said.
“But those colored folks had a head start,” he said and the church was opened in 1842 the congregation included twice as many black families as white, he said.
LeDoux, who also authors a weekly online column, said he spent the day of his talk traveling in “up and down your Bayou Lafourche.” He said he has been reading about the communities along the bayou.
At the end of his nearly two-hour talk, those attending sang “Happy Birthday” to the priest, who will celebrate his 82nd birthday on Feb. 26.
However, LeDoux didn’t eat any of the birthday cake served because he is a vegan.
He said that since becoming a vegan 15 years ago, he “has no pains and take no medications.”
“Every day is like a holiday ... a day of thanksgiving,” he said of his life. “It’s not like a job.”