SLS 21RS-1542 ORIGINAL
2021 Regular Session
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 51
BY SENATOR FOIL
CONDOLENCES. Expresses condolences upon the death of the Rt. Reverend Charles
Edwards Jenkins III, the tenth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana.
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2 To express the sincere condolences of the Legislature of Louisiana upon the death of the
3 Rt. Reverend Charles Edwards Jenkins III, the tenth Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese
4 of Louisiana.
5 WHEREAS, it is with deep regret and sorrow that the citizens of Louisiana learned
6 that Rt. Reverend Charles E. Jenkins III, at the age of sixty-nine, while surrounded by his
7 family, completed his life's journey and peacefully entered into eternal rest with our Lord
8 on April 9, 2021; and
9 WHEREAS, Reverend Jenkins was born on July 27, 1951, in the cotton country of
10 Shreveport, Louisiana, to Don Green and Helen Huckabay Jenkins, and grew up in
11 Mansfield, Louisiana; and
12 WHEREAS, he graduated from Louisiana Tech University in 1973 and Nashotah
13 House Theological Seminary in 1976; and
14 WHEREAS, in 1975, he was married to Louise Hazel Jenkins and their union was
15 blessed with two sons, Edward and Benjamin; and
16 WHEREAS, Reverend Jenkins was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop James
17 Brown in 1977 and thereafter served briefly as an assistant chaplain at Louisiana State
18 University and in various parishes in Louisiana and Texas; and
Page 1 of 3 SCR NO. 51
SLS 21RS-1542 ORIGINAL
1 WHEREAS, while rector of St. Luke's in Baton Rouge, he was elected bishop
2 coadjutor of Louisiana in 1997, consecrated bishop of the Diocese of Louisiana on
3 January 31, 1998, and invested as the tenth bishop of Louisiana on March 28, 1998; and
4 WHEREAS, Reverend Jenkins was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree
5 from Nashotah House in 1992, an honorary doctorate from the University of the South,
6 Sewanee, Tennessee in 1999, and in his continuing educational pursuits, he studied for five
7 years with Rabbi Edwin Friedman; and
8 WHEREAS, while safely evacuated in Baton Rouge during Hurricane Katrina,
9 Rt. Reverend Charles Jenkins said the televised images of thousands of people suffering in
10 New Orleans compelled him to retool the work of his 19,000 members of the Diocese of
11 Louisiana to remedy the social injustices exposed by the storm; and
12 WHEREAS, as national relief money poured in, Rt. Reverend Charles Jenkins
13 launched ministries, including Jericho Road, that put the Louisiana diocese into new work
14 such as building houses, running medical clinics, and forging new relationships with
15 African American neighborhoods and other ministries; and
16 WHEREAS, Rt. Reverend Charles Jenkins said he wanted to "institutionalize in his
17 church" the reckless and inspiring generosity that prevailed in the first months after the
18 storm, having the programs become a part of the diocese's identity as Christians and not be
19 merely an aberration; and
20 WHEREAS, together with Episcopal Relief and Development, an international relief
21 and development agency of the Episcopal Church, he formed the diocesan Office of Disaster
22 Response in order to coordinate the church's charitable response to the disaster as well as
23 working with interfaith agencies; and
24 WHEREAS, through the partnerships he formed, Reverend Jenkins became involved
25 in long-range community rebuilding plans, including Jericho Road, a ministry he started to
26 help rebuild homes in New Orleans; and
27 WHEREAS, upon his retirement, he moved to St. Francisville where he served as
28 Bishop in Residence at Grace Church and often presided over services at St. John's Laurel
29 Hill, the Chapel of Grace Church; and
30 WHEREAS, while living in St. Francisville, he fished frequently and puttered about
Page 2 of 3 SCR NO. 51
SLS 21RS-1542 ORIGINAL
1 outdoors; and
2 WHEREAS, many viewed Reverend Jenkins as a champion of the oppressed, a
3 crusader for justice, a seeker of the Beloved Community, and a child of the Living God; and
4 WHEREAS, he is survived by his wife, Louise Hazel Jenkins; two sons, Benjamin
5 and Edward (Beth); two granddaughters, Eleanor and Claire and a host of nieces, nephews,
6 and cousins; and
7 WHEREAS, despite the fact that the death of Rt. Reverend Charles E. Jenkins III will
8 leave a substantial sense of loss in the lives of the individuals he touched, he shall always
9 be remembered most for his wit and humor and for his leadership and community rebuilding
10 efforts after hurricanes Katrina and Rita which lead him to address the systemic racial and
11 economic inequities in New Orleans by building bridges and serving with other
12 communities.
13 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
14 express sincere condolences upon the death of Rt. Reverend Charles Edward Jenkins III.
15 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to his
16 wife, Louise Hazel Jenkins.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Ann S. Brown.
DIGEST
SCR 51 Original 2021 Regular Session Foil
Expresses condolences upon the death of the Rt. Reverend Charles E. Jenkins III, the tenth
bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana.
Page 3 of 3