Farewell from the Diocesan Administrator
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THE SHREVEPORT “MARTYRS”
It is not within the province of this brief history to give our readers a detailed
account of the tragic days of the yellow fever epidemic in Shreveport. We merely
want to recall here the names of those heroic priests who laid down their lives
for the brethren. “Greater love than this no man hath, than that he lay down his
life for his friends.”
Perhaps some day a more gifted pen will pay the tribute these priests, as well as
the nuns who died in the epidemic, really deserve. We may go further. As our late
lamented Bishop Desmond suggested, on the occasion of his last visit to Holy Trinity,
perhaps someday Holy Mother Church will investigate the lives of these heroic sons
and daughters of France, and find them worthy of a place in Her calendar of Saints.
Rev. Fr. J. Queremais, Assistant at Holy Trinity, died September 15th,
1873.
Rev. Fr. J. Pierre, first pastor of Holy Trinity, died September 16th,
1873.
Rev. J. M. Biler, chaplin of St. Vincent's Academy, died October 1st,
1873.
Rev. J. Gergaud, pastor of Monroe, who came to the assistance of the stricken community,
died October 1st, 1873.
Rev. Fr. F. LeVezouet, who came from Natchitoches for the same reason,
died October 8th, 1873.
May it not be said of these heroic souls, as it was said of the Christians of old,
“the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Christians.”