HOLY FAMILY CHURCH RECALLED DURING BLACK HISTORY MONTH

The Rev. Willis F. Darling, C.M., who is now 87 years old, remembers when a community came together to grow a church -- Holy Family.

The seed was planted by black teenagers, including Alberta and John Spicer and Walter Lee, who believed a black Catholic church was a good idea, Darling recalled.

Holy Family Catholic Church and its school served South Cape Girardeau for two decades.

Today, a mass in remembrance of Holy Family will be held at Old St. Vincent's Church beginning at 10 a.m. with Darling serving as celebrant.

After the service a short program is planned including gospel songs and displays from Holy Family.

On Monday, a school assembly is planned including a narrative of the history of Holy Family, a discussion of black saints. Darling and the displays will be there also.

"Some black youths began coming to the St. Vincent's college for instruction," Darling recalled. "After some time, they came to me and said Father, if we had a parish or a church just for ourselves, we think a lot of people would be converted."

"That was the real seed," he said.

Darling talked with the Rev. Tom Murphy at St. Vincent's church. They contacted local businessmen and church leaders. "They were anxious to do something for black Catholics."

The church was a mission for St. Vincent's to serve south Cape and the black community.

Darling was teaching Greek and French at the seminary. "Since I knew these young people and you can always do without a Greek teacher," Darling said, he was the choice to lead this new congregation. That was in 1940.

Originally, the group looked to build the new church at the southeast corner of Sprigg and Boundary streets.

Then Mr. and Mrs. Joe Seyer offered a location at 1507 S. Sprigg.

"It was higher and had more room to expand. It was probably a good half acre," Darling said. "We began putting up the church that spring."

That first summer, while the building was being erected, Darling went door-to-door inviting families in Smelterville, the Braun Edition and Marble City Heights to attend Holy Family. He personally visited 1,400 families.

"That very summer, before the church was open we had summer school for the kids on Mrs. Seyer's front porch and down in the basement."

Darling estimated some 30 youngsters attended.

During the same summer two school buildings, which had been donated, were erected on the site. "In September we were all ready to start school." Between 40 and 60 youngsters attended.

The Holy Family church was dedicated Oct. 6, 1940.

"It was a marvelous thing it happening so fast," Darling said.

The church was named in tribute to families. "We need sanctification of the family, then and now. We greatly need that spirituality of the marriage, and the family and children," he said.

Darling and church members generated additional interest by holding "motor missions."

They set up a platform on the first street in Smelterville and blared music into the streets.

"The Casons go Marching Along" was a good for drawing a crowd, Darling said.

Once a crowd assembled, the priest answered questions submitted in a box. Some questions were outrageous, but Darling said that didn't matter. In fact people came just to hear the questions and answers.

The result. People were encouraged to attend the church. "Within a year we had it full," Darling said. "Of course it was a little church. It only held about 100 people.

"And the parents were all anxious for their children to have a good education. Two sisters came to teach school, Sisters of Loretto," said Darling.

"We cultivated a social life with picnics and barbecues and everything," Darling said.

Members of the church formed a choral group and held concerts. Darling remembered one scheduled at the Catholic church in Kelso.

"That was a strictly segregated church," he said. "As we were getting off the bus, some people there made comments and some of our people wanted to leave. But they decided to stay to try to promote desegregation."

Darling left Holy Family in 1944, called to a black parish in New Orleans. He now lives at the seminary in Perryville.

The congregation and school thrived for 20 years, until, in an era of desegregation, the school was closed and church members absorbed into other congregations. "Desegregation was in, and it was decided there should be desegregation here."

Darling said: "It is my feeling that the biggest thing we accomplished was to give a sense of unity a proud sense of unity. They were proud of being Catholic and proud of being black. We were not going to take a back seat. We pushed the idea of working for betterment of others."