Holy Trinity Catholic Church Celebrates Dedication

24 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION Holy Trinity in the past T he dedication of our present Holy Trinity Catholic Church in downtown Shreveport took place on October 1, 1899. Bishop Durier arrived at Holy Trinity in a carriage along with Fr. P. T. Brannan of Texas and Fr. Scharl, the 3rd pastor of Holy Trinity. They were met by other priests – local and visiting- and also by acolytes. They all marched around the exterior of the church blessing the walls. Back at the entrance they entered and proceeded to the altar and made a tour of the interior – blessing and sprinkling the walls with holy water. They proceeded to the altar and celebrated High Mass. The bishop delievered the sermon that included dedicating the church to the service of God. He was filled with joy and smiles.

The congregation filled the church. The choir lifted their voices in joyful praise and thanksgiving for their beautiful new church. Flowers adorned their place of worship. The interior was unfinished at that time except for the altar, chancel and choirloft. Other than that there were only bare brick walls. Mass would be held in the church from this point on.

Workmen would complete the interior as funds became available. The building is of Romanesque style with solid brick walls, pressed brick exterior and stone trimmings. Our present Holy Trinity was the conception of Fr. Gentille, the second pastor, who died in 1895 before the laying of the cornerstone on Sunday, September 27, 1896. Fr. Gentille is credited with relieving the debt that he found burdening the church upon his arrival. He planned the building of the beautiful edifice and instilled into the congregation the ambition that resulted in the magnificent place of worship that was dedicated on Sunday, October 1, 1899. Special credit belongs to the ladies who raised $14,000 prior to the death of Fr. Gentille for the building of the new church. Fr. Pierre founded Holy Trinity in 1856. His memory is held sacred. He was and is appreciated as a kind hearted, loving, self sacrificing and almost saintly priest. He, along with four other priests and three Daughters of the Cross, died in the yellow fever epidemic of 1873. Fr. Gentille planned our present church and upon his death on October 15, 1895 the plans were continued by the 3rd pastor, Fr. Scharl, who worked long and hard to complete the dream of Fr. Gentille.

Thus we are ever filled with gratitude and appreciation for our beautiful and holy structure and for the many people who made it possible to survive with so many years of labor. Holy Trinity Catholic Church Celebrates Dedication By Madeline Elford

Holy Trinity in Downtown Shreveport Today This information was taken from the October 3, 1899 printing of The Shreveport Times