Three New Orleans churches for pilgrimage in September

Just beyond the edges of summer, September awaits, promising fresh routines, a long weekend, and a calendar bursting with liturgical feast days. As New Orleans emerges from the somber anniversaries and warm-pudding air of August, three local churches offer well-timed opportunities for stillgrimage and pilgrimage in the Big Easy.

How to make a stillgrimage

What's a stillgrimage? It's our favorite practice of making a pilgrimage close to home—like "staycation," but make it sacred! All of these stillgrimage sites pair perfectly with other New Orleans fun and culture nearby. Here are three New Orleans churches to visit this September, plus when to time your visit and why you should go. 

Holy Name of Mary Catholic Church

When to go

September 8, the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or September 15, the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows

Why you should go

The “Cathedral of the West Bank” honors Our Lady with Gothic Revival bell towers, vaulted arches, and rose windows. Founded in 1848, the parish came under the care of the Marist Fathers in 1865. The original wood building eventually succumbed to severe damage after storms and hurricanes, with the current structure consecrated in 1929. Inside the church are 75 stained glass windows, including twin rose windows glowing at either end of the transept and a five-panel window rising behind the altar. 

How to get there

Located in the Algiers neighborhood, Holy Name is just across the Mississippi River from the French Quarter. You can take a short, breezy ferry ride and then stroll past cafes and bars to find the church. 500 Eliza Street, New Orleans

St Peter Claver Catholic Church 

When to go

September 9, the feast of St Peter Claver 

Why you should go

The 1852 church building began as St Ann parish, a mixed congregation of white Catholics, free people of color, and enslaved people. But only the children of white parishioners could attend the attached school. Over the next several decades as more Black families began moving into Treme, many white parishioners insisted on separation. In 1920, these parishioners relocated themselves to a new property and left behind the original church and school. It was reconsecrated as St Peter Claver, named for the Spanish Jesuit who ministered to the enslaved in Colombia for fifty years. 

Look for the archangels added to the wooden doors after Hurricane Katrina. Inside, you’ll encounter traditional carved wood elements paired with African textiles and symbols and a Mary, Mother of Africa, statue from Nigeria. According to a parish legend, after a young parishioner asked the pastor if she had to be white to go to Heaven—because the statues depicted only white figures—the original statues were dipped in black paint.

How to get there

Treme is near the French Quarter, so take advantage of proximity and visit both. 1923 St Philip Street, New Orleans

Basilica of St Stephen (Good Shepherd Parish)

When to go

September 27, the feast of St Vincent de Paul

Why you should go

Famous for its dramatic, soaring copper spire, this historic German-Irish masterpiece features an awe-inspiring, cathedral-scale interior. But we’re here for the spectacular stained glass windows depicting St Vincent de Paul working and ministering on the streets of Paris. The parish was founded in 1849 by the Vincentian Fathers who took up the French saint’s mission and brought it to New Orleans. You can contemplate windows that show the major events of de Paul’s life, including the church on the Rue des Sevres where he is now entombed.

How to get there

St Stephen’s is on Napoleon Avenue between St Charles Avenue and Magazine Street, so it’s easy to take the streetcar or integrate this little pilgrimage into a day in the Garden District. 1025 Napoleon Ave, New Orleans

Image source: St Peter Claver

__________

 Thy Ship can help you build and book a New Orleans itinerary that goes deep, not just far. Let's talk!

Contact me. I am a Catholic author, artist, speaker, pilgrimage leader, and travel concierge.

I'd love to collaborate with you on your next retreat, day of reflection, pilgrimage, trip, or event.

Subscribe to Beaucoup by Thy Ship, our free weekly newsletter guide to Catholic New Orleans and Paris.