Most Reverend Fernand J. Cheri

Bishop Fernand Cheri is the Auxiliary Bishop of New Orleans. A Franciscan Friar of the St. Louis Province for 25 years, he has been ordained for 39 years.  He served at Our Lady of Lourdes, NO; St. Joseph the Worker, Marrero, LA; St. Francis de Sales, NO; and St. Vincent de Paul, Nashville, TN.  He taught at St. Augustine High School, NO; Hales Franciscan HS, Chicago; and at Althoff Catholic High, Belleville, IL.  He was a Campus Minister at Xavier University and at Quincy University, Quincy, IL.  He is the Episcopal Moderator for the Catholic Campus Ministry Association; the Episcopal Liaison for the Black & Indian Mission Office African American Newsletter; and the convener of the African American Bishops.
 
He received his M. Div from Notre Dame Seminary, and a M.Th from Xavier University.  He is an archivist of Black religious music with over 6,000 recordings of gospel music with books and files of gospel music.  He wrote “Songs of the Soul and the Soil: the History of Black Religious Music;” compiled two 9-volume Gospel Music Discographies; wrote “Black Catholic Liturgy” in the book TELL IT LIKE IT IS; “Mass of Thanksgiving” in FREEING THE SPIRIT magazine; and the contributing author to SWEET, SWEET SPIRIT: Prayer Services from the Black Catholic Church.
 
Due to his great interest in liturgy, Bishop Cheri served on the Bishops’ Subcommittee on Black Catholic Worship.  He works with the Archbishop James P. Lyke Liturgical Conferences; and is a member of the Lyke Foundation, dedicated to the development of Black Catholic Worship.  He began the Youth Gospel Choirs at Our Lady of Lourdes; St. Joseph the Worker; the Althoff Gospel Crusaders, and at St. Augustine of Hippo, East St. Louis, IL. 

He served as a member of the Diocesan Liturgical Commissions of Nashville, TN and of Belleville, IL. He is the convener of Go Down Moses Retreats for African American Young Men and worked with KUJENGA Youth Leadership in Chicago and the St. Louis/Belleville area.   He is a revivalist and preacher, whose testimony is, “My grace is enough for you, for in weakness power reaches perfection” (2Cor 12:9).