St. Pierre Toussaint

Pierre Toussaint: in Creole
Pierre Toussaint: in English

Pierre Toussaint:
Yon esklav ki nan wout pou vinn sen

New York te toujou yon vil multikiltirel. Nan komansmanlane 1600 yo, anviron 2 douzèn lang te kon pale ladann. Des le debut, afriken-ameriken, te anpil nan New York. Men tout pat vini ap pwop volonte yo. Ala fin lane 1800 yo, ville la te gen anviron 2500 esklav (esklavaj ta fini nan New York nan lane 1827). Anpil nan esklav yo te soti an Haiti. Paske nan lane 1790 yo, anpilblan te sove kite revolisyon an Haiti a pou vinn nan Amerika. Pami yo, gen pwopriyetè plantasyon Jacques Berard ak Madanm li ki te mennen avek yo 5 esklav, Pierre Toussaint se te youn.

Pierre fèt sou plantasyon Berard. Li te gen anpil chans paske li pat yon esklav ki te kon pase mizè. Etan yon domestik, li tap viv konfotableman. Lite menm gen otorizasyon pou 'l ale nan bibliotèk familyal, kote li te kapab li des livres katolik klasik. Imitasyon Kris la se te liv prefere'l. Nou jwenn sa a nan memwa li lè li nan laj granmoun.

Nan New York, M. Berard ankouraje Pierre aprann kwafè pou soutni fanmiy li. Li aptrann li byen e konsa li vinn tounen yon "yon kwafè de renome". Pierre te tre fidel ala famiy Berard. Apre lamè Jacques san malad, Pierre san okinn moun pat konnen, te konn pran swen Madanm li jiska lamò. Avan li te mouri Madanm Berard te bay Pierre libète.

Pierre se te youn nan premye antreprenè nwa nan New York. Li te achte yon kay nan centre-ville Manthan e envesti anpil. Byenke tre konfotab, li travay di anpil menm nan vyeyes li. Li di: "Mwen gen ase pou mwen, men mwen pa gen ase pou lot yo". Li te konn fè lacharite pandan tout lavil li.

Pandan 60 lane preske, Pierre te konn asiste Lames chak jou nan Legliz St Pierre ki nan Rue Barclay a. Li te sipote egalman Legliz St Vincent (1er Legliz francais nan ville New York), li si te sipote tou Azil Ofelin Katolik. Li menm ak Madanm li fe edikasyon anpil timoun afriken-ameriken sans zabri yo, yo achte la libète pou anpil esklav epitou yo bay swen a anpil pòv pandan epidemi la fievre jaune lan.

Menmsi li te youn nan moun tre respekte nan vil la, men yo pat ba li valè paske li se yon nwa. Men nan vyeyes li, li te konn mache anpil kay kliyan l yo, piske li pat gen otorizasyon pou kondwi machine a cheval. Nan ansyen Legliz St Patrick, yon manm dakey Legliz la te kite li kanpe.

Pierre desede le 30 jen 1853 a 87 lane. An 1991, Kadinal O'Connor te entwodui koz kanonizasyon Pierre Toussaint epui li te re entegre nan St Patrick (sel layik ki tejwenn lonè sa a). Pape Jean Paul II deklare'l Venerab, Kadinal O'Connor ta konsidere'l kom yon "Grand Privilèj" pou 'l antere bò kote Pierre, yon esklav, yon antreprenè, yon byenfetè, yon zanmi pou tout pòv.
 

From Slave to Saint:  Pierre Toussaint

by Pat McNamara (Edited…Patheos Catholic Page)

New York has always been a multicultural city. As early as the 1600s, some two dozen languages were spoken therein…African-Americans have been a constant in New York life, right from the start. But not all came of their own will. As late as the year 1800, the city still had about 2,500 slaves (slavery would be banned in New York in 1827). Many slaves were from Haiti…Throughout the 1790s, thousands of white residents fled Haiti’s revolution to come to America. Among them were plantation owner Jacques Berard and his wife, who brought five slaves with them, including Pierre Toussaint.

Pierre, born on the Berard plantation, was fortunate enough to avoid the hellish existence of a field slave. As a domestic servant, he lived in relative comfort. He was even allowed access to the family library, where he read classic Catholic works. The Imitation of Christ was his favorite book, which he quoted from memory into old age.

In New York, Monsieur Berard urged Pierre take up hairdressing to support the family. He learned quickly and became "the fashionable coiffeur of the day." Pierre was intensely loyal to the Berards. After Jacques died penniless, he took care, anonymously, of his widow until her death. She had freed Pierre shortly before she died.

One of New York's foremost black entrepreneurs, Pierre bought a house in downtown Manhattan, and made lucrative investments. Although comfortable, he worked well into old age. "I have enough for myself," he said, "but not enough for others." Charity was a constant in his long life.

For nearly 60 years Pierre attended daily Mass at St. Peter's Church on Barclay Street. He also supported St. Vincent‘s Church (New York's first French parish) and the Catholic Orphan Asylum. He and his wife raised several homeless African-American children, purchased freedom for slaves, and nursed the poor during a yellow fever epidemic.

Despite being one of the city’s most respected citizens, Toussaint was no stranger to racism. Even in old age, he had to walk to clients' homes, since he was banned from riding the horse-cars. An usher once refused him a seat at Old St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Pierre died on June 30, 1853 at age 87. In 1991, Cardinal O'Connor introduced Pierre's canonization cause, and he was reinterred in St. Patrick's Cathedral (the only layperson so honored). He was declared “venerable” by Pope John Paul II. Cardinal O'Connor considered it "a great privilege" to be buried alongside Pierre, a slave, an entrepreneur, a benefactor, and a friend of the poor.