Basilica of the Immaculate Conception

EARLY BEGINNINGS

The first known Parish Priest of Castries was a Franciscan priest PERE COSTE
who was Parish Priest from April 1749.  Castries was then called "Carenage" because the bay was suitable for the careening of ships.  The Parish was dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It seems
that the first town was located at the foot of of the Vigie Hill. It is believed that
the first Church Building, built in wood, was transferred to the present site in 1767.

NEW FOUNDATIONS

Efforts were made towards the construction of a new Church Building from 1807.  However,it was not before 1827 that ABBE  LESAGE, on his arrival at Castries, made special efforts in that regard.  Work on the foundation of the Church Building began in 1827, but it had to be stopped due to insufficient funds.

In June of 1831, ABBE  FLORENT  CHEVALIER took charge of the Parish of Castries.  The parishioners worked hand in hand with him to see that the walls
and the roof of the new Church Building were completed in 1835.  The building was not built in the same direction the present Cathedral Basilica, but east-west with the main door on the west facing Derek Walcott Square.

The Church Building was solemnly blessed on May 12, 1836 by Bishop
Mc. Donell and was dedicated to St. Florent: obviously to honour
ABBE FLORENT-CHEVALIER .  However, in 1855 the Archbishop of
Port-of-Spain decide that the feast of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady on December 8, should again be observed as the the Parish Feast of Castries.

 In July 1885 Fr. Louis Tapon F.M.I., wrote Archbishop L.G. GONIN of
Port -of Spain about the need for a larger Church Building.  The then building could hardly hold 1000 people.  The population of the Parish was almost 9000. In april of 1890 at a meeting presided over by Archbishop Flood of
Port-of-Spain it was decided to extend the church to the east.

After much hesitation, speculation and delay, it was finally decided to begin work on the construction of a completely new building.  The plan for the building was made by Jesuit priest Fr. SCOLES, who was at time Vicar General of British Guiana (now Guyana).  He began work on the plan during a visit to St. Lucia in 1891; it was finally accepted in September of 1893 and adopted in July of 1894.

The foundation of the present Cathedral Basilica was laid in 1894. It was a very different and costly task to lay the foundation because of the muddy condition of the site.  Nonetheless, the corner stone was solemnly blessed and laid by
Fr. FARREL, O.P. on April 8, 1894. By the end of 1894 the walls were already ten feet high and by the middle of 1897 part of the walls had been completed and the roof over them built.

BLESSING AND CONSECRATION

Most of the year 1898 was spent with the finishing touches of the Church Building; plastering, flooring, installing the set of altars and the decoration of the sanctuary.  The Church Building was solemnly blessed by Archbishop FLOOD on May 11, 1899, Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord. The high Altar was also consecrated at that ceremony.

Before the building could be consecrated, all outstanding debts had to be paid and on November 4, 1931, the Church Building was solemnly consecrated by Archbishop DOWLING, O.P. of Port-of Spain.

GROWTH OF A DIOCESE

The growth of the Church in St. Lucia was indeed very rapid.  Many schools were built and many had the opportunity of Secondary Education provided by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny and the Presentation Brothers.  One must not fail to recall that the first secondary school for boys was established in Castries by F.M.I. Fathers.

In 1956 Castries became a separate Diocese within the Province of
Port-of-Spain and on May 5, 1957 Bishop CHARLES  GACHET , F.M.I. was consecrated as the first Bishop of Castries.  He remained in office until 1974.

St. Lucia was elevated to the status of Archdiocese and Bishop
PATRICK WEBSTER, O.S.B.D.D. then bishop of Grenada, was appointed the first St. Lucian to serve his country as Archbishop.

In 1978, Archbishop WEBSTER resigned due to illness and Bishop
RICHARD  LESTER  GUILLY, S.J., D.D., former Bishop of Georgetown was appointed Apolistic Administrator.  He was succeeded by The Most Reverend
Doctor KELVIN  E.  FELIX , a native of Dominica, who was appointed the Archbishop of the Province in 1981.

The Cathedral Basilica, the largest in the Caribbean, measures 200ft long by 100ft wide and reflects the joy, peace, hopes, happiness, history and other aspirations of all St. Lucians.  Although it is still popularly referred to as the "Cathedral", it was elevated to the status of a minor basilica on 11th May, 1999 during year long centenary celebrations.

PARISH PRIESTS

The Parish of Castries has been blessed with dedicated clergy. The Parish Priests from 1900-2000 are as follows:

1.  Fr. LOUIS  TAPON  (May 1885 - April 1915).  Founder of the Castries Basilica, he was born February 20, 1854, at Vendee, France.  He took vows in the F.M.I. congregation on August 30, 1876 and was ordained a priest on December 22, 1877.  He arrived in St. Lucia in 1878 and was appointed Parish Priest of Castries in 1885.

2.  Fr. PIERRE  SIVIENNE  (May 2, 1915- February 1921).  Fr. TAPON's successor as Parish Priest of Castries arrived in St. Lucia from France in 1904. He had been Assistant Priest of Castries for 11 years when he was appointed Parish Priest.  The day after his solemn installation on May 2, 1915 he received, from the French War Ministry, his order of mobilisation and on Thursday May 6, he left for France.  He was demobilised in January 1919 and returned in to St. Lucia in July 1920.  His war shattered health forced him to resign in February 1921 but he remained Assistant Priest for Castries for the next 34 years.  He died on February 1, 1955.

3.  Fr. JEAN  BAPTISTE DUGAST  (May 1915 - July 1920).  When Fr. SIVIENNE left St. Lucia in May 1915, Fr. DUGAST was asked to act for him, which he did for over five years.  He was responsible for the paving of the sanctuary with tiles in 1917 and the erection of a marble communion rail in 1920.

4.   Fr. JULES  MARIE  CLAUSTRE  (February 1921 - December 1928). He was appointed Parish Priest of Castries when Fr. Sivienne resigned.  He was born at Soufriere on March 24, 1864, attended Mico school there and went to France for his secondary and theological studies.  He was ordained a priest in F.M.I. congregation on May 16, 1888.  He returned to St. Lucia on January 24, 1889.

5.  Very Rev. Fr. EDWIN  P  HARCOURT  (1929-1949).  Born in Dorset, England on January 9, 1873, he was was ordained into the F.M.I. congregation on February 4, 1906.  Soon after he was sent to Castries.  In 1912 he went back to England where he remained for 16 years.  He returned to St. Lucia at the end of November 1928 and was appointed Parish Priest of Castries a short time later.

6.  Fr. JOSEPH  VRIGNAUD  (December 1949 - December 1964). Born in Vendee, France on July 4, 1909, he was ordained a priest in the F.M.I. congregation on October 6, 1934.  After spending some time in England, he was sent to St. Lucia where he arrived in October 1936.  He remained Parish Priest of Castries from 1949 up to his death in December 1964.

7.   Fr. Paul GOURAUD F.M.I.( December 1964 - May 1974) Fr. Paul Gouraud arrived in St. Lucia in January 1954, was assistant priest at Castries (1954-1955) and at Soufriere (1956-1957). In February 1957 he was appointed parish priest of Soufriere as a replacement for Fr. Charles Gachet who had been appointed first Bishop of Castries on 14th January. He remained in Soufriere until December 1964 when he was appointed parish priest of Castries.

8.  Fr. GREGOR  E.  CATTY  (May 1974 - 1976).  Of St. Lucian parentage, his term as Parish Priest heralded the transition to the installation of a local clergy at the Cathedral.

9.  Fr. RAYMOND  LAURENT  (1976 - 1980).  Born on October 3, 1939 at Peynier Street in Castries, he was ordained into the F.M.I. congregation on June30, 1968 after studying in France.  He was Vicar General from 1975 - 1982. He came to the Cathedral at a time when there were only two priests assigned to the Parish.  He performed sterling service in fulfilling the duties of his office.

10.  Fr. PATRICK  ANTHONY  (1980 - 1985).  Born at Marchand, in Castries on August 6, 1947, he was ordained a priest exactly 25 years later on August 6, 1972 at Castries.  He served as Assistant Parish Priest at the Cathedral before moving on to the the parishes of Anse La Raye and Monchy.  He returned to Castries as Cathedral Administrator in 1980.

11.  Msg. THEOPHILUS  JOSEPH  (1985 -2000).  Born in Castries St. Lucia, he was ordained on May 26, 1974. He served at various parishes in St. Lucia before his appointment as Cathedral Administrator.