I always wanted to know more about the man for whom the West
Bank school was named: Archbishop Blenk. What can you tell me?
Curious on the West Bank Archbishop Joseph Huber Blenk was
promoted to the seventh Archbishop of New Orleans on April 20,
1906. He was formally welcomed by the Catholic laity at a public
gathering at the French Opera House on July 3 of that year. New
Orleans Mayor Martin Behrman, Gov. Newton Crain Blanchard and an
array of dignitaries gathered. Catholics and non-Catholics alike
were present for the ceremony, which included music and lots of
speeches. Born in Germany on July 28, 1856, Blenk was the
youngest of 17 children. In 1866, his Protestant family
emigrated from Germany to New Orleans. Blenk's parents died when
he was 12 years old, and he was raised by a Catholic family.
After converting to Catholicism, Blenk was baptized, confirmed
and eventually became a priest in 1885. For a while he served as
professor at his alma mater, Jefferson College (now the Manresa
House of Retreats in Co