Mother Catherine Seals was born Nannie Cowin in Hustonville, Kentucky about 1876 to William and Sarah Cowin. In the 1880 census, she is listed as having two sisters, Lena and Jennie. She moved to New Orleans in her mid-teens and lived with Mrs. Nettles while working as a laundress.
In the early 1920s, Mother Catherine had a paralytic stroke. She went to a white faith healer but was refused treatment because she was black. Not long after, Catherine received a vision from God and discovered she could heal herself. When she recovered, she began using her healing powers for others.
Catherine founded a combination church and women’s shelter which she called the Manger in the early 1920s. She purchased undeveloped ground near Bayou Bienvenu in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans and encouraged her converts to buy the surrounding lots.
At a time of racial separation and strict segregation laws, the temple, called the Church of the Innocent Blood, was interracial. Members were known as “saints.” Men were called “banners” and dressed in suits with arm bands denoting the church’s emblem. Women, called “veils,” wore white tunics and cotton veils.
Mother Catherine entered the temple through a hole in the roof like she was descending from the heavens. She was known for her elaborate robes, and often went barefoot. The walls were hand-painted with religious icons, including a black Jesus. Discarded crutches that belonged to the healed lined the walls. Animals, including dogs, goats and chickens, roamed the compound. Thousands of followers supported her.
While Mother Catherine practiced spiritual healing, her other mission was to take care of women so that they could keep their children. The Manger was a haven for unwed mothers, abused women, and orphans. In the 1930 census, the church at 2420 Charbonnet Street was valued at $7000. It housed not only Mother Catherine, but 15 other women and children who were listed as aids. Being illiterate, Mother Catherine, made sure the children attended school. She even adopted one of the children, Sort Mayheir, a bi-racial girl with a Puerto Rican mother and African American father.
In 1930, Mother Catherine told her followers she needed to return to Kentucky to fight a spirit. She died on August 11th of that year, soon after arriving. Her funeral was attended by thousands and received nationwide newspaper coverage. Mother Rita took charge of the church after a legal battle because Mother Catherine’s will was found to be invalid. The church closed in the early 1940s.
Additional Reading:
Guillory, Margarita Simon (2017) Spiritual and Social Transformation in African American Spiritual Churches: More than Conjurers. Routledge and CRC Press.
https://neworleanshistorical.org/items/show/1509
Seals, Catherine,” Notable Kentucky African Americans Database, accessed April 14, 2020, https://nkaa.uky.edu/nkaa/items/show/1206.
Image: Tulane University Digital Image