Gleaming by a brilliant sun seemingly proclaiming its approval, Bishop Michael G. Duca, standing on hallowed ground where slaves once toiled and are now buried, led an inspiring All Saints Day prayer service Oct. 31 at the site of the controversial proposed Formosa Plastics plant site in St. James Civil Parish.
RISE St. James, a faith-based organization working to protect the people of St. James from the petrochemical industry, organized the service where Bishop Duca blessed the fenced area where the graves are buried.
“We honor those who have died and gone before us,” Bishop Duca said. “We give them honor.”
The bishop said it is impossible to know if the slaves buried at the site died without recognition, anonymously or simply died quietly and alone.
“Today we give them the dignity they deserve,” he said, “and to give them a proper blessing.”
“We need to honor life,” Bishop Duca said. “Every life is important.”
Father Joshua Johnson, pastor of Holy Rosary Church in St. Amant and the lone African American priest in the Diocese of Baton Rouge, energized the gathering of more than 50 people with his remarks. He said while praying earlier that day, the Lord told him the lives of the slaves were written in the Book of Life.
“The Lord told me ‘I know their name,’ ” he said. “We are the body of Christ. We must speak up for justice and peace for our ancestors.
“We want this land to be treated as a sacred space.”
RISE St. James founder Sharon Lavigne passionately repeated her public calls for the St. James Parish Council to revoke Formosa’s permit. She called Formosa the parish’s enemy and said the proposed plant is a “death sentence” for St. James residents.
She said Formosa is sending its profits overseas to its Taiwan headquarters, leaving behind illness and death.
“Council members must protect our parish,” she said. “St. James is our home.
“The message is clear: no more death; no more Formosa Plastic.”
Formosa has proposed building a $9.4 billion petrochemical complex on a nearly 2,400-acre site sitting in the shadows of the Sunshine Bridge. When announced in April 2018, Gov. John Edwards, along with state and parish officials, heralded the project as an economic boon for the entire River Parishes.
When completed, the facility would produce the foundational chemicals used in a number of plastic products.
From its beginning, however, the plant has faced vehement opposition from nearby residents as well as national and local environmental groups.
Also, earlier this year Lavigne revealed to the parish council the discovery of slave grave sites on the property. Lavigne claims the company purposely failed to notify the council of the discovery before members approved Formosa’s permit.
“We want to honor (the slaves buried at the site) and the best way to honor them is to protect their descendants,” Sister Adelaida Williamson CSJ said.
She added that plastics produced by Formosa are a worldwide problem but individuals can make a difference by cutting the use of single use plastics.
Father Matthew McCaughey, pastor at St. James Church in St. James and St. Philip and Our Lady of Peace churches in Vacherie, said “we came here with hope.”
He remembered the slaves who were welcomed to the same site in chains.
“I welcome you for the glory of God,” he said.