HOUMA, LA (AP) — A newly built historic church in downtown Houma will celebrate its formal reopening to the public in mid-December.
St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, 243 Barrow St., was built in the mid-1850s as a place of worship for local Christians and as a community-gathering point.
The church was added to the National Register of Historic Sites in 1989. However, it burned down in an electrical fire on Nov. 11, 2010, leaving only a shell of the original structure.
St. Matthews will host an open house from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 12 for the community, said the Rev. Craig Dalferes. The following day, a traditional Christian Mass featuring the St. Matthews choir will be held at 10 a.m., followed by a gumbo lunch.
"Everybody's been delighted," Dalferes said. "It really evokes a sense of the old church. In that way, it's very familiar. It's a new space that's a lot brighter and bigger, but it's got the soul of the old church. It's the best of the both worlds, really."
Houma resident, Beulah Rodrigue, 96, has been a St. Matthews parishioner since 1947. She said the renovations surpassed her expectations.
"It's a dream that the church would look like that again," Rodrigue said. "I was afraid I wouldn't get the feeling of the old church, but the feeling is more than I ever expected. The old St. Matthews is there."
Renovations began about two years ago. Painstaking attention to ensure the new church was structurally similar to the old one while outfitting it with modern fixtures prolonged the reconstruction process.
The estimated completion date was early next year, but Dalferes said workers completed the bulk of the work earlier than expected. The church has been open for worship since the start of the month.
"We've seen a pretty sharp increase in our church attendance," Dalferes added. "There's a lot of new faces and new excitement in the community to celebrate with us."
The last step will be to outfit the remaining church windows with a handmade stained glass design of memorable biblical scenes by early next year. Ten such panels have already been installed, and Dalferes' hope is to install a nativity scene by Christmas.
Rodrigue said the new church wouldn't have been possible without the community's support.
"Without the love of the people in this parish, we wouldn't have what we have on Barrow Street right now," she said. "Houma is God's green acre."
– by AP/ Reporter Maki Somosot with The Courier
