About Frances Joseph Gaudet (1861-1934)
Gaudet was an uncommon woman of her time—a political and social leader, a missionary at home, a proponent of race consciousness—who was able to bring together forces from diverse segments of society to effect social change in post- Reconstruction New Orleans. Today, she is recognized as a saint, the Blessed Frances Joseph Gaudet.
Click here to read more about Gaudet’s work and life.
About the Gaudet Legacy Project
The Frances Gaudet Legacy Project aims to share widely the example of her extraordinary life in order to guide and inspire similar work in our present times.
We are pursuing this aim through extensive research, focusing particularly on her work in education and prison reform in the greater New Orleans area. We also seek opportunities to bring her story to wider audiences.
About the Team:
Co-Chairs of the Gaudet Legacy Project are Dr. Rosanne Adderly and Ms. Nell Bolton. Members of the initial vision committee have also included Dr. Violet Bryan, the Rev. Otto Duncan, and Ms. Harriet Murrell.
Acknowledgements
The Gaudet Legacy Project gratefully acknowledges the Newcomb College Institute for its support in developing this website and online archive. We also thank Tulane University’s Center for the Gulf South for its grant support. And, we honor the late Harriet Murrell, former archivist of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana, who laid the foundation for this project through her dedication to researching and promoting Mrs. Gaudet’s story.
Current Projects
Please join St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in celebrating the Blessed Frances Joseph Gaudet in a service to be held at 5 pm on Sunday, Jan. 6, 2019 at 1222 N. Dorgenois St. in New Orleans.
Please use the materials and records of this website for educational purposes only or after contacting the project for permission if you wish to use any of these materials in another way.
© 2018 The Frances Gaudet Legacy Project