CREOLES LAST STAND ON THE CANONIZATION OF MOTHER HENRIETTE DELILLE

Nolan Melonson, Vice President of International Organization for Creole People, after having gone to Seychelles for a Creole Convention, visited the Vatican in Rome, Italy in Ocober, 2005.  While there when he was in the Square and was a visitor of Pope Benedict XVI, he was able to view a picture of Henriette Delille which was about three stories high and wide.  Out of curiosity, he asked an Italian visitor who was the lady and his answer was “She’s the Black Nun”.  He was surprised at his answer since he wasn’t sure how the people there were identifying her.  He was also perplexed since there was no indication that the very large picture of Mother Delille  portrayed a woman who appeared Black nor African-American, but the appearance of a multiracial woman.

We, as bona fide Native Born Creole Americans cannot stand idly by and let this catastrophy continue without putting up a last fight for Mother Delille’s true identity.

This letter comes as a request to ALL CREOLES to write a letter of protest addressed to Pope Benedict, XVI and the Vatican Sainthood Canonization Committee informing them that Mother Delille was not just and only “Black”.  That her ancestry comprised of French, African-American, Italian, and Spanish.  Her great grandparent was Claude Villars Dubreuil who was French,  along with her maternal great  grandparent, Nanette, who was African; her grand parents were  Nanette’s daughter with the Spanish man, Diaz, and her parents were their daughter, Maria Diaz with Jean Baptiste Delille Sarpy, who was French and Italian..

That should Mother Delille be canonized with the incorrect identity, millions of Creoles all over the world will be forever disenfranchised in history.  In light of the fact that the One Drop Policy was outlawed in the United States with the Loving case in the ‘70’s, it is a sad state of affairs  that the Archbishop Alfred Hughes and the Sisters of the Holy Family, Delille’s founding organization, have not come up to the times and took this into consideration when ethnically identifying Mother Delille. That this whole attitude is all inspired for political and financial gains for the Roman Catholic Church.

Sincerely yours,

Mrs. Marion I. Ferreira, Founder and Director

Other Directors:

Richard Augustine Commeau, San Jose, Calif.

Ronald Vidal,  Anaheim, Calif.,