Immaculate Conception Cathedral Parish: The 150 Year History
About this book
Within this volume, we celebrate our 150 year Sesquicentennial Anniversary of Immaculate Conception Cathedral Parish. As the first, Mother Church of old Imperial Calcasieu, many well-known organizations were started here by committed pastoral leaders & laymen. St. Patrick’s hospital, St. Louis high school, most all area mission churches, the Cathedral, and even the Lake Charles Diocese were originally founded through parishioners with Immaculate Conception church. Historical stories begin with the extreme hardships of wilderness endured by priests dedicated to recording baptisms and blessing marriages of Louisiana pioneers. These early settlers prevailed through deadly plagues, war, destructive hurricanes and the Great Fire, which destroyed every single church property in one day. But despite these difficulties, dedicated parishioners worked even harder toward the greater glory of God. Colorful anecdotes over the years beloved Father Cramers, who would literally give to the poor the shirt off his back; brave nuns recruited from overseas to provide a proper religious education to our “immigrant children” in the first mission schools; and the whimsical experiences of our nationally renowned Cathedral Chorale. Included is a full color pictorial of the 100 year old cathedral restoration through the 21st Century Capitol “Return to the Lord”. The financial sacrifices of area parishioners brought to us another era of construction culminating with the consecration of a new holy altar in the unique Oil of Chrism ceremony.