T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History Collection
ABSTRACT
INTERVIEWEE NAME: Saah-Buckman, Michael Kwa COLLECTION: 4700.0848
IDENTIFICATION: Michael
Kwa Saah-Buckman is the Pastor
of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church and Private School in
INTERVIEWER: Green, S. and
Jacobi, P.
PROJECT: McKinley 3: African American Churches
INTERVIEW DATES: June
12, 1997
FOCUS DATES: 1918 - 1997
ABSTRACT:
T 1222, Side A
Introduction; St. Francis Xavier founded in 1918 exclusively for
African-Americans by the diocese of New Orleans; also established a school at
that time by closing its orphanage; lost its high school with the construction
of I-10 and I-110; is administered by the Josephite
fathers and Holy Family of Nuns; is a family church without territorial
boundaries that encourages gifts and talents to be exhibited; located on the
1100 block of 11th Street in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; described as a
young, African American, gifted, spiritual, and active congregation of about
650 families; 75th Anniversary and an African Pastor are significant
events; St. Francis' location and being the only African American Catholic
Church with a School makes the St. Francis Xavier unique; typical Sunday
includes choir, acknowledgement of visitors, announcements, “From the Pastor's
Desk,” service, remarks, social gatherings before everybody goes home; has a
partnership with St. Thomas More to deal with racism; St. Francis' African
American spirituality makes worship unique; SaahBuckman
is a spiritual leader, administrator, and community minister to St. Francis; he
also has a passion for education; father, John Benjamin Buckman;
mother, Elizabeth Nyankah; was educated in Catholic
schools; degree of philosophy and theology from St. Peter's Regional Seminary
in Ghana; came to United States in 1987; ordained in 1993; attended University
of New Orleans and De Salis School of Theology; assigned
to St. Francis in 1996 as Father Norvel left; St.
Francis Xavier school ended the year with 295 students in pre-K to 8th
grade and 65 % are catholic; 24 children in the daycare; 98% of students are
African American; has community outreach of Alcoholics Anonymous, St. Vincent
DePaul, and the Boy Scouts; has helped the community through its worshiping
community and family; agrees to provide list of potential interviews and
booklet for the St. Francis Xavier 75th Anniversary; closing.
TAPES: T1222 TOTAL
PLAYING TIME: 34 minutes
# PAGES
TRANSCRIPT: 16 pages
OTHER
MATERIALS: Index, Notes and Words list, Interview
Comments, Interview Data Sheet, Correspondence
RESTRICTIONS:
None