In preparation for the 20th anniversary of the passing of Fr. Harry Tompson ’54 on April 5th, the Harry Tompson Center is asking its greater network of supporters to participate in the Father Harry Tompson Legacy Campaign. The Center provides day shelter and other vital services to those experiencing homelessness in New Orleans.

Fr. Tompson spent 13 years at Jesuit High School as principal and president. As the pastor at Immaculate Conception Church on Baronne St., he opened the Pastoral Center next door to the rectory in 1999 and began ministering to the homeless. After his death in 2001, the center was renamed for him. It moved to Gravier St. behind St. Joseph’s Church after Hurricane Katrina. 

Many Jesuit students and alumni have volunteered at the Center over the years and have hosted numerous donation drives.

The Center is collecting and displaying stories and photos about how Fr. Tompson impacted people personally, especially in relation to helping the poor and unhoused communities in New Orleans. The stories will be featured on a special page of the Center’s website on April 5^th. As more stories are collected throughout the year, they will be shared via HTC’s monthly e-newsletter and on its social medial platforms. 

Stories can be emailed to the HTC’s communications director, Paisleigh Kelley, or they can be told in an interview. Paisleigh can be reached at 504 273-5547 ext. 153 or pkelley@harrytompsoncenter.org.