Dear Loyola community,
My friend and mentor, Bishop Fernand Cheri III, OFM, is being laid to rest today.
He was ordained a Bishop in New Orleans in 2015. At the time of his death, he was one of only seven Black Catholic bishops active in the U.S. I have fond memories of his ordination. As so often happened when he spoke, he eventually had the whole church up singing and dancing.
Bishop Ferd, as he was affectionately known, grew up in New Orleans’ Seventh Ward. I first encountered him in 2000 when he was Fr. Ferd and was trying to get me to be a priest. After I sarcastically told him he needed to check with my girlfriend first, he left that conversation alone but continued to support my ministry journey.
We worked on many projects for, and beyond, Black Catholic communities around the country. That is why I asked him to write the afterword for my book Leveling the Praying Field that addresses some of the ills of society and our Church. Most recently he supervised me in my role as Director of the Archdiocese’s Office of Black Catholic Ministries.
Bishop Ferd was not impressed by titles, politics, or wealth. He loved all of God’s children, no matter their background. He was a staunch advocate for those on the margins of society. After the murder of George Floyd and in the midst of COVID, he led a march that ended up at Notre Dame Seminary with a prayer service entitled “Requiem for the Black Children of God.”
The world continues to mourn the loss of Bishop Cheri, but, for those of us who had the privilege of knowing him, it is our task to keep his spirit alive by spreading his joy, hospitality, and advocacy for the marginalized to all those around us.
Dr. Ansel Augustine, BA ’00, MPS ‘02
Director of the Office of Black Catholic Ministries, Archdiocese of New Orleans
Adjunct Professor, Loyola Institute for Ministry
