Bahlinger a Pioneer for Caritas

Barbara Bahlinger, 92, has devoted her life to the universal church as a member of Caritas. 

Whether she visited homes in the Baton Rouge African American community or rode donkeys in the Sierra Mountain Range in Central America she evangelized and taught others about the love of Jesus.

The Bahlinger family was instrumental in the founding of St. Aloysius Church in Baton Rouge and set a firm foundation of faith and social justice for Barbara, as well as her sister, Sister Kathleen Bahlinger CSJ, deceased. This propelled the two to become actively involved at St. Paul Church in Baton Rouge and the founding of the St. Paul Adult Learning Center.

Barbara Bahlinger, along with Eunice Royal, Rita Lombardo and Lois Deslonde, came to St. Paul in September 1960 as members of Caritas, a Catholic ministry whose mission is “to build global relationships that reflect the universal call to ‘love God with one’s whole heart and one’s neighbor as oneself (Mt 22:37-40). ’ ” 

Bahlinger helped organize and oversee St. Paul’s religious education program and lived within the St. Paul community. 

“We had (RCIA) programs at night because most of the time the adults were working during the day,” she said.

“There were many, many converts who came into the Catholic Church at St. Paul’s Parish.”

And there was outreach to the children as well.

“During after school hours, we had children and high school students in classes of teaching religion to elementary and high school students,” she said.

Bahlinger was interested in learning the cultural expression of prayer and worship of Black Catholics.

“I went to St. Louis to learn about the liturgical dancing, a method of spiritual dance, which is called Eurythmics,” said Bahlinger.

Liturgical dancing is an expression of the beauty of the body and is dancing of the spiritual, hymn or spiritual thought, according to Bahlinger.

Liturgical dancing remains an important part of St. Paul’s liturgy.

Long-time parishioner Gloria Jeanne Davis Hayward, 74, remembers Bahlinger’s presence well.

“My husband (James) is Catholic and we met when I was in ninth grade and he was in 12th grade at Capital High (in Baton Rouge),” said Hayward. “He would come over and ask if he could take me to the movie. My mom said, ‘No. Take her to church,’ so he brought me to St. Paul where he was a member. And not only did he bring me he brought all my brothers and sisters, six of us: three boys and three girls.

“When we started going to Mass with them, we would walk there. And we met Ms. Bahlinger and Caritas wanted us to start going to religion class. They came and talked with my mother and we were Methodists. (My mother) said, ‘As long as they’re in church, I don’t care where they go, that’s just alright with me.’ ”

All six siblings started religious education classes and came into the Catholic Church at St. Paul under the leadership of Bahlinger and Caritas.

“The (Caritas members) were always there to make sure that we stayed on the direct track and stayed centered in church,” Bahlinger said. “It’s been a long time ago, but I never forgot how important the relationship that was involved with Caritas. It was a blessing for St. Paul to have them there.”

Gloria and James married in 1966 at St. Paul. And when they had children, Bahlinger helped get them into Sacred Heart School in Baton Rouge. 

Bahlinger’s experiences in living amongst the local community proved valuable during missions to Central America for more than 20 years. She ministered to the Tarahumara Indians in the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes mountain range, which extends from Mexico into Guatemala. Pope Pius XII commissioned Caritas to go to Central America.

The Caritas leader became involved in starting a Montessori School, which focuses on global education and designed curriculum and classroom atmosphere and helps students develop a love of learning. 

“We had a young woman who was a Milagros, which means miracle. We sent her to get trained as a Montessori teacher,” Bahlinger said.

She added, “We had women who worked in our embroidery workshop. And the little children of the women doing the infirmary work would sit in cardboard boxes. And our founders said no, these children need to have a school, not to sit in cardboard boxes.”

She said the school had “beautiful Montessori equipment” thanks to beneficiaries who believed in Caritas’ mission.

The satisfying part of ministering in Guatemala was witnessing the Gospel message being lived out. There were poor, middle class and wealthy children alongside each other.

“It enabled the children to get decent jobs,” Bahlinger said. “They could go on to get a higher education and get trained as teachers. Many of the students in Guatemala turned out to be teachers in Guatemala public schools and Catholic schools.”

Now living in St. Anthony’s Garden Retirement Community in Covington, Bahlinger found that she has lived a good life at the local and global levels.

“So that’s the history, that my life is in St. Paul’s Parish and in Guatemala, which I love both places,” said Bahlinger with a deeply satisfied smile in her voice. “Both places were such a wonderful experience for me.”

She emphasized, “I want others to see the beauty of the poor, the gifts they give to us in our society.”