Born in New Orleans in 1812 by mixed parents, Henriette Delille was a free person of color. By 1836, she had inspired a group of women to assist the sick and dying, to feed the hungry, and bring the word of God to the uneducated people among her.
That same year, she wrote the simple prayer that guided her life: “I believe in God. I hope in God. I love and I want to live and die for God.” By 1841, this group of pious women was both encouraged and recognized by the Church. The Sisters of the Holy Family trace their official origin to the following year.
By 1851, Henriette Delille had personally purchased a home where these women could live in community and further their ministry. At her death in 1862, Henriette Delille was known as one “who for the love of Jesus Christ had made herself the humble servant of slaves.”
Henriette Delille was born into a prosperous and influential family in 1812. She was the youngest of the four children of Marie Josephe Diaz and Jean Baptiste Lille Sarpy (Sarpi) of French and Italian descent. Her mother was described as a femme de couleur libre (free woman of color), a quadroon.
The French Quarter was where most of the Creoles of the city lived. All — whether they were black, white, or racially mixed, slave or free – shared a common Creole cultural identity. Henriette, learned early in life the religious views of the Catholic faith.
