Bishop Fernand J. Cheri, III, OFM

Bishop Fernand Cheri has a Master's in theology from Xavier University of Louisiana's Institute for Black Catholic Studies. After his priestly ordination in 1978 and many pastoral assignments, he joined the Franciscans of the Sacred Heart province in 1992. He also served as director of campus ministry at Quincy University. In March 2015, he was ordained Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. Bishop Cheri has written articles and books on Black Catholic liturgy, and is an archivist of Black religious music.