The first Catholic prayer offered in Pemiscot County, Missouri, is attributed to the Spanish explorer De Soto. The exact spot where De Soto planted a cross and led a prayer to God the Father in 1542 is unknown, but it must have been near the present site of Caruthersville.
In 1793, Fr. Pierre Gibault assumed his duties as pastor of New Madrid and its dependencies, which included the village of La Petite Prairie (Little Prairie), a settlement a short distance downriver from present-day Caruthersville. By 1799, the French Catholic population had reached 78; however, the village of Little Prairie was completely destroyed in the Great New Madrid Earthquake of 1811. By 1870, the population of Caruthersville had reached 80. In 1876, the first mass was held by priests from New Madrid in the home of a Dr. Palmer. Clement and Sally Nanson, non-Catholics, donated the land for a Catholic church in 1877.
The first Catholic church in Pemiscot County, a 24’ x 40’ frame structure with a 48’ belfry tower, was built in 1892 and dedicated to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (the present rectory was constructed on that site); Fr. William Schulte, the first pastor, was appointed in 1897 by the Most Rev. J. J. Kane, Archbishop of St. Louis, when the parishioners assured the archbishop that they could and would support a permanent pastor.
The first two decades of the 20th century saw the construction of the first rectory (1900), Sacred Heart Catholic School (1905), the present church (1913), and the present rectory (1925). Ursuline sisters from Crystal City taught at the school until 1937, replaced by sisters of the Most Precious Blood.
The present school was built in 1956, the same year the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau was formed out of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, and both religious and lay teachers continued to educate children there until 1971, when the school closed. In the years following Vatican II, the church was redecorated, communion was received standing up, a parish council was formed, and the first Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist were appointed.
Sacred Heart Church in Caruthersville entered the 21st century after over 100 years of serving Christ, over a century of people proclaiming the Good News in Pemiscot County. With the help of the Holy Spirit, Sacred Heart Church will continue in service to Christ for 100 more.
Works Consulted:
Sacred Heart Church: 100 Years in Christ (1892-1994).
Pemiscot County was organized February 19, 1851, from New Madrid County and named for the Indian word meaning "liquid mud."
Source: Missouri Secretary of State