[ New Orleans ]
Visiting New Orleans means seeing the legendary French Quarter. And a tour of the French Quarter would not be complete without seeing St. Louis Cathedral.
“St. Louis Cathedral is the symbol of New Orleans,” said Lea Sinclair, director of communications of the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation.
The Basilica-Cathedral of St. Louis King of France is the oldest continuously operating Roman Catholic cathedral in the United States, dating back to 1727. Fires necessitated its rebuilding in 1794. In 1850, structural problems led to the construction of the church that now stands. St. Louis overlooks Jackson Square and the famous statue of Gen. Andrew Jackson, hero of the Battle of New Orleans.
St. Louis Cathedral’s French Quarter neighbor is the Old Ursuline Convent just down Chartres Street. Completed in 1753, “it’s the oldest building in the Mississippi Valley,” said Sinclair. Although still an actively used religious site, the Old Ursuline Convent houses a museum, and tours are welcome.
In the Treme neighborhood of New Orleans is the historic St. Augustine Catholic Church. It is the oldest African-American church in the city and the oldest African-American Catholic parish in the United States. Started by free people of color and dedicated in 1842, St. Augustine gave the pews on the outer aisles to slaves. It was an unprecedented — and historic — move.
Adventurous groups may want to explore a different side of New Orleans religion. The French Quarter is home to the Voodoo Museum, which records the spiritualist practices brought by slaves from Africa.
From Christ Church Cathedral, the first non-Catholic church in the Louisiana Territory, to Touro Synagogue, the first Jewish congregation in the new territory, groups visiting New Orleans will find many religious heritage options available.
[ Quebec City, Canada ]
Visitors to Quebec City have an unusual opportunity. For the first time in history, the Vatican has graced a city outside of Europe with a Holy Door, one of only seven such doors in the world. The door is open only during years of Jubilee, a time of celebration and forgiveness. This year, visitors can step through the bronze door, but the Holy Door will close in December.
“This is the 350th anniversary of the first Catholic parish in North America north of the Spanish colonies,” said Nancy Dacres of Quebec City Tourism. “Notre-Dame de Québec is having a yearlong celebration.”
“Notre-Dame de Québec is the cradle of the Catholic faith in the United States and Canada,” Dacres said.
The Notre-Dame de Québec Basilica has been built and rebuilt on its historic site over the centuries after major fires. The current cathedral was constructed in 1843.
Quebec City is also home to the first Anglican cathedral outside the British Isles, the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity. The cathedral was completed in 1804 during the reign of King George III, with a pew reserved for the monarch.
In addition to those foundational churches, Quebec also has two important convent museums. The Ursulines Museum explains the story of the nuns who brought education to Quebec under the leadership of the recently canonized Marie of the Incarnation. This year, the museum is celebrating the Ursulines’ 375th anniversary in North America.
The Augustine Sisters Convent, in addition to housing a museum highlighting its medical ministry, is converting a portion of its rooms into a hotel. It will be an immersive experience. You are “staying where the nuns stayed,” said Dacres. “It will be opening in 2015.”
