Prayer power of the Golden Girls

28th November 2011   ·   0 Comments

By Fr. Jerome LeDoux
Contributing Columnist

Cecile Galle was always in the vanguard of the Golden Girls of St. Augustine Church in Faubourg Tremé of New Orleans. Whenever there was a weekday morning Mass or a Thursday afternoon Mass, she was there with a number of her comrades, almost never deterred by inclement weather from walking those several blocks.

Likewise, when “The Young At Heart” had one of their activities, especially their annual Mardi Gras ball, she was there in full dress and buoyant spirit. Had she not been such a stalwart prayer person, one might have been tempted to call her a party girl.

Together with the rest of the Golden Girls, Cecile’s finest moment came when, stung by Hurricane Katrina, the Archdiocese of New Orleans closed six of its churches, including St. Augustine Church, on March 15, 2006. That action of the Archdiocese ignited a fire under the beleaguered, disheartened parishioners of St. Augustine Church.

Slowly at first, then gradually gaining steam, the church members began to let Archbishop Alfred Hughes know that they wanted their parish back alive and well. “The oldest black Catholic parish in the country must not suffer the ignoble fate of extinction!” they wanted the Archbishop, New Orleans and the whole world to understand.

At the height of the struggle for survival, the Golden Girls were the core of the church members and friends who gathered evenings at One Slave Square by the Tomb of the Unknown Slave to watch, pray and sing at inspiring vigils. The Golden Girls were the church’s secret weapon in that they wielded great power while appearing to be weak.

Physical power they had not, and therefore were not visually intimidating. But they were true matriarchs with the subtle yet stunning moral force that got everybody’s rapt attention, inspired all and kept their minds focused on their purpose for being there.

As the centerpiece of the faithful gathered there, they sat in folding chairs either singly or sometimes around one or two of the round tables from the hall. At times, they caught the roving eyes of the media who stopped by to chat and interview them. People like Mama D cheerily kept their strength up by cooking delicious meals for them.

Pillars of the church is a special term reserved for those members distinguished by age, service and loyalty to their Faith Family. According to that description, the Golden Girls were pillars par excellence in matriarchal longevity, selfless service wherever and whenever needed, and an unflinching loyalty that cheered all the other members.

Cecile Galle and her fellow prayer warriors were there keeping vigil in the worst of times, keeping their watch when they could have been home taking it easy. In those dark days, hope for keeping their beloved St. Augustine Church alive seemed rather thin, for the onslaught of archdiocesan spokes­person Father William Maestri was relentless.

Their untiring vigil was fired on occasion by events like the impromptu appearance of the Rev. Jesse Jackson and the Rev. Al Sharpton at one of the Friday evening vigils. Church member Jacques Morial had invited them to take a moment from their post-Katrina advocacy of Black voters to be with the St. Augustine flock in their time of trial.

The Rev. Al Sharpton spoke memorable words of encouragement and the musicians struck up a lively version of “I’ll Fly Away!” To be sure, the power and significance of that moment in time was not lost on the ever-watchful archdiocesan officials.

Neither did those officials fail to notice the Golden Girls corps as they went about doing as livewire Christians what church officials must have admired as the right thing. The younger set, such as advocacy-leader, 30-year-old Tyra Richardson, imitated them.

Every parish of every church has its own version of the Golden Girls. Thank God for perennial little old ladies who tell their rosary beads or say other prayers many times each day for their family and others in the extended family called the Faith Community. There are even the little old men who have settled down to a life of prayer and service.

Mother of three, grandmother of 13, great-grandmother of 20, great-great-grandmother of 10, Cecile was the mainstay of her biological family as she was of her Faith Family.

It is with the deepest fondness and reverence that we celebrate the life and times of Ce­cile Galle who was bles­sed by God with 97 wonderful years of life, love and service.

This article was originally published in the November 28, 2011 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper