Archbishop Alfred Hughes of the hurricane-ravaged Archdiocese of New Orleans has announced that he will celebrate the first Mass in the city’s historic French Quarter since Hurricane Katrina as the St. Louis Cathedral reopens this weekend.

The Archdiocese reported that 69 of their 142 parishes will celebrate Mass this weekend, marking a hopeful turning point in recovery efforts.

The city and surrounding gulf coast were devastated by the category 4 hurricane and subsequent flooding earlier this month.

New Orleans’ French Quarter however, sustained relatively light damage during the massive storm, and to the relief of many, the famous Cathedral weathered the storm all but unharmed.

Officials have said that nearly a third of the city’s evacuated residents will be allowed to return at their own risk Friday.

Archbishop Hughes will celebrate Mass at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, October 2nd. A list of open parishes is available at the Archdiocese’s website at: http://www.archdiocese-no.org