When Hughes re-consecrated St. Augustine on Saturday, he said he would examine the parish’s progress after 18 months to determine if it could avoid consolidation with a neighboring parish.
Hughes agreed to reopen St. Augustine after negotiating with parishioners who had protested the church’s closing. St. Augustine, founded in 1841 by slaves and free people of color, is one of the nation’s oldest black parishes. The archdiocese sought to consolidate St. Augustine as it tries to deal with $84 million in uninsured losses from Katrina.
"I intend to be a regular now and support the church here," said Gordon Cagnolitti, a New Orleans firefighter. "I go to several churches, but my son and grandchildren go here and I will, too, from now on."
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