"Fratelli tutti": Chapter Four

I think I was around 20 years old, halfway through my time at Nicholls State University, when I went to visit my grandmother at her home off of Bayou Side Drive in T-Calliou one day. During that visit, she called me over to her chair. She had a framed piece of art in her hands. The artwork depicted men, women and children under some oak trees. Later, I would learn the artist’s name was Robert Dafford who painted The Arrival of the Acadians in Louisiana.
She asked me, “Cody, do you know who these people are?” I said, “No grandma, I don’t.” She said, “These people represent the first Cajuns to set foot in Louisiana,” she continued, “and you see that lady right there … that’s the first Bourg to come here” (Bourg was my grandmother’s maiden name). She then told me about the French and Indian War and the expulsion of the Acadians by the British Empire because they would not convert to Anglicanism and recognize the king of England as head of the church.

She told me how they were Catholic no matter what. She told me of the concentration camps, the forced migration, the stealing of property, the burning of homes, and all kinds of other dark facts about our ancestors before they arrived on the shores of Louisiana. For a woman with only a fourth grade education, I’d say she was an expert in Cajun history.

Back in January 2020, a national sports commentator used a derogatory term to describe the head football coach of the LSU Tigers. I will not repeat that term but the commentator was trying to emphasize that someone who was thought of as not very smart; someone who was thought not to be very eloquent; someone who was thought to not have the skills to lead a football team to the national championship, was able to do it. He was referring to our beloved “Bebe,” Coach Ed Orgeron. He was also referring to Ed Orgeron‘s Cajun heritage, a heritage that many American’s see as uneducated and backwards.

My brothers and sisters, I tell you those stories to frame the fourth chapter of Pope Francis’ encyclical, Fratelli tutti. In this section, Pope Francis writes about immigration. Now I know immigration is a very hot topic in the politics of the day. It is important to begin a summary of this chapter by acknowledging that the pope is not advocating that everyone has a right to go where they please or that nations should not have borders.

At the beginning of Chapter 4, the pope writes, “Ideally, unnecessary migration ought to be avoided; this entails creating in countries of origin the conditions needed for a dignified life and integral development” (129). However, regardless of politics, the pope is trying to remind us that we have an obligation to care for our brothers and sisters: “We are obliged to respect the right of all individuals to find a place that meets their basic needs and those of their families, and where they can find personal fulfillment” (129). Thus, the pope is calling us to live within the two principles of national borders and to care for those who must flee countries that cannot meet their basic needs.

Although Louisiana is made up of many different cultures and peoples, South Louisiana is known as “Cajun Country.” For those of us that have French/Acadian ancestry, I hope we remember how our ancestors arrived in Louisiana and that our ancestors were also migrants. When I read the pope’s words, I can’t help but imagine my ancestor’s being expelled from their homes. I can’t help but imagine my ancestors being forced onto ships because of their religion. I imagine them at sea longing for a new place to call home. I think about what Louisiana would be like without the cultural impact of those refugees from Acadia. I think that is what Pope Francis wants us to consider in his writings about immigration. The pope wants us to remember that migrant is a term for a person. Migrant is a term for a beloved son or daughter of God. Migrant is a term for a brother or sister.

Pope Francis wants us to also remember the fruitfulness that occurs when cultures influence each other, the beautiful dialogue toward the truth among people with different ideas and viewpoints. I am currently the pastor of St. Ann in Bourg. A few months ago, I celebrated the baptism of a little girl. The family of the little girl didn’t speak much English. They were a family from another country in Central America. I felt very awkward during the baptism because I speak very little Spanish and there was certainly a disconnect during the celebration of the sacrament. As we began the rite of baptism, I noticed the little girl standing in front of a man and a woman. There was another woman standing beside them. Not being able to communicate well, I just assumed that the man and woman standing behind the little girl were her parents and the woman standing beside them was the godmother. I felt very awkward when I handed the woman standing beside them the baptismal cloth and candle and someone told me she was actually the girl’s mother.

While telling this story later, I was informed by another couple that in the cultures of Central and South America the role of the godparents is very important. It is the godparents who bring the child to be baptized. It is the godparents who escort the child to receive our Lord at their first Communion. It is the godparents who stand with the child when they receive confirmation. When their godchild gets married, it is the godparents who place a veil known as the Lazo on the couple signifying that their duty as godparents is complete and now the spouses must support each other in living saintly lives. I thought this was such a beautiful sign of the great importance of the godparents that I now tell that story every time I baptize children. In Chapter 4, Pope Francis says, “For the communities and societies to which they come, migrants bring an opportunity for enrichment and the integral human development of all” (133).

Although South Louisiana may be known as “Cajun Country,” it is inaccurate to assume that only Cajuns live here. There are people of different cultures, and the culture of South Louisiana has been and will continue to be enriched by those different people coming together to create culture. Culture is not a stagnant entity. It lives and is nourished by those who contribute to it. Although it is a beautiful exercise for one to know their ancestry and the culture that comes from that ancestry, we must acknowledge that even within everyone’s ancestry there has been a development of culture. I hope we never forget where we came from, but I also hope we never stop nourishing our culture with new ideas.

(Father Cody Chatagnier is currently serving as pastor of St. Ann Church parish in Bourg.)