News

Camden parish gathers to celebrate 100 years

St. Louis Church begins renovations for centennial celebration in current location

Published: January 2, 2024      

By Katie Zakrzewski
Associate Editor

Courtesy St. Louis Church

St. Louis Church held a large catered banquet Sunday Dec. 10 after Mass. In the dining hall, tables were covered with old photographs and newspaper clippings with the history of the church to remind parishioners of the church’s history.

Courtesy St. Louis Church

St. Louis Church held a large catered banquet Sunday Dec. 10 after Mass. In the dining hall, tables were covered with old photographs and newspaper clippings with the history of the church to remind parishioners of the church’s history.

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Many parishes in the Diocese of Little Rock serve as a reminder of hardships faced by Catholic settlers centuries ago. When a parish like St. Louis Church in Camden reaches its 100th anniversary, Catholics are reminded that God always provides. 

Father Mike Johns, pastor of St. Louis Church in Camden and Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Magnolia, was assigned to the parish in January 2021. Father Johns said the church in Camden, one of the oldest cities in southwest Arkansas, had been through hard times. 

“I walked into a very difficult situation in many ways,” Father Johns said. 

The church was in need of maintenance and three decade’s worth of repairs. While self-reliance strengthened the bond between parishioners at St. Louis, Father Johns knew he would have to earn the trust of the flock to help the parish. 

“There was lots and lots to do,” Father Johns said. “We started getting the parishioners together, and I came up with a list of priorities. I started talking immediately about ‘Hey, this 100th anniversary is coming up,’ to get people excited about that, but more importantly, excited about the parish.”

According to the Jan. 17, 1925, issue of Arkansas Catholic’s predecessor, The Guardian, Catholics began to gather in Camden as early as the 1860s but finding a priest to regularly say Mass and build a congregation proved difficult. 

“All Camden needed was a priest to organize the existing conditions,” The Guardian article stated. 

Father H.J. Heagney was the priest for the job, according to a Guardian article dated Nov. 25, 1955. Father Heagney arrived in 1918 as a missionary. 

“The old church, which had been built in 1871, was about to fall apart. … Prior to 1923, after the old church building was sold, the people were left without a place to gather for Mass. However, through the kindness of Jewish citizens, the congregation found a refuge in the abandoned synagogue. Here, Mass was celebrated over a considerable time while plans went forward for a new church,” The Guardian article read.

On Sunday, Dec. 2, 1923, St. Louis Church was dedicated by Bishop John B. Morris. 

At the turn of the 21st century, the now-bygone railroad and oil booms that lured so many to southwest Arkansas led to a smaller population in the town, affecting the parish as well. The COVID-19 pandemic also played a part. 

But Father Johns was up for the challenge — and parishioners were too. The parish began with repairing stained glass windows.

“They were just so very heavily deteriorated,” Father Johns said. “Some were leaking. We had Soos Stained Glass come out and do an evaluation, and they said that all of our windows had failed. I didn’t know what that meant, but I knew it didn’t sound good.”

Soon parishioners were repainting the sanctuary and removing carpeting. One parishioner, a skilled carpenter, tiled the sanctuary and added new trim along with another level for the altar. Then parishioners worked with Father Johns to completely remodel the kitchen.

“People started offering to do new things,” Father Johns said. 

One parishioner decided to take advantage of the new kitchen by cooking several Thanksgiving turkeys and meals for people with nowhere to go for the holidays. 

“The parish hadn’t ever done that before,” Father Johns said. 

The parish celebrated its 100th anniversary with three major events Dec. 8-10. 

“Once a month the parish hosts bingo for the whole community, and they’ve done that for years. Lately, bingo’s been getting out of control because the whole town shows up,” Father Johns said with a laugh. “Some people take bingo so seriously – they’ll literally walk in with backpacks of bingo gear. So we had bingo on Friday (Dec. 8), and our jackpot was $1,000, and we gave away five hams for Christmas.”

On Saturday, Dec. 9, the parish held a volunteer appreciation dinner to thank the volunteers who helped bring all of the changes at the parish to life. 

On Sunday, Dec. 10, a large Mass at 10 a.m. was followed by a formal lunch. Long tables were decorated with black and white photos and newspaper clippings about the parish throughout the decades, featuring faces old and new. 

Parishioner Chris Long, originally of Chicago, has been a member of St. Louis Church for 40 years. 

“COVID hurt all of the churches in the area,” Long said. “After we had the opportunity to go back to church, the congregation had dwindled some, but Father Mike has slowly brought the numbers back up.… Just to see the numbers increase and to see some old faces has been really nice.”

RCIA coordinator Maureen Zoerner has been a member at St. Louis Church for 45 years since following her American husband to the United States from Dublin, Ireland. Zoerner said she is excited about the changes in the parish.

“We just painted the hall, and I’ve been here 45 years and it’s been the same color the whole time,” Zoerner said. “We got a new kitchen and paneling. It all looks wonderful.”

Zoerner said the centennial anniversary has reminded her of the value of community in a parish.

“I often hear, ‘Well, I don’t need the Church because I have a relationship with God.’ You also have to have a relationship with other people,” Zoerner said. “They have to understand that, like the cross, you go up and down with God and across with the community. You have to make people feel welcome.”

Long said attending a Catholic church in the South after growing up in a Catholic suburb of Chicago helped deepen his love for the faith and his parish. 

“You sit back and the older you get, the more you reminisce,” Long said. “I’m thinking, I’ve been here for not quite half of the church’s existence, but the church in that location’s existence. I’ve been going there for 40 years — and that’s a long time to keep me happy.”

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