History of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church
Father Michael Smythe, a missionary priest, stationed at Fort Smith, traveled through Eureka Springs around 1880. He began construction in a frame church that would not be completed until 1882. That year the Little Rock Diocese recognized the new foundation of faith as "the station with a church. " Between 1882 and 1901 the priests visited the station on their regular monthly trips through the Northwest Arkansas mission.During 1901, the frame church was moved and moved closer to the growing city. After the construction was completed, the Diocese recognized the Church and its membership as the Sacred Heart Parish. Since the founding of this parish, there have been 37 priests who give sacraments to Catholics in Eureka Springs and serve their spiritual and worldly needs. The first baptism was recorded in 1880 - the first marriage in 1881.
A confirmation ceremony was held in 1885 and administered by Bishop Fitzgerald for seven people, three of whom were adults. The Sacred Heart Parish was named in 1901 and Father Carroll recorded the first Baptism and first marriage in 1904.
Previously in 1901, Hotel Dieu Hospital, a large two-story building opened by the Sisters of Charity from St. Louis, had been established as a house, hospital, school and monastery that had just recovered. There were 34 students attending the opening day ceremony at the Saint Elizabeth School. The Hotel Dieu Hospital closed its doors in 1913 after eleven years of operation but was then placed under the guidance of Benedictine Olivetan.
In 1904, a three-story rectory was built next to the Hati Kudus Church and was used as a rectory, school and meeting room for the Catholic community. This building is still used today as a Mount Victoria Bed and Breakfast. Two blocks away, on Crescent Drive, Mr. Richard Kerens, also built a building. Kerens Memorial Chapel was built to commemorate his dead mother, Elizabeth.
In 1908, after a lengthy discussion with Bishop Fitzgerald, Kerens added a church that was in accordance with the existing Chapel, and the dedication ceremony of the Saint Elizabeth Catholic Church was held on May 11, 1909. The chapel is the church's front room, with all external construction materials from dolomite limestone supplied by local mines. Kerens imported marble altars and mosaic floors from Italy.
Paintings depicting the Station of the Cross were donated by parishioners. Four pieces of sculpture taken from the Church of the Sacred Heart and the Hotel Dieu - the statue of Our Lady of Eternal Assistance, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and two angels kneeling - were transferred to the new Church. Nice pieces from the turn of the century statue still have their homes on the inside of the church today.
The coming years were heavy in the church, and damage soon occurred, not because of lower construction, but due to lack of adequate heating. For several years the church became a mission out of Harrison because of a small church. The second collection began to finance the cost of repairs, but not until Pastor Joseph Lauro's pastoral care in the early 1950s began renovations.
Father Lauro made a large restoration to the inside of the church, and built a stone rectory at the back of the church. He then asked for the talents of the Italian artist community who, under the direction of the sculptor Checchi Mario, executed marble statues adorning church gardens, including the statue of Our Lady of Fatima, children and sheep, which was founded in 1953, together with a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, St. Joseph, St. Francis and St. Elizabeth.
In his second term at Saint Elizabeth, Father Lauro began a plan for the Station of the Cross, with white Carrara marble, also carved in Italy, which was arranged on the wall beside the incline leading from the Bell Tower to the door. The designer said the statue spent 40 working days by five sculptors for each section. The names of various families were engraved at the base of each statue, commemorating their donations. The station was installed in 1958.
The St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church has become a landmark in Eureka Springs and is listed on the National Historic Register. The unique Bell Tower without Church ties welcomes thousands of visitors every year from all over the world. They admire the simplicity of the stone church that was built many years ago and which still holds charm and peace in today's fast-paced world. https://bit.ly/2LJTdM6