American Cathoiics converged on New Orleans in 1938 for a Eucharistic Congress.
| the monstrance used for the Eighth Eucharistic Conference in 1938 now resides at St. Mary’s Italian Catholic Church |
1938 Eucharistic Congress
As part of the Friends of the Cabildo Tour Guide training class, I toured the Old Ursuline Convent in the French Quarter. Additionally, we walked over to the church next door, St. Mary’s Italian. The church amplifies the history of the Lower Quarter. The archdiocese constructed St. Mary’s in 1845, twenty years after the Ursulines departed. The nuns moved down the river, to Bywater. The diocese used the building on Chartres Street (the “second” convent) as a residence for the bishops, and later, archbishops.
At the center of the high altar of St. Mary’s Italian is a magnificent monstrance that was created in 1938 for the Eighth National Eucharistic Congress. The event used Tad Gormley Stadium in City Park. Fifty thousand people attended, from 17-20 October of 1938.
The Congress opened with a radio address from Pope Pius XI, followed by a Pontifical High Mass at the stadium. George Cardinal Mundelein, Archbisop of Chicago. Sixty bishops joined him. Over the four days of the Congress, people filled the stadium to hear speakers condemn Nazism and other evils of the world. The speakers encouraged the faithful to embrace the Eucharist.
The Congress concluded with a 2.7-mile procession, led by priests and bishops carrying the new monstrance. The closing culminated with a benediction at the Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis. The monstrance was placed at St. Mary’s. It’s a lovely piece of ecclestical art. The archdiocese received $30,000 in donations for its creation in 1938. It’s now worth over $670,000.
Reaction in the city
| Krauss Department Store displayed the seal of the Eighth Eucharistic Congress on Canal Street, October, 1938 |
While the Congress focused its attention on Catholics, others in New Orleans got in on its promotion. Krauss Department Store erected a large version of the seal of the Congress on the front of the store. Now, why would a department store owned by a Jewish family promote such a Catholic event? The short answer is simple: Because New Orleans. Krauss stood next to Terminal Station, the railroad passenger station for Southern Railway and the Gulf, Mobile, and Ohio railroad. So, when all those visitors exited the station onto Canal Street, they were greeted by that big seal, encouraging them to shop at a store which acknowledged their presence. Leon Heymann, President of Krauss Company, wasn’t just a smart realtor. He knew many of his employees and customers would appreciate the gesture.
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