|
Surrounded by
stately oaks and crepe myrtles, the Church of the Ascension of Our
Lord Jesus Christ continues to serve the community of Donaldsonville
today as it has for more than two hundred and thirty years.
Founded by order of
King Charles III of Spain in 1772, it has remained the center of faith
for Christians here under the flags of Spain, France, Territory of
Louisiana, the Confederate States of America, and the United States of
America. No one knows exactly when the first small chapel was
constructed, however, the Acadians began to settle the area in 1758,
and records indicate that the Spanish militia began construction on a
small mission chapel for the settlement on September 10, 1770, on
property that remains designated as church property today. It
was--as were other churches along the Mississippi River--served by a
missionary priest who traveled by boat up and down the River.
Thirty-four years
BEFORE William Donaldson founded the City of Donaldsonville, Father
Angelus Revillogodos, Franciscan Capuchin Missionary priest, had
dedicated the Church parish to the Ascension of Our Lord on August 15,
1772.
It was
officially named “La Iglesia de la Ascension de Nostro Senor Jesu
Cristo da Lafourche de los Chetimaches.”
The reference
therein is to the Chetimaches Indian tribe which was found by early
French explorers at the junction of the Mississippi River and Bayou
Lafourche at Donaldsonville. It had been to the Chetimaches that the
earliest French missionary priests had come to evangelize in 1704.
The territory comprising the original boundaries of the Church parish
included more than the present geographical area of Ascension Civil
Parish, which derives its name from Ascension Catholic Church parish.
The original wooden
mission chapel enlarged in 1783, then finally dismantled and replaced
by the first official church building, constructed of brick, in 1819.
The first ordination to the priesthood in Louisiana was celebrated at
Ascension of Our Lord Church in Donaldsonville on October 24, 1823,
when Bishop Louis William DuBourg ordained Jean-Baptiste Blanc, a
native of Lyons, France. In 1830 Donaldsonville replaced New Orleans
as the capital city of the State of Louisiana, but after only a year,
New Orleans once again became the capital city. 
Construction of the second larger church building was begun, and would
be completed in 1843 at a total cost of $19,000. Twenty-two foreign
missionary priests pastored Ascension Church parish for its first 100
years between 1772 and 1872. In 1872 Belgian native Father Francis
Xavier Ceuppens became the twenty-third pastor and immediately began
planning the third and present church building. Construction began on
the church foundation in 1875, and the cornerstone was laid on June
24, 1876. Construction was slow for want of and waiting for imported
materials and because of lacking funds, and was finally halted eight
years after it had begun in 1883. Fr. Ceuppens was caught in the
middle of a lengthy dispute between the Church’s Board of Wardens and
the Archbishop of New Orleans over ownership and control of church
money and property. Church records attest that the celebration of the
sacraments in the parish ended abruptly--presumably indicating that
the parish was placed under interdict--and under threat of bodily harm
Fr. Ceuppens was forcibly evicted from the rectory by the Board of
Wardens for obeying the archbishop’s order and refusing to offer the
sacraments. While the dispute was settled legally in favor of the
Board of Wardens (the magistrate was related to a member of the
Board), church money and property must have been transferred
eventually to the archbishop, because in 1885 the apparent interdict
was lifted with the appointment of Fr. Jean Honore Dubernard as the
24th pastor.
Construction was slowly but surely resumed on the new church
building. A distinctive change in the color of the bricks
approximately halfway up on the exterior walls of the church building
testifies to the interruption in construction. In 1896, the new
church building which had taken 21 years to construct at a cost of
$80,000 was opened on March 31st, and solemnly dedicated on April
14th. When dedicated, it wasn’t entirely completed. Fr. Dubernard
would see to the final completion in 1900. He died on August 1, 1902,
after serving as pastor for 17 years. His body is interred in a crypt
under Ascension Church, and the crypt is still visible from a “Chapel
of Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament,” where faithful are
in prayer 24 hours daily. This chapel is located directly beneath the
main sanctuary of the Church and is accessible from ground level at
the rear of the church building.
Having been
weakened over the years by strong winds, the steeple structure atop
the bell tower was declared unsafe, and was dismantled and taken down
in 1936. In 1984, the 1907 rectory was demolished and construction
began on a new administration building adjoining the church at the
side, and a new clergy residence and both were completed in 1986.
In 1989 the Church parish began a massive
preservation effort to arrest
deterioration to the church building and furnishings and restore them
to their original condition. The efforts, still underway today, have
already made roof attic and roof repairs, installed a complete
lightning protection system, new attic access for inspecting for leaks
and electrical fire hazards, restored the more than 80 year old
statues and stations of the cross, repaired, restored, and protected
the church’s stained glass windows (some of which are original),
restored exterior masonry, replaced water-damaged plaster on the
interior walls, completely repainted the interior of the church,
replaced and modernized the electrical service, rewired the church,
and added improved interior and exterior lighting. The inoperative
mechanical Verdin bell-ringing system which was 54 years old was
replaced by a new digital Verdin bell-ringing system. The system
rings the three bells in the bell tower, one of which is 127 years
old. An inoperative carillon system was also replaced with a new
digital Verdin system. In 1996, the year celebrating the 100th
anniversary of the church’s dedication, the steeple was restored to
the church after being absent for 60 years. The community is
especially proud of the new steeple. The original steeple for years
served as a landmark for travelers and residents in the area by land
on both sides of the Mississippi River, and by traffic on the River
itself. In the year 2000, more original architectural features were
restored to the church’s exterior. Two minor spires which had been
missing since they were blown off during Hurricane Betsy in 1968 were
restored. A cupola atop the apex of the church which had been missing
since 1910 was also restored. In addition to this preservation work,
a new choir section was built in the west transept of the church, an
entirely new and effective sound system was installed in the church,
and second floors in the two forward sacristies were constructed.
More phases of the preservation work will restore the clock in the
bell tower, repair and refinish the pews, kneelers, and wood floors,
and restore the decorative wrought iron fencing around the church
property perimeter. The church, in its original state with steeple,
has been the subject of paintings by such distinctive and renowned
Louisiana artists as Robert Rucker and George Rodrigue.
moreà |
