The beginnings and growth of a spiritual community are firmly grounded in the human environment which surrounds it. Time, place, and events give external form to the human striving for spiritual fulfillment.
By the turn of the century, the Franco-American population of Lowell had grown
substantial enough to have established enclaves on both sides of the Merrimack River. For the most part, these families gathered for Mass
and the sacraments at St. Joseph’s Parish. However,
crossing the river to attend Mass had become a hardship for the Franco-American residents
of the Centralville section of Lowell. They were eager to worship God in the familiar
surroundings of their daily lives.
A committee of twelve men took the first steps toward the realization of that dream
(to have a parish for the Franco-American residents of the Centralville section of
Lowell). In 1903, they received permission
from the Archdiocese of Boston to initiate the movement for a parish of their own. Mr. John H. Beaulieu and Mr. Jacques Boisvert
bought a parcel of land bounded by Ennell, West Sixth, and Victor Streets. Later that year, they donated a 20,000-square-foot
section of the land to the Archdiocese as a site for their new parish church.
The Archdiocese soon assigned a pastor to the fledgling parish. Rev. J.N. Jacques came to St. Louis-de-France with
10 years’ experience in parish administration. Father
Jacques was a gentle, pious man who gave his parishioners not only the sense of spiritual
direction so important in those formative years, but also the firm practical guidance
necessary for a solid parochial foundation.
He led St. Louis-de-France on an ambitious, vigorous building program over the next
nine years. Within three weeks of his arrival
in early 1904, Father Jacques supervised the construction of a temporary chapel on the
corner of West Sixth and Boisvert Streets. He
also bought the rectory, and in 1905, land which would become the sites for the school,
convent, and parish hall.
Both Father Jacques and the parishioners of St. Louis-de-France considered it the
function of the Church to transmit and instill the values of Christian life in the young. To meet the requirements of a Christian education,
Father Jacques opened a bilingual primary school for his parishioners. The school would reinforce the values taught in the
home, and make the children’s French heritage a continuing and active presence in
their daily lives.
Father Jacques saw the goal of a Christian education through to its completion with
the construction and opening of a new school in 1907.
The Sisters of the Assumption, members of a teaching order from Nicolet, Quebec,
came to form the first teaching staff, and are still the mainstays of a parochial
education at St. Louis-de-France.
In 1909, Father Jacques completed his last construction project, a convent for the
Sisters of the Assumption. He eagerly
anticipated the beginnings of a new church to replace the temporary chapel. Before he could undertake this endeavor, Father
Jacques died accidentally at the age of 50 in 1913.
During this time of testing for the parishioners of St. Louis-de-France, a new
pastor, Rev. J.N. Labossiere arrived to assume the tasks left by Father Jacques with a
renewal of life and vigor.
In 1914, Father Labossiere bought land adjoining the rectory. In 1917, he realized Father Jacques’ vision
with the construction of a new church. In
1918, he extended the educational role of the parish by opening St. Louis Academy as a
secondary school for young women. In 1921, he
oversaw the building of a new rectory, and in 1924, enlarged the convent. In 1929, he began his final building project at St.
Louis-de-France, a parish hall. When Father
Labossiere was transferred to St. Joseph’s Parish in Salem in 1931, he left behind at
St. Louis remarkable achievements in transforming the physical resources of the parish.
Throughout these vast physical changes, the members of St. Louis-de-France never
lost sight of their true purpose in coming together as a parish. They remained faithful to the ideal of bearing
witness to Christ in their daily lives and concern for one another. That fidelity to the Christian way of life
sustained them through a series of administrative changes with several pastors for the
next 18 years. Among them were Rev. J.H. Cote
(1931), Rev. Remi Maynard (1933), Rev. F. Gauthier (1933), Rev. Simon P. Lonergan (1938),
Rev. Charles Cordier (1940), and Rev. Antonio Vigeant (1946).
With the arrival of a new pastor in 1949, Rev. Georges J.C. Duplessis, members of
St. Louis Parish looked to a future of stability and celebration. As the fiftieth anniversary of the parish drew
near, Father Duplessis and the parishioners alike fixed upon the construction of a new
church as a fitting way to mark the occasion. Several
years of negotiations and hard work culminated in the consecration of a new parish church
for St. Louis-de-France in 1955.
Joy once again permeated St. Louis Parish several years later when recognition of
Father Duplessis’ contribution to our parish took tangible form. Father Duplessis became Monsignor Duplessis in
1961. However, the joy in the honor conferred
on our pastor was short-lived. Little more
than a year later, Monsignor Duplessis suddenly died.
At this critical moment, Rt. Rev. Alfred R. Julien came to St. Louis-de-France
Parish. A profound transformation affected the
Church in the modern world, reaching a climax in the Second Vatican Council. Monsignor Julien brought a keen sense of
intelligence and strong leadership abilities to the task of shepherding his parishioners
through these changes.
The transformation opened the Church to a wider role in its affairs by the laity. Revisions in the liturgy accommodated more active
participation in the Mass and a deeper appreciation of the sacraments. At the same time, parishioners assumed greater
responsibility not simply for maintaining their spiritual life, but for expanding it in
the face of challenges presented by contemporary life.
The testimony to a Christian life
continues today, and Monsignor Julien still guides our efforts. The growth of the religious education program, the
presence of charismatic renewal among us, and the constant commitment to our parish
schools represent at least a part of that testimony. A
thread of continuity runs between the founders of St. Louis-de-France and its present
parishioners. Like our predecessors, we have
found ways to worship and live together, and to continuously maintain and renew our
Christian life. It is perhaps the single most
important tradition we can observe in our Jubilee Year, and the legacy we can best
transfer to those who will celebrate our centenary.
75th Anniversary Museum Committee)
25 years later, we who celebrate the centenary are grateful for the legacy that has
been transferred to us – a legacy of finding “ways to worship and live together,
and to continuously maintain and renew our Christian life.”
Father Robert Soucy succeeded Father Dufour as Pastor. Father Soucy, who is remembered as the last priest
to give a homily in French, provided the motivation for a renewal in the music ministry
when he called upon Raymond Chandonnet to cantor at various Masses and to start a choir.
The music ministry continued to grow
during the pastorate of Father Richard Matte. The roots of the present Children’s
Choir can be traced to a project by Denise Frechette and Sister Jeanne Frechette, S.A.S.V. The project emerged as they worked toward
certification as Master Teachers certificate. The
Frechette sisters had to create a project that would involve both the children who attend
the school and the religious education children. The project was the Christmas Pageant
Liturgy that continues to this day. After
working with the children for Christmas, Sister Jeanne and Denise thought it a good idea
to have the children participate in the Sunday Liturgies.
The Children’s Choir started singing twice a month and in the blink of
an eye, they were singing every weekend. The
innocence of the children’s voices and the simplicity of their songs helped all
present to pray. In addition to the
Children’s Choir and Adult Choir, the parish is blessed with a third group. The
present Folk Group was organized in 1988.
The end of the Mass celebrated entirely in French came during the pastorate of
Father Richard Matte when Father Roger Jacques, Associate Pastor, was reassigned. The bilingual Mass filled the void for those who
desired to maintain their cultural identity through the use of the French language. Through the use of French in the Second Reading,
half of the Prayers of the Faithful, and several of the hymns, the bilingual Mass
continues to fill this void even today.
The presence of the Sisters of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin in parish life
also contributes to the ethnic nature of Saint Louis de France Parish. They have played and continue to play an important
part in the life of this parish. Many people
recall Father Matte’s “Adopt-A-Nun” campaign to renovate the convent. The generous response to this campaign gave witness
to the important place the Sisters of the Assumption held in many people’s lives.
This time period also marked a time of
sadness for the Sisters of the Assumption. Saint Louis Academy, opened in 1918 at
the urging and encouragement of Father Labossiere, became part of the new Lowell Catholic
High School in 1991 as arranged by authorities in the Archdiocese of Boston. Another
sign that this was a time of mergers and consolidations. The Lowell and Dracut
Collaboratives were established in the early 1990s to explore issues that these
neighboring parishes faced together. This was but a foreshadowing of what would come
in 2003-2004.
On June 24, 1993 the venerable old Paroisse Saint Jean-Baptiste in downtown Lowell,
founded in 1867, came to a close. Their
parishioners were invited to join neighboring parishes.
Many joined St. Louis de France Parish. The
parish welcomed them to their new spiritual home. Their
gift to us was the statue of Saint Jean-Baptiste – la statue miraculeuse – that
survived the great church fire of 1911. We are
proud to have this statue of the Lord’s precursor and patron saint of the French
since medieval times grace our sanctuary. Many
of the parishioners have become active in both parish and school activities.
After a brief six months with Father Brian Kiely as Administrator, Father John
Gallagher and Father Leonard Pelletier were assigned to Saint Louis de France Parish as a
Team Ministry. They came as an experienced
team, having served together for 18 years at Saint Joseph Parish in Lynn. Father Gallagher’s interest in the health
ministries led to the beginning of the Raphael Health Care Ministry. Father Pelletier was best known for his presence to
the school students, support of the Scouting programs, and interest in liturgy. Their varied interests made them a good team.
The public disclosure of the clergy sexual abuse crisis in 2001 had a tremendous
impact on Catholic Church in America, the Archdiocese of Boston, and Saint Louis de France
Parish. People were horrified at the scope of
the problem and the inadequate ways employed to deal with the problem. The end result was a widening chasm between many
Catholics and the hierarchy of the Church. The
trust that was destroyed as a result of this scandal will take years, decades, and even
generations to repair.
Father Pelletier’s departure in the fall of 2002 led to 3 months during which
the priests of the neighboring Saint Michael Parish were generous in their service to
Saint Louis de France Parish. Father Robert
Kelleher came from the Emergency Response Group of the Archdiocese to serve the parish
until May of 2003 when his health deteriorated requiring him to leave. Father Scott Euvrard, also from the Emergency
Response Group, arrived on June 1, 2003.
It was in the spring of 2003 that the collaborative work done in the early
1990’s by the Lowell and Dracut Collaboratives was called upon as a foundation for a
new call to “reconfigure” the parishes of this area. June 2004 was set as the deadline for the
presentation of a plan that would result in a significant restructuring of the Catholic
parishes in this area. All clusters and
collaboratives within the Archdiocese of Boston are now part of this process. Saint Louis de France Parish has participated in
the reconfiguration process. We now await the
decisions of Archbishop Sean O’Malley
In 2003, the Sisters of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin celebrated the 150th
anniversary of their community’s founding and a 96-year relationship with Saint Louis
de France Parish. Today, after 96 years of devoted service to Saint Louis School, the
sisters still retain the administrative leadership of the school and are active in
classroom teaching.
When Vatican II opened the doors of the convent, that same Council energized the
sisters of Saint Louis Parish to meet new life challenges with creativity, resourcefulness
and a forceful dependence on God. Their
dwindling number, the rising cost of living, and the retirement of so many sisters may
change certain community features but hardly affects their reliance upon the Spirit to
keep alive the charism of Faith in Divine Providence and dedication to education that
characterizes the 150-year history of the Sisters of the Assumption.
Archbishop Sean O’Malley appointed Father Euvrard as Administrator of the parish on December 1, 2003.
Saint Louis de France Parish, 1904-2004, 100 years of worshiping and living together, a century of continuously maintaining and renewing our Christian life, 100 years of fidelity to the Church, Franco-American Heritage, and dedication to progress in Lowell!
The parish received a letter dated
On
The parish celebrated its last weekend
Masses on August 21 and 22 and held a parish picnic on Sunday. The final activities
as a parish took place on August 25 - the Feast of Saint Louis de France. Those
activities included morning Mass and breakfast as well as Evening Prayer and open house at
the rectory. At