Hungarian Museum, Albany, Louisiana

St. Margaret Catholic Church

It is believed that construction on the church was begun in 1910. Prior to that time both Presbyterians and Catholics used the Immigration House for religious services. There were many Catholic families in the area by this time and they wanted a permanent house of worship.

The first great hurdle was to acquire land. Civil Livingston Parish was under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. Various people were willing to donate an acre of land but the Bishop insisted that there had to be adequate land. In 1910, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Juhasz donated a 20-acre tract of land for the purpose of building a church and cemetery. Construction began that year.

St. Margaret Catholic Church - completed in 1912

The official church blessing did not occur until 1912 but there were reports that Mass was said in the church while it was under construction. Frank Kiss, a northern contractor, served as general contractor. Lumber came from the nearby Brackenridge Lumber Company. Local men in the area volunteered by donating many hours of labor until the building was completed.

St. Margaret Catholic Church and the Hungarian Presbyterian Church served not only the religious needs of the community but also played a large role in the cultural and social needs as well. Both churches had halls or community centers where all sorts of activities took place: weddings, dances, picnics, funeral wakes, etc.

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Sources:

Kropog, Royanne 2007, The Story of Árpádhon, Hungarian Settlement 1896 - 2006 by the Residents and Descendants of the Early Settlers as told to Royanne Kropog Printed by Moran Printing and Emprint, Baton Rouge, La. in August 2008.

Mocsary, Victoria Ann 1996, Árpádhon: An Early History of Hungarian Settlement Livingston Parish, Louisiana, Center for Regional Studies, Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond, LA.

St. Margaret Catholic Church 1985, The 75 Years of St. Margaret Catholic Church 1985, Albany, LA.

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