The Joy of Y'at Catholicism

by Earl Higgins

New Orleans culture is a fusion of secular and holy. From the earliest days of the community founded on the banks of the Mississippi River, the Catholic faith has been an influence on, and inspiration for, daily life. To be sure, religious rites such as weddings, funerals, and feast day festivals transpire elsewhere in the country. In New Orleans, however, they are celebrated with a zeal and verve that speaks to the uniqueness of the community. Earl Higgins amuses us with those quirky, sometimes paradoxical, customs that define modern New Orleans life. He humorously explains why the answer to the question 'Where did you go to high school?' is a better identifying characteristic of a New Orleanian than a thumbprint. What's in a name? Many New Orleans streets and one local bayou bear the names of Catholic saints. Louisiana's civil districts are parishes, not counties, bearing testimony to the strong congregational life of the region's founding fathers. Holidays take a twist as New Orleanians observe Christmas, but just as importantly, Twelfth Night, which ushers in the Carnival season and ultimately Fat Tuesday and Ash Wednesday. Meatless Fridays and the Creole culinary tradition of Holy Thursday's gumbo ziherbes hail from religious observances connected with Lent. The term y'at is an affectionate nickname proudly worn by some New Orleanians. Higgins, a proud Jesuit High School blue jay and y'at, explains how all these Catholic customs and traditions have blended throughout history to create a unique lifestyle and shorthand language found only in New Orleans.

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

My dad wrote a book. I knew most of this stuff from living with him anyway. It's pretty good.

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rated four stars for sentimental reasons. Catlick Y’ats of a certain age will enjoy this fairly comprehensive discussion. It includes some mid-20th century history I had not known in detail.

[Stacygibbs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Considering the fact that my father and his family were born and raised in New Orleans, this was a fun book to read. I loved reading the references to the local dialect like "Jeesus Gawd" and the "neutral ground." It reminded me of my grandfather, and it made me smile. However, for people without a connection to NOLA, the book in its entirity might not be as enjoyable. It will however, give you some insight into how/why New Orleanians tick. I especially liked the way the book described how the Catholic faith is interwoven into so many aspects of life in NOLA. As the book says, in New Orleans, even the Jews are Catholic!

[Jimmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly anecdotal and lots of tidbits of knowledge about NOLA Catholic customs and traditions. I have my students at Tulane in a "Catholic NOLA" TIDES course (for incoming Freshmen only) read this text. Would love to get the author, a fellow Blue Jay as I understand it, to visit my class next Fall 2016. I imagine the book would be much more engaging with the author filling in on the backstory of how it came to be.

[Eileen Gaston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure: Earl Higgins is my brother. That said, it is a really good book for folks who have ever lived in New Orleans. It is an excellent mixture of serious research (historical and cultural), Catholic theology, and humor. New Orleans is a wonderful and ideosyncratic city, well-portrayed here.

[LeLe · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this book may only be truly interesting to natural born Y'ats. It's hard to understand many of their idiosyncrasies unless you were born and raised in a contradictory culture like New Orleans.

[Mary K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious for New Orleanians.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not for everyone. If you aren't familiar with the area this book will mean nothing to you. Explains alot of quirks surrounding the traditions of those in New Orleans.

[Kim Limmex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laugh out loud funny, especially if you grew up making a few laps around the beads every now and then.

[Melanie Miranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A humorous look at the culture of New Orleans Catholicism and belonging.