A Grand Centennial The year is 1954. Americans who returned from the wars in Korea, Europe and the Pacific are establishing homes and raising families, cherishing peace. Air travel is growing in popularity, and television sets are beginning to appear in living rooms. President Eisenhower is leading the nation in navigating the Cold War, and students practice “duck and cover” drills in school hallways. “Mr. Sandman,” “Rock Around the Clock,” and Elvis Presley’s first single, “That’s All Right,” are playing on the radio and at sock hop dances held in school gyms. At St.Vincent’s, the Daughters of the Cross are excitedly planning a grand celebration commemorating their 100 years in Louisiana. Mother Elizabeth Freeman charges Sister Mary Clarissa LaCour, from Avoyelles Parish, the cradle of the mission, with the planning. The year-long festivities are inaugurated with a pontifical High Mass at St. Joseph’s Church in Marksville, offered by Rt. Rev. Henry Van der Putten, pastor. Most Rev. Charles Paschal Greco, Bishop of Alexandria, addresses the congregants, extolling the sacrifices, commitment and accomplishments of the 24
CATHOLIC CONNECTION
Daughters of the Cross. The second Solemn High Mass is celebrated on Easter Sunday, April 12, 1955, at St. Matthew Church in Monroe by Bishop Greco, assisted by Rt. Rev. John C. Marsh, pastor. The climax of the jubilee year is the pontifical Mass of Thanksgiving offered on November 10, 1955, by Bishop Greco, assisted by priests from Louisiana and surrounding states, at the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium. The speaker is Rev. Lawrence O’Neill, S. J., of the New Orleans Province. Congratulations and benediction from Pope Pius XII are read, and music is provided by the combined choirs of the sisters’ schools in Shreveport and Bossier, directed by Sister Mary Grace Lagana, D. C. In addition, the Sisters publish a commemorative booklet titled “Daughters of the Cross in Louisiana: 1855-1955.” In it, they provide a broad overview of their history, beginning with St. Francis de Sales and Venerable Mother Marie l’Huillier de Villeneuve. They proudly feature each school, including many photos of the sisters, priests, and students. Twenty-one schools are listed, of which nine
