Immaculate Conception Church

"To proclaim the gospel message of Jesus through Word, Sacraments and Works: to form our community in the traditions and teachings of our Catholic faith, to care for one another and the community at large and to bring others to know Jesus by our witness and example." The founding and initial growth of our Parish coincides with the exodus of Catholi... cs from Ireland during the 1840s and 1850s. The first Irish Catholic in Fort Smith was Michael Manning, who came here to work on the construction of the fort in 1840. He arrived from New Orleans. The first known Mass to be celebrated in Fort Smith took place in his home. As others arrived in Fort Smith, Manning donated the land for the first church and caught the attention of the Bishop of Little Rock, the Reverend Andrew Byrne. Soon they completed the little log church of Saint Patrick at the corner of what is now 3rd and North "D" Streets. Total cost for the structure was $258.50. The Catholic burial ground was immediately north of the Church. Fr. John Corry was the first pastor of the Parish. Fr. Peter W. Walsh succeeded him in 1847. Fr. John OReilly and Fr. Philip Shanahan followed. Fr. Lawrence Smyth was pastor from 1861 until 1908. Assisted by his brother, Michael, Fr. Lawrence oversaw dramatic growth in the Parish. Swelled by the waves of immigrants fleeing the Irish famines of the 1840's, the Catholic Community in Fort Smith continued to grow. During his pastorate, the Parish acquired nearly a square mile of property on the site of old Fort Belknap. It was bounded by Dodson, Greenwood, Grand and Towson Avenue. There was room for a school, convent, church, cemetery and a hospital. The Sisters of Mercy had a close relationship with the Parish. They arrived in 1853 and, through the years, started schools, tended to the wounded of the Civil War, built hospitals and attended to the spiritual needs of the community. St. Anne's Academy and St. Edward Mercy Medical Center were testimony to their spirit and courage. When the little log church was no longer usable, ...Read More