St. Christopher Parish - A Look Back
Due to the insistence of Mrs. Marie Rybiski and Mrs. Austin Deitch, his Excellency, Archbishop Joseph F. Rummel decided to establish a new parish in Metairie on July 1, 1947. It was formally dedicated on November 13. The new parish was carved from St. Catherine of Siena and St. Agnes parishes, having as its borders the Illinois Central Railroad tracks, Soniat Canal, Lake Ponchatrain, and Harlem Avenue (now Causeway Blvd.). It embraced about 600 families. The name given the parish was St. Christopher the Martyr, and Father Patrick J. Quinn, later Rt. Rev. Monsignor, was the founding pastor. Upon his arrival he described the newly established parish as "a big field with a lot of trees". For the first three months Mass was said in a classroom at Ella Dolhonde School. The "pews" were chairs which were borrowed and transported back and forth each weekend from East Jefferson High School by Mr. John (Uncle Jack) Ruppert, St. and his son. The improvised altar was stored at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Robichaux. Fr. Quinn rented an apartment, but maintained an office in the home of Mr. and Mrs. John Ruppert.
During these three months the property on which the present church complex stands, excluding the convent, was purchased along with three U.S. Army barracks from Camp Plauche. These barracks were moved to the property with a lot of "toil and sweat". Fr. Quinn along with John Ruppert, Sr. and Jr., Henry Campeaux and his brother, Ben Robichaux, Thomas Guidry, Gene Bienvenu, Lucius Porche, Frank Randazzo, and Allen Belanger erected them as a temporary church and rectory.
The first baptisms in the parish, recorded on July 13, 1947, were John Claiborne Baye, Jr., Dianne Lynn Catherine Craft, and Sue Ann Hereard. By the end of 1947 51 baptisms had been recorded. The first wedding was solemnized on August 1, 1947 between Robert Lee Harrison and Helen Agnes Vielee. The first funeral mass was for Nicholas Goudeaux on October 7, 1947. On June 16, 1949, 23 boys and 22 girls received their first Holy Communion. On June 19, 1949 Archbishop Rummel confirmed 65 children and 14 adults. Original trustees of the parish included Austin Dietch and Rodney Abele. Frank Randazzo was the first president of the ushers and Mrs. Austin Dietch served as the first Altar Society president. As of December 31, 2006 there have been 10,009 baptisms, 7,918 confirmations, 2,352 weddings, and 3,453 funerals recorded in the parish.
Simultaneously with the founding of the new parish came an influx of new families into this section of Metairie. As the Church has a special responsibility to share her message with the young it was necessary to provide for their education as they were the future hope of the parish. A Catholic school had to be established. Dedicated in September 1949 St. Christopher School was large enough to accommodate an increase in enrollment for many years to come. It had as its first principal Sr. Luke, MSC. Its staff of four nuns and three lay teachers taught 427 children. A convent was erected on the slab of a former tow car garage on the church property. The Marianites of Holy Cross continued to staff the school until 1975.
Fr. Maurice J. Gubler succeeded Fr. Quinn as pastor on February 28, 1953. By this time the parish had increased in size to over 2000 families. It became necessary to enlarge the school. A new addition and cafeteria were dedicated on September 26, 1954.The faculty increased by one nun and three lay teachers. Shortly thereafter two classrooms were converted into an auditorium. By July 1956 the staff consisted of eights nuns and eight lay teachers. The sisters were living in very tight quarters.
The size of the congregation continued to increase despite the fact that St. Mary Magdalen Parish had been spun off from St. Christopher on July 5, 1955. Construction began on a ?temporary? church, which was later to be converted to a gymnasium, to accommodate the increasing population of the parish. It was dedicated on March 3, 1957. A second parish, St. Philip Neri was spun off on July 2, 1960. On March 11, 1962 a new convent was dedicated relieving the overcrowded conditions of the original one. At the same time a second addition was added to the school. More and more families continued to move into the parish and once again it gave birth to two new parishes, St. Edward the Confessor on June 1, 1964 and St. Benilde in the fall of the same year.
On June 21, 1964 Fr. Ignatius Fossier, O.S.B. became pastor. Although plans were approved to build a permanent church building as well as a rectory, the archdiocese, for financial reasons, placed a ban on all construction projects. In place of building projects the Benedictine staff concentrated its efforts on the spiritual needs of the large congregation. As many as three weddings or funerals were celebrated in one day by each of the priests. They made hospital visits, instructed potential converts, counseled individuals, prepared couples for marriage, explained the then new rite of Baptism, and attended parish meetings. As a result of the Vatican II Council two additional organizations were added to the parish which meant even more meetings to attend. To ease their burden two more parishes were spun off from St. Christopher. They were St. Clement of Rome in 1965 and St. Ambrose in 1971. St. Christopher was still left with a population of 1800 families. Its boundaries were the present ones of Clearview Parkway to I-10, to Cleary to W. Metairie to Causeway Boulevard to the Illinois Central RR tracks.
In 1972 the 25th anniversary of the parish was observed with a mass of thanksgiving celebrated by Most Reverend L. Abel Cailliout DD, VG, and auxiliary bishop of New Orleans. In 1975 the long awaited rectory was constructed. It was during this period that the St. Christopher Parish Fair, which had begun in 1958, was at the height of its popularity. People came from all over the area to attend. There was something for everyone. You could take a chance on cakes, dolls, stuffed animals, or even a bag of groceries. There was a fish pond for the little ones and a white elephant booth for the ladies. There were beautiful afghans and ceramic nativity sets raffled off that had been made by the ladies of the parish. Meals were served in the school cafeteria and the school children performed on a stage. There were even gaming tables.
Fr. Andrew Taormina succeeded Fr. Ignatius as pastor in 1976. Construction of the gymnasium had begun and was finished in July of 1977. In 1980 the electric bell system was donated by Ms. Stella Roman of New Orleans in memory of her parents. When it became clear that the temporary church would instead be permanent, a huge remodeling project was undertaken in three stages beginning in 1981. The building systems were upgraded and the church was given a more contemporary interior style. The cry room and stained glass windows were added. The statues of the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph that had been in the convent were installed in the church at this time. With the exception of changing the carpet the church retains the basic look of this remodeling.
In 1983 Monsignor Louis LeBourgeois became pastor. During his tenure the rectory addition was completed. The candle room that had been added to the church in the renovation was converted to a devotional chapel. Succeeding Fr. LeBougeois as pastor was Fr. H. J. Adams in 1990. In 1991 the beautiful Christmas banner we continue to use today was made by ladies of the parish. Construction was begun on the building housing the Play School and Parish Center in 1997.
In 1998, Fr. Kenneth Harney took over the reins. Building of the Play School and Parish Hall was completed and it was dedicated in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the Parish. Beautiful landscaping and iron fencing was added later. 1998 also marked the beginning of what has become a tradition in the parish; a special mass for the Christmas tree lighting, with caroling and reception following. In 1999 a mass was celebrated by Bishop Gregory Aymond in observance of the fiftieth anniversary of the school. Also in 1999 the Fall Fest was inaugurated as a time for fun, food, and entertainment. The first parish ministry fair also took place that year. In February of 2000 a fund raiser to reduce the parish debt was begun with the selling of bricks engraved with family names to be inlaid in the area in front of the church. In July of that year the devotional chapel was converted to an Adoration Chapel. In 2000 a plaque was hung in the Parish Center listing all the presidents of the St. Christopher Senior Citizens Club. In 2002 a large plaque listing all of the pastors was hung in the church. Also, in 2002 a special mass honoring those parishioners who had been awarded the St. Louis Medal by the archdiocese was begun with a reception following. A plaque was hung in the church with all the names of the honorees. A plaque was also hung in the church in 2003 honoring those who have served as president of the Altar Society. The ongoing building project of the parish is the conversion of the former convent to a Parish Life Center. The parking lot was paved in 2003 and funds continue to be raised for the interior work to create a reception area, parish offices, and meeting rooms.
The vitality of the parish is exemplified in all the lay persons whose selfless gifts of time and talent keep the parish alive. They do this by their participation in the following organizations and ministries: Altar Servers, Adoration Chapel Volunteers, the Altar Society, Boy Scout Troops 117 and 269, Cub Scouts, CYO, Eucharistic Ministers and Lectors, Evening for the Engaged, Gift Bearers and Ushers, Home and School Club, Holy Name Society, Knights of Columbus, Men's Club, Mission Rosary Makers, Parish Council, St. Vincent DePaul Society, Senior Citizens Club, and the Sunday Choir.
St. Christopher Parish is celebrating its 60th year of existence from July 2007 to July 2008. The achievements of these years are a direct result of those who have served the parish whether religious or lay. They have laid a solid foundation on which to build.
Janie Creel and Barbara Creel Reed