KEY TAKEAWAYS: Norman C. Francis, former Xavier University president, remembered at Mass in New Orleans Served 1968–2015; guided university through civil rights era and Hurricane Katrina recovery Honored for leadership, mentorship, family devotion, and community service Memorial featured civ ic leaders, alumni, performances, and dove release ceremony The life of Norman C. Francis, the longtime former president of Xavier University and local civil rights leader, was celebrated at a remembrance and Mass Tuesday at the St. Louis Cathedral.. Francis, who died late last month at the age of 94, served as president of Xavier University of Louisiana for nearly five decades, from 1968 to 2015. He was widely respected in New Orleans and beyond for his steady leadership during the civil rights era, desegregation and the rebuilding of both the historically Black, Catholic university and the city after Hurricane Katrina. During his lifetime, Francis was the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and dozens of honorary degrees. At the Tuesday morning Mass, former New Orleans New Orleans Marc Morial celebrated Francis as an institution builder, civil rights leader and family man in a rousing eulogy that remembered him as “extraordinary but ordinary.” “Now, I can sit here or stand here and recite all of his great accomplishments — honorary degrees, a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the first Black graduate of Loyola University, an advisor of popes and presidents and corporate leaders — but I’m not going to do that,” Morial said. Instead, Morial hailed Francis as a faithful Catholic, a family man and a trusted friend and adviser to many, as well as a lover of chocolate, red beans and old cars. “God does not create perfect human beings, but as near as can be to perfection, God created Norman C. Francis,” Morial said. “And he created, if not a perfect person, a perfect servant, a servant of God, a servant of family, a servant of people, a servant of the locked out, the left out, the weak, the disadvantaged and the dispossessed.” Morial mused that a host of notable New Orleanians, Catholics and political and religious leaders — from Buddy Bolden to Kathleen Drexel to Pope John Paul II — would all greet Francis at the gates of heaven. “They’re going to escort him to the table, but the seat he will take will be the chairman seat,” Morial said. “And he’ll call the meeting to order and say, ‘We are here and we must develop a plan, because we gotta send it back down to Earth.’” The eulogy was something of a full circle moment as Francis himself delivered the eulogy for Morial’s father, former Mayor Ernest “Dutch” Morial at his 1989 funeral. Surrounded by siblings Michael, Tim, David, Kathleen and Patrick, Francis’ daughter, Christina Francis, delivered remarks on behalf of the family, remembering her father as being a font of unconditional love and joy: leading exciting conversations over dinner and sports games and calling home every night while he was away. (David Francis cofounded Verite News and was the executive director of Verite until retiring in late 2025.) Francis’ wife of 60 years, Blanche, died in 2015. “Our father was a great man, but even more important to us was that he was an amazing example of a husband and father,” Christina Francis said. “He loved us unconditionally and it’s very difficult to let him go. Logically, we know he lived a beautiful 94 years, and he was ready to go. But selfishly, we wanted to keep him forever.” In addition to local and national politicians — including Mayor Helena Moreno and U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, among others — Xavier University alumni, members of the Sigma Pi Phi Omega fraternity (of which Francis was a member) and business and civic leaders all showed up in droves to remember a fond mentor, brother and friend. Sierra Blanchard, who graduated from Xavier University in 2017, remembered Francis as a sweet, humble leader, who never bragged or boasted in spite of his many accomplishments. “He just did the work,” Blanchard told Verite News. “And I think that alone is a testament of how he lived and an inspiration of how we should live.” Regina Benjamin, the former U.S. surgeon general under President Obama and a Xavier alumna, said that Francis used to walk around campus and talk to students, getting to know them, their families and their struggles. And his relationship with students didn’t stop when they stepped foot off campus; even after graduation, she said that Francis would keep up with Xavier alumni as they continued into careers. Benjamin said she called Francis regularly during her time as surgeon general, counting him as both a confidant and mentor. Today, she is the endowed chair of public health at Xavier. “The best way to honor him is to carry on his work,” Benjamin said.” And we are now his hands and eyes and arms, and it’s up to us to do what he taught us to do.” Cardinal Wilton Cardinal Gregory, former archbishop of Washington, D.C. and the first African-American to be appointed cardinal by the Catholic Church, delivered the homily. And the service featured performances by Terence Blanchard, Danielle E. Wilson, Davell Crawford and the Xavier University Concert and Gospel Choir. Following the funeral, doves were released in front of the cathedral as “When the Saints Go Marching In” played. Following the service, the family planned to hold a private interment for Francis at St. Louis Cemetery No. 3.   This article first appeared on Verite News New Orleans and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. ...read more read less