A Window for Mother Mary Lange

A source of pride for Haitians
By Marlène Rigaud Apollon

On Sunday, August 5, 2001, I had the privilege of being among the hundreds of people who crowded the Crypt's chapel of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. to attend the 1:30 PM Latin mass celebrated by His Eminence William Cardinal Keeler of Baltimore. For most of those present, but especially for one particular group, the Oblate Sisters of Providence, the occasion held great significance: That mass was the first part of a celebration in honor of Mother Mary Elizabeth Lange, the foundress of Haitian heritage of the Oblate Sisters of Providence, who is now a candidate for canonization. Several members of the Mother Mary Lange Guild whose mission is to promote the cause of the beatification and canonization of Mother Lange had also made the pilgrimage. Unfortunately, Father André Pierre, who, for more than a year, has actively and enthusiastically led the Haitian community in their discovery of Mother Lange, had to attend the 64th International Annual Meeting of the Catholic Biblical Association of America, held this year at Seton Hall University in East Orange, New Jersey and could not be with us.

During his homily, Cardinal Keeler reminded us that Latin was the only language used for religious services in Mother Lange's days and that it was, therefore, appropriate to use it to honor her. For those of us who grew up with that tradition, we certainly felt right at home. His Eminence then gave an overview of the life and work of this extraordinary woman who had fled her native Haiti and had spent a few years in Cuba before settling in Baltimore where slavery had not yet been abolished. There, overcoming racial prejudice and challenging the existing law that forbade educating black children, she opened a school for those children in her own home. She later founded the Oblate Sisters of Providence, the first Catholic order for Black women, on July 2, 1829, thus changing the face of the Catholic church who, until then, did not admit people of color neither as priests nor as nuns.

Following the mass, Cardinal Keeler invited Mother Lange's spiritual daughters to join him in the Crypt's sacristy for the second part of the celebration: the dedication of a new stained glass window representing the likeness of Mother Lange in her nun's habit. Close to one hundred people then filed in behind them to witness that special event.

Seeing the joy on the faces of the Oblates Sisters during the mass and dedication ceremony, I thought of all the years the sisters had struggled to survive and I knew what a glorious moment it was for them. As a member of the Mother Mary Lange Guild and of the Haitian-Americans United (HAU) for Mother Mary Lange, I knew that all of us who were there shared their pride and happiness. As a Haitian-American, I felt blessed to have been able to witness that moment, grateful to all the generations of sisters who kept Mother Lange's legacy alive and thankful to the Catholic Negro American Mission Board who had provided the funds to have the window made.

Mother Lange's window is at the right of that of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. On the left of Mother Theresa is the window of Pierre Toussaint, the other Haitian candidate for sainthood. All of us of Haitian origin or ancestry, whether or not we are Catholics, should take pride in their accomplishments and make it a point to visit them.