Fr. Jean Baptiste Blanc -- Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Natchitoches LA
N 31° 45.670 W 093° 05.270
15R E 491682 N 3513966
A memorial to Fr. Jean Baptiste Blanc stands in a small garden behind the Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, in downtown Natchitoches LA.
Waymark Code: WMN8ZM
Location: Louisiana, United States
Date Posted: 01/21/2015
Views: 7
A simple statue of a monk on a pedestal stands in a small garden behind the Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in downtown Natchitoches LA. The monk is a generic figure of the Oblate Fathers of Mary, the order to which Fr. Jean Baptiste Blanc belonged.
The plaque on the base of the statue reads as follows:
"In memory of
Fr. Jean Baptiste Blanc
Pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Church
Natchitoches
1827-1834"
From the Diocese of Alexandria LA website, some history about this area and the early priests who established churches here:
"History of Mary, Mother of Jesus Church
Catholic missionary efforts date to 1682 in north Louisiana by a Franciscan who was chaplain to the LaSalle expedition down the Mississippi. He ministered to the aboriginal peoples in the Tensas area. Another effort was made from Natchez, Mississippi (Roger Baudier, Sr., The Catholic Church in North Louisiana, compiled for publication in commemoration of the Centennial of the Diocese of Alexandria, May 20-21, 1953; hereinafter: 100th Anniversary, p. 16).
Natchitoches was founded as a French settlement in 1714. In response, by 1716, the Spanish claimed that their province of Tejas’ eastern border was the Mississippi and established its capital at Los Adayes, just west of Natchitoches. The first recorded Mass was said in the woods around Natchitoches in 1716 by Fray Antonio Margil de Jesus, o.f.m; he later was declared “venerable” but has not progressed further toward sainthood. Although Spanish, he ministered to the French and aboriginal people as well. The French lacked priests to serve them until 1728 when a Capuchin arrived in Natchitoches and established St. Francis of Assisi Church there. Subsequently around 1760, the French built a chapel, St. Louis des Appalages, near Poste du Rapides (Pineville), but the Spanish friars also visited the Rapides area.
Even after Spain took over the Louisiana territory in 1769, the French Capuchins remained at least sporadically serving in Natchitoches. The Spanish Franciscans served when the French were absent. The French Revolution caused the removal of one French pastor from Natchitoches in 1795. In that same year, there is evidence of a Spanish missionary working among the aboriginal people in the Rapides areas from the Post of Dionisio.
In 1800, France secretly obtained the Louisiana territory from Spain. In May of 1802, William Miller, in partnership with Alexander Fulton, purchased “46,800 arpents” or 39,604 acres from the Pascagoula, Choctaw and Biloxi aboriginal peoples “...all of the land on both sides of Bayou Boeuf from the mouth of Bayou Clair to a point some distance below the present town of Lecompte” (George M. G. Stafford, “Early Rapides History,” an undated, typewritten manuscript, p. 1). This area would generally encompass that portion of south Rapides Parish that is served today by St. Martin Church, Lecompte and Mary, Mother of Jesus Church, Woodworth. This period was known as a real estate boom-time around Rapides Parish when Alexander Fulton made many land deals. It was at this time, too, that Louisiana was purchased by the U.S. from France on April 30, 1803, arguably the best land acquisition of all time.
Not until 1817 was a church built in Alexandria, but this was a rocky time for the faith in the entire area. It was built by Father Francisco Maynes who visited the area from 1813-1822; he came from Natchitoches. But, by 1822, there was only one priest in north Louisiana. A priest from Opelousas also visited occasionally. In general, during the first quarter of the nineteenth century as Bishop Dubourg wrote in a baptismal register during a visit to the area, “I saw with sorrow the decadence of everything pertaining to religion...” Following his visit, more priests were sent and his successor, Bishop Rosati, did likewise in 1828 (100th Anniversary, pp. 15-16, 21). Then, three priests occasionally made the journey from Natchitoches to minister at the Alexandria chapel from 1828 to 1853. They were Father Jean Baptiste Blanc, 1828-1834; Father Edmond d’Hauwe, a Belgian, 1834-1837; and probably Father Victor Jamey from 1838-1839 (100th Anniversary, p. 21).
In just 28 years, from 1825 to 1853, albeit with only five priests, the Diocese of Natchitoches was erected. The area progressed from a mission territory to a missionary diocese and remains one today.
During Louisiana’s French period, the present diocese was part of the Diocese of Quebec. Under the Spanish it was part of the Diocese of Santiago de Cuba, then of the Diocese of San Cristóbal de la Habana, Cuba. On April 25, 1793, it became part of the Diocese of Louisiana and the Floridas that, in 1850, became the Archdiocese of New Orleans. The Diocese of Natchitoches was founded July 29, 1853, and transferred to Alexandria on August 6, 1910 (100th Anniversary, p. 13)...."
Website with more information on either the memorial or the person(s) it is dedicated to: [Web Link]
Location: Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception
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