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The Historic New Orleans Collection
HNOC in the News

NOLA.com Names HNOC Historian Jari Honora as 2025 “Louisianan of the Year”

January 5, 2026

The family historian and certified genealogist received the honor for his work connecting the pope’s heritage to the state’s history and culture.

Jari Honora, HNOC Family Historian
NOLA.com / The Times Picyaune

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Further Reading

Check out our First Draft blog post about Jari’s discovery of Pope Leo XIV’s Louisiana heritage.

First Draft

From the French Quarter to the Vatican

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Announcement

New Orleans Jazz Museum to Screen Award-Winning Documentary Made with HNOC Support

March 17, 2026
“What We Can Know About Edmond and Basile” was named 2026 Humanity Documentary of the Year by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities.
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HNOC in the News

Gambit: Musical Louisiana Concert Highlights Works of Underrecognized Creole Composers

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HNOC in the News

NPR: Why Black Catholics in New Orleans Feel a Special Connection to Pope Leo XIV

June 5, 2025
HNOC family historian Jari Honora spoke with “All Things Considered” about the new pope’s Creole ancestry and what it means for residents of the 7th Ward.

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