Exploring the History of St. Matthew Church
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By John Mark Willcox
xiting I-20 in downtown Monroe on Jackson Street you are met with a beautiful sight….the majestic spire of St. Matthew Church which has stood in downtown Monroe for nearly 120 years. Close observation reveals that all four of the clock faces of the spire are new. “They are working and tell perfect time,” comments Pastor Rev. Mark Franklin. “We refurbished every one and we have a man that comes twice a year to keep them oiled and in good working condition.” Spoken like a priest who loves his parish, and that has always been the case with St. Matthew Church and the generations of Catholics who have worshipped at the second oldest parish in the diocese. Walking through the Sanctuary with Fr. Mark as your guide takes one back to a former time and place, when North Louisiana was beginning to grow while facing the formidable challenges of frontier living. During the mid 1800’s, Monroe was the principal city of Northern Louisiana and Shreveport was referred to as “that small village in the Northwest.” The Ouachita River was navigable and many times steam paddle wheelers counted the city of Monroe as their final destination northward in Louisiana. Railroads had roared in from the East and Monroe was fast becoming a commerce center and the gateway to the northern reaches of a region that Spanish missionaries and explorers had been visiting for several centuries. Shreveport suffered with a useless main water artery in the Red River which was choked with logs and debris (the great raft) for many miles, heading into Natchitoches. Fr. Patrick Canavan received the assignment to provide the faithful of the Monroe area a place to gather and worship in 1851. By 1856, St. Matthew had become an established parish and was pastored by now legendary Fr. Louis Gergaud who had migrated to the area from Britanny, France. Fr. Gergaud witnessed the arrival of steam ships on the Ouachita and the rapid growth of the rail industry while he shepherded his flock through the tragedy of America’s Civil War. He spent much of his waking hours tending to the wounded in makeshift hospitals and it is said that he brought over fifty soldiers into the Church as they lay on their deathbeds. In addition, Fr. Gergaud established a Catholic school for the parish in 1863 with a beginning roster of sixty pupils. The impact that Fr. Gergaud had on the foundational formation of St. Matthew’s faith community cannot be overstated as his tireless efforts produced a healthy, active parish.
20 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION
