Date of Award

Fall 12-2015

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.

Department

History

Major Professor

Dr. Connie Atkinson

Second Advisor

Dr. Al Kennedy

Third Advisor

Dr. Charles Chamberlain

Abstract

In 2009, the Archdiocese of New Orleans went through a reorganization that resulted in the closure of numerous parishes under its direction. This thesis will look at how one of the parishes closed during this reorganization, St. Henry’s, had already faced, and survived, numerous attempts at closure. A study of these previous attempts reveals that internal church politics were often on display and the driving force behind the decisions. Using documents from the Archdiocesan Archives of New Orleans, this thesis looks at the history and leadership of St. Henry’s parish, and examines how the survival of a church often has more to do with the personalities of those in leadership positions and less to do with the propagation of faith.

Rights

The University of New Orleans and its agents retain the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible this dissertation or thesis in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The author retains all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis or dissertation.

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