Venerable Pierre Toussaint (1766-1853) 
Pierre Toussaint was born in Haiti and brought to New York as an enslaved person at age 20. He became a successful hairdresser, first as a hired-out slave and later as a free person, following his master’s death. Toussaint used his money to purchase the freedom of several other enslaved persons, including his wife, Juliette Noel. Well-liked by wealthy citizens, who sought out his hairdressing skills, Toussaint developed a talent for fundraising and is credited by many as being the father of Catholic Charities in New York. He helped fund the city’s first Catholic orphanage, a Catholic school for Black children, and the original cathedral (“Old St. Patrick’s”). A daily massgoer for over 60 years, he is entombed in the crypt beneath the main altar of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, alongside the former Archbishops of New York.


Henriette DeLille (1813-1862) 
Henriette DeLille was born in New Orleans to a French father and a free woman of African descent. After being confirmed in 1834, she began pursuing religious life. Barred from joining the existing orders, which were open only to white women, she sold her possessions and used the money to establish an order for women of color called the Sisters of the Presentation (later called the Sisters of the Holy Family). The sisters cared for the sick and educated enslaved people, which was illegal at the time. DeLille also established the Lafon Nursing Facility for elderly women, the first Catholic nursing home in the U.S. After 20 years as mother uperior, DeLille passed away on Nov. 17, 1862, and was declared venerable by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010.