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By Laura Deavers

Editor

Fifty years ago Bishop Robert E. Tracy took his seat in the cathedra, the bishop’s chair, at St. Joseph Cathedral Church to become the founding bishop of the Diocese of Baton Rouge. The date was Nov. 8, 1961; this would become the day the new Diocese of Baton Rouge, which had been carved from the Archdiocese of New Orleans, would begin the journey that would bring it great distinction.

In 1961, Baton Rouge was a small city struggling with growing pains, as children born to men and women returning from World War II over a decade earlier were growing up crowding into schools and churches. The areas outside the Capital City were thriving. Farmers were growing sugar cane and cotton, and raising cows for their milk and their beef. The petrochemical industry was establishing itself as a place to earn a good living.

Catholics – young and old – filled church pews on Sundays for Mass and during the week for confession, novenas, benediction, the rosary, the Way of the Cross and many personal devotions that were all led by one of the priests in their church parish. Most of the time, the Catholics in the church were of the same color – either white or black, but rarely both.

Pope John XXIII had issued a Papal Bull on July 21, 1961; establishing the new Diocese of Baton Rouge.

That summer morning, Bishop Tracy was in Lafayette, where he was auxiliary bishop in the Diocese of Lafayette.

The preceding day, Bishop Tracy called each member of his staff, asking each to join him at 6 a.m. for Mass. Before Mass he told them that he was being named the first bishop of the new Diocese of Baton Rouge and he had to leave after Mass to drive to New Orleans for the announcement.

Cynthia Duhon worked for Bishop Tracy in Lafayette and months after the installation would move to Baton Rouge to become his secretary.

The time between the announcement and the creation of the diocese was filled with planning: finding office space for chancery officials, finding a place for the bishop to live, making arrangements for the installation. Duhon made many trips to Baton Rouge to purchase office furnishings and tend to details for the bishop.

The time between the announcement and the creation of the diocese was filled with planning: finding office space for chancery officials, finding a place for the bishop to live, making arrangements for the installation.

The bishop’s office was located in a bank building in downtown Baton Rouge; and the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady, who owned Our Lady of the Lake Hospital, gave him a place to live on the fourth floor of the hospital.

In 1961, Father John Carville was studying for the priesthood in Rome. When he received word that a new diocese had been created that included his hometown of Plaquemine, he was rather disappointed since he had been looking forward to being a priest in the archdiocese. Once here, he saw a vibrant diocese, one where he would play an important role in many aspects of education and church administration.

Following his installation, Bishop Tracy began building the foundation that would position the diocese to accomplish all that would set it apart.

Within a few months of his installation, the Second Vatican Council convened. Bishop Tracy attended all of the sessions of the Council, and even addressed his brother bishops about racial discrimination. He was a great advocate of equality for all people.

Among the many innovative ideas he brought back from the council was the construction of a building that would be the focal point of the diocese. The Catholic Life Center became the center of the administration of the diocese since the chancery offices and all departments were located there. An apartment for the bishop was built on the top floor of one of the buildings. The Catholic Life Center was only an hour away from the communities on the fringes of the diocese. Bishop Tracy wanted a place where all members of the diocese and the community could gather for meetings, workshops, pastoral events or social functions, regardless of their race.

Bishop Tracy was a visionary who could see great possibilities for the local church with the implementation of the decisions the bishops made at the council to “open the window” on the 20th century. Most noticeable was the remodeling of St. Joseph Cathedral to adhere to the recommendations of the Constitution on Sacred Liturgy. The interior of the church that was built in the 1800s was gutted and replaced with a truly modern church, though maintaining the centuries-old stained glass windows.

Religious women and lay men and women were encouraged to actively participate in the outreach and internal affairs of the diocese. Several religious women moved out of the classroom when they were named to key positions in the religious education department of the diocese and to teach high school seminarians attending the day seminary Bishop Tracy had opened in the no-longer-in-use Catholic school building on North Street.

Governor John McKeithen’s visit to the St. Joseph Preparatory Seminary typifies the position of state government and the vision of the local diocese. Father Carville tells the story. One day, while teaching seminarians, he heard several people walking in the hallway. When he looked out, he saw the governor and several state employees. The governor asked who was in charge. Father Carville answered, “Bishop Tracy.”

When the group asked to see him, Father Carville said the bishop was in Rome at the Vatican Council. The governor told Father Carville to relay a message to the bishop: that the state wants the land occupied by the school building and will pay the diocese for it. If the diocese doesn’t accept the offer, the state will get the building regardless, because the state will condemn it and appropriate it. Father Carville quickly sent a wire to the bishop telling him of this proposal.

Bishop Tracy negotiated with the state

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to get something that he wanted while agreeing to let the state purchase the land and building. Duhon said Bishop Tracy agreed to sell the property if the state would extend Fourth Street, which ran along the west side of the cathedral, all the way to the State Capitol grounds. At the time, Fourth Street stopped at North Street. Duhon said the bishop thought all public events that included a parade would have to pass St. Joseph Cathedral as the people traveled to the Capitol. This would be somewhat like the position St. Patrick Cathedral in New York has by being located on Fifth Avenue.

Fourth Street was extended and the money the state paid was used to build a new seminary for high school boys on the campus of the Catholic Life Center. In addition toward modern classrooms and labs, dormitory rooms were built for students who lived outside of Baton Rouge.

During Bishop Tracy’s years as bishop, the pendulum of administration swung far to the future. When his successor, Bishop Joseph V. Sullivan became the episcopal leader of the diocese six months after Bishop Tracy resigned, the pendulum swung back to a slower, more deliberate pace of administration.

Coming from the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph in Missouri, where he had been auxiliary bishop, Bishop Sullivan had much to learn about the way of life and faith of people in the Deep South. With a less demonstrative leadership style, Bishop Sullivan provided time for the many changes brought about by Bishop Tracy to settle. Bishop Sullivan led the diocese into a deeper awareness of orthodoxy. He championed anti-abortion endeavors and promoted good Catholic education. In 1979 he declared a Year of the Eucharist to call attention to perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, which today many churches still provide for their parishioners.

Bishop Sullivan’s sudden death, eight years to the date after becoming the second bishop of Baton Rouge, stunned the community.

The leadership pendulum swung more to the middle after Bishop Stanley J. Ott was named the third bishop of Baton Rouge. Though small of statue, Bishop Ott filled a room when he entered with the charismatic spirit for which he became known.

When this diocese was founded, Monsignor Ott was one of the priests who was stationed here, and so remained, rather than returning to his home in the Archdiocese of New Orleans. He knew the people, the churches and the clergy of this diocese when he became their bishop. He hit the ground running, choosing for the Bishop’s Cabinet a group that he depended on for input, priests that he had already worked with or who he knew would provide what was needed for the consultative process. Each member of the Bishop’s Cabinet was to oversee the work of diocesan departments that had similar ministries. He hired lay women and men to be directors of key diocesan departments, choosing people who were knowledgeable in their field and committed to the mission of the church.

Bishop Ott made a concerted effort to visit the churches in the diocese often so he could be with the people. As he would write about these visits in his regular column in The Catholic Commentator, many people referred to “the bishop’s travelogue.”

Shock again reached across the diocese when Bishop Ott told everyone that he had inoperable cancer. Faithful to the way he approached life and its challenges, he lived longer than the doctors had predicted, and during those months showed the people the beauty of preparing for death.

The Vatican selected one of the auxiliary bishops of the Archdiocese of Boston to succeed Bishop Ott, namely Bishop Alfred C. Hughes. Bishops Ott and Hughes had more in common than size, so Bishop Hughes continued many of the initiatives started by his predecessor. Having taught at the seminary for the Archdiocese of Boston, Bishop Hughes emphasized Catholic education as well as vocations to the priesthood and religious life. He embarked upon an extensive process to plan for the future of the diocese, conducting a capital campaign to provide desperately needed office space for Catholic Charities, space for meetings and overnight retreats, a new church for Christ the King on the LSU campus and financial support for the Catholic schools in the diocese.

Through a strategic plan that encouraged participation from everyone in the diocese, Bishop Hughes determined the major objectives for the future of this diocese.

The Vatican recognized Bishop Hughes’ many diverse gifts and named him the co-adjutor bishop of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, putting him in line to become the next archbishop.

Less than a year later, Bishop Robert W. Muench, who at the time was bishop of the Diocese of Covington, Ky., was transferred to Baton Rouge to be its fifth bishop. Bishop Muench has continued his predecessor’s focus on vocations, especially to the priesthood.

Bishop Muench is also concerned that young people receive a solid foundation in their faith. He addressed these two areas – education and vocations – by naming a priest as chaplain in all of the high schools in the diocese.

Bishop Muench has been committed to the protection of youth and young adults and so has worked diligently to ensure that all diocesan institutions are safe places for youth to be.

Good liturgy is also a priority for Bishop Muench. Masses for the ordination of priests and deacons, blessing of the Oils of Chrism and celebrating milestones in this diocese and the lives of its members are always grand events.

Of the five bishops that have served this diocese, three – Bishops Tracy, Ott and Muench – were born in New Orleans and served as an auxiliary bishop in Louisiana before coming to Baton Rouge. Bishop Sullivan was born in Missouri, and Bishop Hughes was born in Boston.

Bishop Tracy created the pilings upon which the Diocese of Baton Rouge would grow. The pilings could be named liturgy, consultation, catechesis, communication, ministry, outreach to the poor and disenfranchised, and lay involvement. As the Diocese of Baton Rouge moves forward, these are the foundations it will continue to use in building the kingdom of God.