Jesuit High School confidential

New discovery reveals Father Twomey's secret push to integrate JHS

The integration of Catholic schools, including Jesuit High, was bigger headline news even than Cold War Russia in the New Orleans of 1962.

A visit to the Josephite Archives in Washington, DC, last month led me to a fascinating discovery that changes the history of how Jesuit High School in New Orleans came to open its doors to African-American students. And, yes, Father Louis J. Twomey, S.J., played a pivotal role. If you’re a paid Matters Twomey subscriber, you’ll find the rest of the story below—with my thanks for your support of my research into the life of that great-souled Jesuit.