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160	Catholicity	in	Mississippi
man, Alabama, and at New Orleans. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 14, 1901, in St. Stephen’s church, New Orleans. The early years of his priesthood were spent in Clarksdale, Vicksburg and Merigold. In the fall of 1905 he became pastor of Bay St. Louis on January 17, 1918.
Fathers of Divine Word Are Welcomed
Father Gmelch quickly realized that Waveland and the adjoining missions were about ready for a resident pastor, and he consulted Bishop Gunn on the matter. The plan met with the favor of the Bishop, who had come to this conclusion while on a visit to the missions on November 16, 1912. On July 27, 1918, Bishop Gunn purchased from the Jesuits a tract of land they had inherited. This acquisition made it possible to build a priest’s house and install a pastor at Waveland. On June 1, 1919, Rev. Michael Costello, assistant at Bay St. Louis, was appointed to take charge of Waveland and the neighboring missions.
Father Gmelch had long been a friend of the Fathers of the Divine Word. He was the first to welcome them when they came into the diocese in 1905. He likewise welcomed them to Bay St. Louis to establish St. Augustine’s Mission House and to care for the Colored of the parish. The cornerstone of St. Augustine’s Mission House was laid November 23, 1922. The Divine Word Fathers took over the Colored school in 1923 and the parish of St. Rose of Lima was definitely separated from the parish of Our Lady of the Gulf on August 28, 1926.
All the while, the good pastor was working hard to pay off the debt of the parish church. The debt was $13,000 when he came into the parish. This he paid off within the space of a few years. He erected the Stations of the Cross at a cost of $1400, a new school building at $7500 and the beautiful stained-glass windows, costing $14,000. In addition he finished the interior of the church at a cost of $30,000.
The schools in the parish are flourishing, and the students number 478. Both St. Stanislaus college and St. Joseph’s academy are accredited by the state of Mississippi and by the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. This is the highest academic rating possible. As these schools are second to none in the diocese, so are the spiritual advantages, of the parish of Our Lady
Our Lady of the Gulf Church
161
of the Gulf. Father Gmelch, with his assistants, Father Leo Fahey and Father Patrick Moran, are earnestly striving to carry on the work so nobly begun by the pioneer missionary, Father Buteux, more than 90 years ago.