Venerable Pierre Toussaint

Pierre Toussaint was a formerly enslaved Haitian-American hairdresser and philanthropist, brought to New York City by his enslavers in 1787. He was declared Venerable by Pope John Paul II in 1996. Freed in 1807 after the death of his mistress, Pierre took the surname of "Toussaint" in honor of Toussaint Louverture, a leader of the Haitian Revolution. Toussaint also became a successful barber and used his wealth for various philanthropic causes. He also helped finance the construction of St. Patrick's Old Cathedral. Credited as the de facto founder of Catholic Charities of New York, Toussaint is the first and only layman to be buried in the crypt below the main altar of the current St. Patrick's Cathedral on Fifth Avenue, generally reserved for bishops of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York. Pierre was born into slavery on June 27, 1766 in the French colony of Saint-Domingue, in what is now Haiti. He was the son of Ursule, the mistress’s waiting maid. They resided on the Artibonite plantation owned by the Bérard family. The plantation was located on the Artibonite River near Saint-Marc on the colony's west coast. His father's name is unknown. He was known to have a sister, Rosalie. His maternal grandmother, Zenobe Julien, was also enslaved and was later freed by the Bérards for her family service. His maternal great-grandmother, Tonette, had been born in Africa, where she was sold into slavery and brought to Saint-Domingue. He was raised as a Catholic. Pierre was educated as a child by the Bérard family's tutors and was trained as a house slave. The senior Bérards returned to France, taking Pierre with them, and their son Jean Bérard took over the plantation. As tensions rose, which would lead to the rising of enslaved and free people of color in the Haitian Revolution, in 1797, Bérard and his second wife left the island for New York City, taking five of the people they enslaved with them, including Pierre and Rosalie.