LOUISIANA, THIS IS WDSU NEWS
WITH SCOTT WALKER, ADRIANNA
HOPKINS, AND MARGARET ORR.
WHILE NEW ORLEANS IS KNOWN
FOR ITS SAINTS IN BLACK AND
GOLD, ONE WOMAN IS ON HER WAY TO
BECOMING A TRUE NEW ORLEANS
SAINT.
WE TRULY BELIEVE SHE IS A
SAINT.
WE'RE JUST WAITING FOR THE
CHURCH TO RECOGNIZE THAT SHE IS
A SAINT.
MORE THAN 170 YEARS AFTER HER
DEATH, LEADERS IN THE CATHOLIC
CHURCH ARE REVIVING THE LEGACY
OF HENRIETTE DELILLE IN AN
EFFORT TO HAVE HER CANONIZED.
ANCHOR RANDI ROUSSEAU TELLS
ABOUT HER ROAD TO SAINTHOOD AND
WHAT THE HONOR MEANS FOR THE
CRESCENT CITY.
THE POWER OF DETERMINATION.
I THINK PEOPLE, DETERMINED
WOMEN, WHO KNOW THEY WANT TO DO
SOMETHING, ARE GOING TO DO IT.
AND IT'S THE DETERMINATION OF
ONE NEW ORLEANS WOMAN AND HER
UNWAVERING DEVOTION TO GOD
THAT'S LEADING TO HER RECEIVING
ONE OF THE HIGHEST HONORS IN THE
CATHOLIC CHURCH, SAINTHOOD.
IT CERTAINLY WOULD BE
SOMETHING EVERYONE WOULD BE
PROUD
OF, THAT WE HAVE OUR VERY
OWN CITIZEN OF NEW ORLEANS THAT
IS A SAINT.
HENRIETTE DELILLE IS ON HER
WAY TO MAKING HISTORY.
NOT ONLY WOULD SHE BE THE FIRST
SAINT BORN IN NEW ORLEANS, BUT
SHE WOULD BE THE FIRST FEMALE
NATIVE-BORN AFRICAN AMERICAN
SAINT.
I THINK THAT WOULD BE BIG
NEWS, IT WOULD BE LIKE ANOTHER
SUPER BOWL I BELIEVE, BIGGER
MAYBE.
HENRIETTE DELILLE WAS BORN IN
NEW ORLEANS AS A FREE WOMAN OF
COLOR IN THE 19TH CENTURY.
DESPITE RESISTANCE, SHE
DEDICATED HER LIFE TO SERVING
GOD AND MINISTERING TO HER
COMMUNITY.
SHE ALSO FOUNDED THE SISTERS OF
THE HOLY FAMILY, WHICH IS STILL
FLOURISHING TODAY.
THE PRACTICES AND CUSTOMS OF
THOSE DAYS WERE YOU'D GO TO THE
BALLROOM, ENTERTAIN THE
GENTLEMEN AND THEN YOU'D BECOME
THEIR CONCUBINE.
SHE DOESN'T WANT TO LIVE THE
LIFE OF WHAT OTHER WOMEN HAVE
HAD TO DO TO MAKE ENDS MEAT OR
BE ABLE TO SURVIVE AS A FREE
WOMAN OF COLOR IN NEW ORLEANS.
SO SHE TAKES A DIFFERENT PATH.
THAT PATH DIRECTED HER TO
TEACHING SLAVES, FEEDING THE
POOR, MINISTERING TO CHILDREN
AND HOUSING THE ELDERLY.
SHE SAW THE NEEDS OF THE
TIME.
SHE WANTED TO HELP HER PEOPLE.
SHE WANTED TO PROMOTE THE GOOD
THAT GOD COULD GIVE THEM.
SHE WANTED TO UPLIFT THE PEOPLE.
TO LET THEM SEE THEY COULD BE
BETTER AND LEARN MORE THINGS AND
DO THINGS AND UPLIFT THEMSELVES.
NOW, IT'S THE SISTERS OF THE
HOLY FAMILY WHO WANT TO UPLIFT
DELILLE AND HAVE HER RECOGNIZED
AS A MODEL CATHOLIC.
WE ALWAYS LIKE TO HAVE PEOPLE
WE CAN IMITATE OR PEOPLE WE CAN
LOOK TO AND SAY, IF SHE CAN DO
IT I CAN DO IT TOO, SO THAT'S
WHY WE WANT SAINTS AND WE WANT
THEM TO BE RECOGNIZED.
DELILLE'S CANONIZATION
PROCESS BEGAN MORE THAN 20 YEARS
AGO.
OF THE FOUR STAGES, DELILLE IS
ON STEP TWO, VENERABLE.
IN ORDER FOR HER TO MOVE ON TO
THE THIRD STAGE, BLESSED, A
MIRACLE HAS TO BE AUTHENTICATED
AND ACCEPTED.
THE MIRACLE BEING CONSIDERED
RIGHT NOW IS THAT OF A
4-YEAR-OLD GIRL WHO WAS HEALED
THROUGH INTERCESSION WHEN A
FAMILY MEMBER PRAYED THROUGH
DELILLE TO SAVE HER LIFE.
THE PARENTS WERE TOLD THAT THE
CHILD HAD A SLIM CHANCE OF
SURVIVING, AND IF SHE DID, WOULD
MOST LIKELY BE BRAIN DEAD.
HOWEVER, THE CHURCH SAYS DELILLE
HELPED TO ANSWER THE FAMILY'S
PRAYERS AND NOW THAT LITTLE GIRL
IS NOT ONLY ALIVE, BUT
GRADUATING COLLEGE.
HER MIRACLE HERE IS
STARTING
THE SISTERS OF THE HOLY FAMILY.
HELPING THOSE WHO WERE
UNDERPRIVILEGED.
ONE MORE MIRACLE WILL BE
NEEDED AFTER THAT FOR DELILLE TO
BECOME A SAINT.
WE TRULY BELIEVE SHE IS A
SAINT.
WE'RE JUST WAITING FOR THE
CHURCH TO RECOGNIZE THAT SHE IS
A SAINT.
THE SISTERS HAVE BEEN
COMPILING RECORDS OF PEOPLE
WHO'S FAVORS WERE GRANTED
THROUGH DELILLE.
WHILE NO ONE KNOWS HOW LONG IT
WILL TAKE FOR THE CANONIZATION
PROCESS TO BE COMPLETE, THE
SISTERS OF THE HOLY FAMILY SAY
THEY WILL CONTINUE TO PROMOTE
THE LEGACY DELILLE LEFT BEHIND
AND INTRODUCE CATHOLICS TO THE
POWER OF HER WORK.
THEY CONTINUE THAT MISSION OF
MINISTRY TO PEOPLE THAT ARE
UNDERSERVED BY SOCIETY AND NEED
OUR HELP.
AND IT'S DETERMINATION.
ON YOUR SIDE, I'M RANDI
ROUSSEAU, WDSU NEWS.
ALL THE RESEARCH AND
DOCUMENTS ON DELILLE'S CASE WILL
BE GIVEN TO THE CONGREGATION FOR
THE CAUSES OF SAINTS WHO WILL
PRESENT THE CONCLUSION TO THE
POPE.
AND HERE'S AN INTERESTING
ELEMENT TO THE STORY.
THE RESEARCHER IN OUR STORY
ACTUALLY FOUND OUT SHE WAS
RELATED TO DELILLE WHILE
RESEARCHING DELILLE'S FAMILY
HISTORY.
THE TWO ARE RELATED THROUGH
DELILLE'S FRENCH FATHER.
AND THIS NOTE, THE LIFE OF
MOTHER HENRIETTE DELILLE WAS
MADE INTO A LIFETIME NETWORK
MOVIE BACK IN 2000.
ACTRESS AND SINGER VANESSA
WILLIAMS PORTRAYED DELILLE IN