These were men on fire with the love of God and eager to witness to the Gospel for the sake of the salvation of his people. What a legacy to inherit! What inspiring lives to emulate and imitate!
The Most Reverend Alfred C. Hughes, archbishop emeritus of New Orleans
This inspiring story can seduce beyond the Catholic world: it resonates powerfully.It is also a beautiful reminder that, even in dark times and dark places, human beings are spiritual beings who can sacrifice themselves for the common good and to imitate Gods love. This historical episode is a needed message for our Western world, which lost this spiritual fighting spirit and the salvation of souls as the ultimate horizon.
Tristan Casabianca, author
This is a story from the very heart of America, one of love and sacrifice in a time of darkness and desperation. When the last paragraph is finished, the reader will be left with the sadness that such remarkable men should have died so young but also with a strange feeling of warmth in the great strength, selflessness and faith that these five priests demonstrated.
Alexander Mikaberidze, PhD, historian and author
Published by The History Press
Charleston, SC
www.historypress.com
Copyright 2021 by Very Reverend Peter B. Mangum, JCL; William Ryan Smith, MA; and Cheryl H. White, PhD
All rights reserved
First published 2021
E-Book year 2021
ISBN 978.1.4396.7391.1
Library of Congress Control Number: 2021943554
Print Edition ISBN 978.1.4671.5090.3
Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the authors or The History Press. The authors and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
We offer you no salary, no recompense,
no holiday or pension.
But, much hard work, a poor dwelling,
few consolations, many disappointments,
frequent sickness, a violent or lonely death,
and an unknown grave.
recruiting prospectus to French seminarians, Bishop Louis Dubourg of Louisiana and the Two Floridas (circa 1813)
This is dedicated to the memory of Father Isidore Qumerais, Father Jean Pierre, Father Jean Marie Biler, Father Louis Gergaud and Father Franois Le Vzout, martyrs to the charity that immolates.
CONTENTS
FOREWORD
When I arrived in Haiti twenty-five years ago to begin my ministry as official representative of the Holy Father to that country, I was happy to learn that Brittany, the western region of France where I was born, had sent more than eight hundred missionary priests to that small country since the end of the eighteenth century. These members of the Society of St. Jacques had given their whole lives to the proclamation of Christs Good News. The beautiful church that I was privileged to serve was the fruit of their heroic efforts, as well as those of numerous other religious men and women, among whom were many who also came from Brittany.
I also discovered with great joy that Brittany had sent a good number of its priests and religious to North America at about the same time their counterparts were sent to Haiti. These missionaries all generously accepted the invitation of Bishop Auguste Marie Martin, who, like me, came from the Brittany town of Saint-Malo, to join him in the mission of evangelization in what was then his Diocese of Natchitoches, located in the northern part of Louisiana. The historic Diocese of Natchitoches is now the Dioceses of Alexandria and Shreveport.
Five of those priests did not hesitate to care for the hundreds of victims of the devastating yellow fever epidemic that occurred from August to November 1873 in Shreveport. They included Father Jean Pierre, Father Jean Marie Biler and Father Franois Le Vzout from the Diocese of St. Brieuc et Trguier; Father Isidore Armand Qumerais from the Archdiocese of Rennes; and Father Louis Marie Gergaud from the Diocese of Nantes. These holy priests live on in the memory of the people not only because of their apostolic work in helping to build the Church in that part of Louisiana but, above all, because of their heroic sacrifices.
I am delighted that His Excellency Francis Malone, bishop of Shreveport, has taken the initiative to make known the beautiful Christian witness of these five martyrs of charity. During my recent visit to the Diocese of Shreveport, I had the opportunity to pray at their tombs, and I have observed firsthand the peoples authentic devotion to these holy men. I am sure that the present detailed story, prepared by the Very Reverend Peter B. Mangum, Mr. William Ryan Smith and Dr. Cheryl White, will be a tremendous help to many people, as it has been to me, in discovering an amazing model of sanctity in these humble and dedicated men. The extraordinary context of their lives and deaths continues to captivate and inspire us.
This book, Shreveport Martyrs of 1873: The Surest Path to Heaven, is certainly a new contribution to the glorious story of the foundation of the Catholic Church in the United States of America. Given the challenges that we face in the current COVID-19 pandemic, I believe that the sacrifices of these giants in the faith have a special significance for our time. As a Frenchman and a fellow Brittany priest, I am particularly proud of them and of all who have chosen freely to leave their homeland in generous response to their missionary calling.
Archbishop Christophe Pierre
Apostolic Nuncio
Washington, D.C., October 22, 2020
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This book began as a conversation among three friends on pilgrimage in the Holy Land in May 2016. In a discussion of the martyrdom so evident in that sacred place, a Roman Catholic priest, an author of historical fiction and a university history professor together recalled the story, known to them all, of five priests who laid down their lives in the great yellow fever epidemic of 1873 in Shreveport, Louisiana. From that initial conversation, the intention to write a book took the form of a series of drafts over the next few years, each increasingly expanded, as research revealed ever more of the lives of these priests. Indeed, it was the primary research for this book that led us to realize that their lives were not only interesting but exemplary models of virtue. Each one, in his turn, willingly fell as a martyr to his charity: Father Isidore Qumerais, Father Jean Pierre, Father Jean Marie Biler, Father Louis Gergaud and Father Franois Le Vzout.
This manuscript therefore formed the basis of petitioning the Vaticans Congregation for the Causes of Saints for the necessary nihil obstat, that a canonization inquiry might begin. By the formal act of Bishop Francis Malone of the Diocese of Shreveport on December 8, 2020, they are all officially now titled Servants of God, the first step in the canonization process.
The authors use the historical framework of 1873 Shreveport and the third-worst epidemic of yellow fever on record in the United States as background for highlighting the story of their heroic virtue. Written in a unique style that blends historical narrative with visionary descriptive prose, we believe this is a message perhaps especially appropriate for our current time but one that is also universal and eternal in its scope. This book provides what is a narrow abridgement of the fullness of their stories, and we have taken care to emphasize the choice each priest willingly made to die for others. There is much more to their lives than this volume can contain, making even this finished published work a mere beginning of making known their remarkable lives and deaths.
