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Miss Clara Habetz is from Rayne, Louisiana. She was born in 1914, in Roberts Cove and learned her German traditions from her parents. She has kept the German language alive in her family by encouraging relatives to speak German at home and by corresponding with relatives in German. She has visited Germany twice and is frequently asked to act as an interpreter for German visitors.
As a community leader, she is very active. She has served as a sacristan at the St. Leo Catholic Church for forty years, cook and housekeeper for the rectory for the last forty-five years, and an organist for the church choir for more than fifty years. Miss Habetz has served in community leadership positions, including president of the Acadia Parish Homemakers' Council.
Miss Habetz and the St. Leo Catholic Church's choir have maintained German culture by singing German hymns, carols, and folk songs. For more than fifty years, the community has celebrated the coming of the Christmas season with an Old World St. Nicholas celebration. On December fourth, the eve of the feast of St. Nicholas, members representing Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, and Black Peter (a Turkish boy who assists St. Nicholas); visit homes where they are welcomed with lavish meals. Santa Claus and Black Peter then enter and give the children candy, and the choir sings carols in German.
The Roberts Cove community members demonstrated the St. Nicholas procession at the 1992 Louisiana Folk Festival and the St. Leo Choir performed, singing many German carols.