150 years of Catholic education

Special

Reflections of 150 years of Catholic education at St. Francis de Sales

Story by Janet Marcel Photos by Lawrence Chatagnier

In 1870, the Marianite Sisters of Holy Cross arrived in Houma and opened the first Catholic school in Terrebonne Parish, a school for girls that was named the Academy of the Sacred Heart. The name was later changed to match the church parish of St. Francis de Sales.

At the request of the people of the area, additional sisters arrived in 1890 to begin educating boys. In 1952, the Marianite Sisters were joined by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart. With the opening of Houma Central Catholic School (later renamed Vandebilt Catholic High School) in 1965, St. Francis de Sales School transitioned to an elementary school for students through seventh grade.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and limitations on the number of people allowed to gather, the 11 a.m. Sunday Mass on Oct. 11 was celebrated at the Cathedral to mark the actual anniversary date.

“With the many challenges placed before us during 2020, the 150th anniversary celebration honoring St. Francis de Sales Cathedral School has had many changes over the course of planning,” says Kelli Cazayoux, who has been serving as the school’s principal since the 2017-18 school year. “Despite the realignment of schedules to accommodate current COVID-19 guidelines, our beloved SFCS’s 150th anniversary has been recognized throughout this school year. The milestone is too important to not celebrate. Serving as principal during the 150th anniversary year is such an honor. Following in the footsteps of the amazing individuals who have previously held this position is no easy task. Through my faith, prayer, and the team effort with all of the faculty, the ‘Tradition of Excellence’ continues.”

Very Rev. Jay L. Baker, pastor of the Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales who attended St. Francis School and graduated from Vandebilt Catholic High School, says that although there wasn’t any specific moment or incident he had while attending St. Francis that influenced his decision to become a priest, the way the Marianite Sisters lived did have a lasting impact on his life.

“Sister Mary Anna Finney taught us music and I still remember all the words to “Erie Canal!” In my mind’s eye, I can still see her veil fluttering in the wind while she was riding her bike! My bus (No. 9) had the dubious distinction of being the first bus to arrive each morning and the very a

Special

last bus to leave in the afternoon. Sister Janet Bodin had bus duty and she was always there, ever-present to us. For my ordination, Sister Danita Larriviere and Sister Kateri Battaglia boarded my friends from seminary in the convent for several days and hosted a spaghetti dinner for us all the night before. A picture of them with my brother and sister and me in our home from the party after my ordination is still in the living room at home. Sister Carmelita Centanni often refers to former students of any Marianite school as ‘ours.’ They truly made us feel that way,” says Father Baker.

The pastor says that occasionally he was even given a glimpse behind the doors of the convent and into the secret, mysterious lives of the Marianites. “I was able to carry Sister Bernadette’s books from the library and place them on the table in the community room in the convent. That table now sits in our money-counting room at the rectory. The same money-counting room to which Mama, as a senior, reported every Monday morning to count the weekend’s collection … full circle.”

Thinking ahead to his homily for the 150th anniversary Mass, Father Baker offers the following reflections:

“When the staff of the Office of Communications moved out of the St. Francis de Sales Convent a couple of years ago, it was brought to my attention that Room 221 had once served as the convent’s office. In that room was an undisturbed cabinet above the closet. When I opened the door, I discovered the cabinet to be chock-full. Curious as to what I was seeing, I stepped up on a chair and pulled out the first book I could reach on the top of the stack. I thumbed through the pages of names, dates, details. The first name atop the last page written on was Mama’s. A sense of peace in this place overcame me.

“As it turns out, this cabinet was a veritable treasure trove of letters, journals, ledgers and receipts. Some of the items dated as far back as the late 1800s, the earliest of which were beautifully penned in French. Interestingly enough, I had a similar sense as we were closing out the 2019-20 school year virtually this past May. Leaving the front office, the assistant principal handed me a stack of yellowed newspaper articles which her parents had kept about St. Francis from Terrebonne Parish’s Sesquicentennial in 1972 – they were among the things people were cleaning out in the midst of our Stay-at-Home Order. Even upside down, I recognized Mama in the picture of her early 1950s basketball team on top of the stack. She was the tall girl in the middle, the spitting image of my sister. Again, I sensed that things had come full circle.

“A lot of people are still dying of COVID-19 and many others are mourning their loss. Many more are grieving the loss of autonomy, the freedom to move about at will. An unprecedented number of people have lost jobs. We can easily feel insecure about the future, unsure about our finances. We can be exhausted from so much loss; there’s a constant heaviness on our hearts. Where do we go from here? What is the way forward? What will the path back to normalcy be for us?

“As awkward and uncertain as we may feel, we are not a

Special

the first people to feel this way. It’s just the first time we have all felt this way, at this time, together with so many others across the globe. But we are not the first. I can’t help but think of the Marianites of Holy Cross who began our school 150 years ago in a dilapidated building which had stood vacant from the end of the war. Eight years in, Yellow Fever struck Louisiana. The sisters were prevented from traveling to New Orleans for their annual retreat because they were living under quarantine. School was even delayed one month in opening so that the quarantine could expire thus allowing the students who lived outside the city limits to travel into Houma for class. Then, just two years later, in the 1880-81 school year, there were two severe snow storms on the heels of heavy continuous rains which damaged the convent roof such that plaster fell in the dormitories, the hallways, and the Chapel. And that’s not the worst of it: In an attempt to escape the biblically bad weather, snakes infested the school.

“When else have people felt like this before? How about the Spanish Flu Pandemic 100 years ago? The Great Depression? World War II, which saw over 75 million deaths? The oil bust in the late ‘80s/early ‘90s? What about 9/11 when the Twin Towers fell? Hurricane Katrina? The 2008 Recession? Hurricane Harvey? Or, if you’re more sentimental: Hurricanes Audrey, Hilda, Betsy and Camille?

A few alumni were asked to share their fondest memory of St. Francis School and who influenced them the most while there. Following are some of their memories.

My days as a student at St. Francis will be cherished forever. I can easily say that many of my fondest memories revolved around the book fair as they still do to this day. I love watching my students discover new stories to bring home and enjoy with their families. When I think of a teacher who influenced me the most, my Project Read teacher, Barbara Vice, comes to mind instantly. She was an incredible mentor who opened the door to the world of reading for me. Because of her overwhelming belief in her students, she managed to make a librarian out of a struggling reader.

Sarah Macnamara Rodrigue, 2010 ***

I’m not sure I have one fondest memory of my time at St. Francis. We moved back to Houma from New Orleans when I was in 5th grade, so I was there for three years. I do remember loving going to school with so many cousins and neighbors. In Terrytown, I went to Christ the King, which was also a Marianite school, but we had no relatives there. Being at St. Francis was being “home.” The Marianites who were there were certainly a big influence on me in a positive way. It was their joy of life, compassion and humanness that allowed me to be open to the idea of religious life for myself.

Sister Renée Daigle, M.S.C. ***

Choir practice with Sister Fabian in the small music room off the porch was always one of my favorite things as I loved music and loved to sing. Of course we always had our “comedy session” at the beginning when Sister Fabian, yes, a Frenchman who thought mostly about music, would get the members settled – “Betty Jean, take those gums out of your mouth!” (meaning the chewing gum.) Having been in the orchestra (I played violin) and taking private piano lessons from Sister Fabian, I realized what a great accomplished musician she was. Another favorite was the gatherings and programs in the large hall of the convent when the Reverend Mother or other dignitaries visited. We were dismissed early and a holiday declared for the rest of the day.

Jeanne Bourg Wurzlow, 1944 ***

Probably my fondest memory of SFS is how proud I felt going into the gym for basketball games and proudly watching my brothers play in the games. Also, meeting people that would become lifelong friends. Sister Conleth was definitely the most influential. Although a strict disciplinarian, she was an excellent teacher. I learned more that year than possibly all the years combined. Lol!

Mary Beth Keife Pyles, 1967 ***

My fondest memory of SFS is the Halloween Bazaar. The people who influenced me the most are Mrs. Connie Leonard and Mrs. Celeste Goodwin. There are too many to name, but I think about those two women a lot and how I got to be where I am today.

Maddie Cronan, 2010

***

On Monday, Jan. 25, the day after the feast of St. Francis de Sales, there will be grade-level appropriate lessons about the life of St. Francis de Sales and the school’s 150th anniversary. “Through prayer,” says the principal, “everyone will give thanks for the school community; and we hope to continue the shaping of missionary disciples within the community for many years to come.” BC