A film, books, and sainthood discussions: Who were the Shreveport Martyrs of 1873

Henrietta Wildsmith, Shreveport Times
·5 min read

Would you apply for this job?

"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."

Yet that was the 19th Century recruitment plea urging French Roman Catholic priests to come to America to serve during a yellow fever epidemic that engulfed northwestern Louisiana.

All of the five priests who died from yellow fever are depicted together in a section of the stained glass window at Holy Trinity Catholic Church.
All of the five priests who died from yellow fever are depicted together in a section of the stained glass window at Holy Trinity Catholic Church.

It's also the beginning of the book "Shreveport Martyrs of 1873: The Surest Path to Heaven" by the Rev. Peter B. Mangum, LSUS history Professor Cheryle White, and W. Ryan Smith that tells the story of five priests who answered that call to care for victims of the yellow fever epidemic.

All five priests — Isidore A. Quémerais, Jean Pierre, Jean Marie Biler, Louis Marie Gergaud and François LeVézouët — died from yellow fever while serving their patients and their God but considered their service a path to salvation.

"I know that I am taking the surest and shortest path to heaven,” LeVézouët is quoted as saying when leaving Natchitoches for Shreveport.

A marker in Shreveport's historic Oakland Cemetery reads "Yellow Fever Mound."

It is where more than 700 bodies are buried in a mass grave, a testament to the horrors of the epidemic in Shreveport between late August and mid-November of 1873.

The city lost one-fourth of its population with about 1,200 yellow fever deaths in less than three months, according to the Servants of God website that pays tribute to the selfless priests.

"Shreveport Martyrs of 1873" is one of the authors' many efforts to help elevate the story of the Servants of God on their paths to possible sainthood.

"These priests are models of universal virtue, and it is a story that transcends Catholicism to reach into the secular world with a message of hope," White said. "Remembering their sacrifice gives meaning to the time we live in."

READ MORE - https://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/news/local/2020/12/08/5-shreveport-priests-who-died-yellow-fever-epidemic-track-sainthood/6489748002/

"We feel privileged to be able to tell their story," Mangum said. "Most people already know something about them, but now we are telling it in such a way that they are learning the details and hopefully will be captivated and inspired."

Rev. Peter B. Mangum looks at the stained glass window at Holy Trinity Catholic Church of the five priests who died from yellow fever in Shreveport.
Rev. Peter B. Mangum looks at the stained glass window at Holy Trinity Catholic Church of the five priests who died from yellow fever in Shreveport.

In addition to the book, there is also a graphic novel, a series of holy cards and the new documentary "The Five Priests" from noted director Chris Charles Scott III that will premiere at the Strand Theatre Nov. 4.

"We want to make known the lives of these priests, and we want to do it in any way imaginable," Mangum said.

The graphic novel "Shreveport Martyrs" was created by Deacon Andrew Thomas and begins with a grandfather showing his granddaughter the stained glass windows at Holy Trinity.

"Greater love than this no one has that one lay down his life for his friends," the grandfather reads the words of John 15:13 etched in the stained glass.

The stained glass window at Holy Trinity Catholic Church of the five priests, who died from yellow fever, each have a panel that represents their life.
The stained glass window at Holy Trinity Catholic Church of the five priests, who died from yellow fever, each have a panel that represents their life.

The five windows, one for each priest, honor the lives and sacrifices they made in their service.

On the far right window there is a priest on horseback, a depiction of LeVezouet riding into Shreveport.

Scott brings the image to life with cutting-edge animation in the documentary.

“Filling a feature-length documentary with such a rich narrative called for more than just still photos and some old headlines," Scott said. "I don't know of any other film project that mixes media like this to tell its story.”

Scott also created the 2015 series “The Shape of Shreveport” that played at The Strand and was awarded Documentary of the Year by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities in 2016.

His most recent documentary “Class Action Park” became the No. 1 movie on HBO Max after its debut in 2020 and won the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature at the Florida Film Festival in 2020.

Researching the five priests took professor White to the archives of the University of Notre Dame, the Archdiocese of New Orleans and even to France at the Dioceses of St. Brieuc and the Archdiocese of Rennes.

"The most interesting places to visit were the hometowns of these priests in Brittany, offering a tangible sense of their origins, and the culture that must have shaped them," White said.

Meet the Five Priests

The Rev. Isidore A. Quémerais depicted in the stained glass window at Holy Trinity, is one of the five priests who died from yellow fever in Shreveport.
The Rev. Isidore A. Quémerais depicted in the stained glass window at Holy Trinity, is one of the five priests who died from yellow fever in Shreveport.

The Rev. Isidore A. Quémerais Born in Pleine-Fougères, Brittany, France, on Sept. 9, 1847 Died in Shreveport on Sept. 15, 1873

Quémerais was the first priest to die from yellow fever after assisting at the bedsides of Shreveport's sick and dying.

The Rev. Jean Pierre depicted in the stained glass window at Holy Trinity, is one of the five priests who died from yellow fever in Shreveport.
The Rev. Jean Pierre depicted in the stained glass window at Holy Trinity, is one of the five priests who died from yellow fever in Shreveport.

The Rev. Jean Pierre Born in Lanloup, Brittany, France, Sept. 29, 1831 Died in Shreveport on Sept. 16, 1873

Pierre was known for his generosity, kindness, gentle demeanor and keen intellect while caring for orphans and the poor.

The Rev. Jean Marie Biler depicted in the stained glass window at Holy Trinity, is one of the five priests who died from yellow fever in Shreveport.
The Rev. Jean Marie Biler depicted in the stained glass window at Holy Trinity, is one of the five priests who died from yellow fever in Shreveport.

The Rev. Jean Marie Biler Born in Plourivo, Brittany, France, on Nov. 18, 1839 Died in Shreveport on Sept. 26, 1873

Biler answered the call of Pierre and gave him and Quémeraise the final sacraments. He cared for more than 900 sick and dying people. Foreseeing his own demise, Biler sent a plea for more assistance. It was said that his final words were: "I am going to Heaven!"

The Rev. Louis Marie Gergaud depicted in the stained glass window at Holy Trinity, is one of the five priests who died from yellow fever in Shreveport.
The Rev. Louis Marie Gergaud depicted in the stained glass window at Holy Trinity, is one of the five priests who died from yellow fever in Shreveport.

The Rev. Louis Marie Gergaud Born in Héric, France, on March 22, 1832 Died in Shreveport on Oct. 1, 1873

Gergaud was known for his kindness, fortitude and ardent desire to evangelize. He lasted only 10 days in Shreveport before his death. "God alone knows how many souls owe their salvation to the heroism of this priest,” Bishop Auguste Martin wrote in a letter about Gergaud.

The Rev. François LeVézouët, depicted in the stained glass window at Holy Trinity, is one of the five priests who died from yellow fever in Shreveport.
The Rev. François LeVézouët, depicted in the stained glass window at Holy Trinity, is one of the five priests who died from yellow fever in Shreveport.

The Rev. François LeVézouët Born in Brélidy, Brittany, France, on Aug. 10, 1833 Died in Shreveport on Oct. 8, 1873

LeVézouët was known for his intelligence as he passed, with distinction, his theological studies. Bishop Auguste Martin mentioned his imagination and dedicated zeal in remembrance. It was said that when he left from Natchitoches to go to Shreveport, LeVézouët said, "I know that I am taking the surest and shortest path to heaven.”

The book, graphic novel and holy cards can be purchased at Cathedral of St. John Berchmans as well as online on multiple platforms including Amazon.

The documentary "The Five Priests" will premiere at 6 p.m. Nov. 4 at the Strand Theatre.

This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: 'Shreveport Martyrs of 1873': Five priests sacrificed everything during the yellow fever epidemic