The Diocese of Shreveport,
the seventh Catholic diocese in Louisiana, was
established by Pope John Paul II June 16, 1986.The
Most Reverend William B. Friend was named as the
first Bishop with the formal ceremony of installation
held July 30, 1986, in the Cathedral of St. John
Berchmans. The first diocesan offices were located
in the Catholic Center at 2500 Line Avenue.
 In
July 1999 the diocese acquired a property known
as the St. Vincent Convent and Academy which had
formerly served as the Motherhouse and educational
institution of the Daughters of the Cross. This
property, located at 3500 Fairfield Avenue, has
served as a physical sign of the presence of the
Catholic Church in this area since 1866. The facility
includes a residence for the diocesan bishop and
other clergy, a Catholic conference center and
the diocesan ministerial and administrative offices
known as the Catholic Center. The renovated diocesan
offices were operational in late May 2000.
The
Shreveport diocese covers 11,200 square miles
and is comprised of the 16 northernmost civil
parishes in the state, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo,
Claiborne, DeSoto, East Carroll, Jackson, Lincoln,
Morehouse, Ouachita, Red River, Richland, Sabine,
Union, Webster, and West Carroll. The area
that makes up the Diocese of Shreveport was administered
by the Diocese of Natchitoches beginning in 1853,
was redesignated the Diocese of Alexandria in
1910 and the Diocese of Alexandria-Shreveport
in 1977.
 St.
John Berchmans was designated the Cathedral Church
in June 1986 with the establishment of the diocese.
It is the second oldest parish in the city of
Shreveport. Established in 1902 by the Jesuit
Order at the request of Bishop Anthony Durier,
the Cathedral is named in honor of the saint credited
with restoring health to a dying nun in Grand
Coteau, Louisiana. A complete restoration of the
interior was performed beginning in 1992, and
on August 28, 1993, the Cathedral of St. John
Berchmans was rededicated.
Early
History
The
work of the Church in northern Louisiana began
in earnest with the establishment of the Diocese
of Natchitoches in 1853. Prior to that time missionaries
made sporadic efforts to bring the Church to the
native peoples of the area and to the French and
Spanish settlers.
The
establishment of Fort John Baptiste in 1716 near
the present city of Natchitoches and the strong
support given to the Church by French officials
aided the missionary efforts. With the acquisition
of Louisiana by Spain in 1769, it became difficult
to obtain clergy to minister on a permanent basis.
Between 1795 and 1798, however, the Spanish had
established two chapels within the current boundaries
of the Diocese of Shreveport.
From
1801 until 1815, the growth of the Church suffered
due to the uncertainty of Spanish rule and land
disputes between Spain and the United States.
The Church concentrated its work in south Louisiana
with its large Catholic population.
Northern
Louisiana contained approximately 20,000 Catholics
scattered over an area equal to about three-fifths
of the present state. Funding was inadequate to
support the number of clergy required in a large
area with poor transportation facilities. At the
chapel near Monroe, no priest ministered for over
20 years.
During
the 1840s the Lazarist Fathers visited chapels
in the extreme northern part of Louisiana but
abandoned this work in 1849. At this point the
Bishop of New Orleans formed the deanery of Natchitoches
for most of north Louisiana to assist in providing
more priests for the area.
Diocese
of Natchitoches Erected
 In
1853, in response to the need to serve the Catholics
of north Louisiana, the Diocese of Natchitoches
was erected, and Auguste Marie Martin was appointed
first Bishop. The newly created diocese had five
priests to serve its vast territory.
Obtaining
funds and clergy to serve the diocese was a major
endeavor of Bishop Martin. Native vocations were
scarce, but the French clergy responded generously
to the call to serve in the missionary diocese.
The Society for the Propagation of the Faith responded
also by providing much needed funding.
Catholic
education was a priority, but it was difficult
to obtain religious to serve as teachers. The
Daughters of the Cross responded to the need for
teaching sisters with the American foundation
of the Order in Avoyelles Parish in 1855. Ten
years later the congregation established their
motherhouse at Shreveport. The Sacred Heart Sisters,
Sisters of Mercy and Benedictine Fathers also
served the diocese but left upon Bishop Martin's
death.
 Martin
encouraged the establishment of priest schools
at each church. These schools consisted
of Catholic lay teachers and the priest educating
young boys in the rectory. Such schools
existed in Shreveport, Monroe and Lake Providence.
In
1870 the diocese boasted 25 churches and 17 priests.
However, yellow fever struck Shreveport in 1873,
and five priests lost their lives in the service
of others. Bishop Martin died in 1875, and the
See was vacant for nearly two years.
Bishop
Francis X. Leray was consecrated the second Bishop
of Natchitoches in 1877. In 1879 he was appointed
coadjutor of New Orleans, and the majority of
his time was spent then with the affairs of the
Archdiocese. It was a difficult time for the Diocese
of Natchitoches. In 1883 Leray advanced to the
position of Archbishop of New Orleans. He appealed
to Rome to be relieved of north Louisiana and
two years later Anthony Durier was consecrated
the third Bishop of Natchitoches.
An
important contribution of Bishop Leray was his
mandate that all religious instruction including
prayers, sermons, educational training be given
in English. Up to this time French was the language
used by the clergy and religious in the area,
whereas the native population spoke English.
During
the administration of Bishop Durier and his successors,
the diocese entered a period of growth and relative
prosperity. Appointed in 1885 Bishop Anthony Durier
was the first bishop to use pastoral letters to
communicate regularly with the faithful. These
letters were read aloud in every church, then
printed and distributed to the people.
 Like
Bishop Martin, Durier focused his efforts on improving
Catholic education. His first pastoral letter
directed that a Catholic school be established
near every church. He organized the first Catholic
school board in Louisiana in the year 1889. This
board is credited with increasing the number of
schools in the diocese from four in 1885 to 23
in 1904. Five of these schools offered children
of color the opportunity to receive a Catholic
education.
During
the administration of Bishop Durier (1885-1904),
six new parishes and a number of mission chapels
were established. Included among the new parishes
was St. John Berchmans, now the Cathedral parish
of the Diocese of Shreveport.
Diocese
of Alexandria
Bishop
Cornelius Van de Ven, a native of Holland, began
his episcopacy in 1904 with a tour of the See
that included travel by horse-drawn buggy to the
distant areas of the diocese. As a result of his
desire to serve all sections of the far-reaching
territory, he petitioned the Holy Father to move
the See City to Alexandria that had the advantages
of modern communication and transportation facilities.
In 1910 approval was granted for this change and
the Diocese of Alexandria was created.
Under
Bishop Van de Ven's leadership, Catholic hospitals
were established in Monroe and Shreveport, and
seven new parishes and 20 mission chapels were
built. By 1924 ten young men were studying as
seminarians for the diocese.
Van
de Ven was interested in promoting Catholic lay
organizations such as the St. Vincent de Paul
Society and the Catholic Knights of America. The
Knights of Columbus established councils in Alexandria,
Monroe and Shreveport.
Less
than a year after the death of Bishop Van de Ven
in 1932, Daniel F. Desmond was installed as Bishop.
He was the first Bishop of Alexandria born in
the United States. He traveled extensively throughout
the diocese, taking a portable altar to offer
Mass in remote communities where no Catholic chapel
existed.
During
his 12 year tenure (1933-1945), 26 new parishes
were erected and 35 new churches were built. He
invited the Franciscan Friars to the diocese to
help staff this increased number of parishes.
Other accomplishments included the creation of
a Catholic Charities office, initiation of a diocesan-wide
fund raising campaign, appointment of a diocesan
superintendent of schools and establishment of
ten new schools.
Bishop
Charles P. Greco governed our north Louisiana
diocese for 27 years (1946-1973). Under his leadership
a phenomenal building program was undertaken including
the construction of over 450 churches, chapels,
schools, convents, rectories and diocesan buildings.
He took pride in the two homes he founded for
special children. The Holy Father accepted Bishop
Greco's retirement in 1973, and Lawrence P. Graves
became the Bishop of Alexandria, serving until
his retirement in 1982.
The
episcopacy of Bishop Graves fostered the growth
of the post-Vatican Council Church within the
diocese. Programs established or expanded during
his administration included communications, the
annual Diocesan Service Appeal, priests' continuing
education, the
diocesan office of religious education and  youth
ministry, the permanent diaconate, and
the formation of deanery pastoral councils.
To
recognize the growing population of northwest
Louisiana, the Diocese of Alexandria officially
became known as the Diocese of Alexandria-Shreveport
in 1977, with St. John Berchmans Church serving
as Co-Cathedral. In January 1983 William B. Friend
was consecrated Bishop of Alexandria-Shreveport,
the largest Louisiana diocese in terms of square
miles. It is from this background that the Diocese
of Shreveport emerged three years later.
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