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congregation still have memories of the next pastor to serve this parish. He arrived at this parish and was appointed Pastor on August 18th. 1919, and his name was Fr. Alexander C. Denis. He was bom in Liege, Belgium, studied for the priesthood at St. Stephen Seminary, New Orleans, and Kenrick Semi-nan, St. Louis. Ordained June 11, 1909, in St. Louis, he came to this diocese in October of that year. He served as assistant at St Paul, Vicksburg, and St. Joseph, Woodville, and for some reason spent three years (1916-1919), interned in his native Belgium. He is remembered by many older parishioners today as a man who lived a very frugal lifestyle, who endured many lean years during the Depression here in Kiln. He travelled to the mission churches in his Model-T Ford, and apparently never gained a great command of the English language. Many people say that they had a difficult time understanding him. During his tenure, Sacred Heart in Dedeaux was added as a mission to this parish where he built a church. That parish recently celebrated its 25th anniversary as a Parish (1993). Even though he lived through difficult economic times, and collections from the missions and parish were meager, he managed to survive. In one of his reports to Bishop Gerow he asks the Bishop ?to pray for the poorest people in your diocese? and added that he had nothing to complain about - that he had sufficient food and a housekeeper but that he ?looked forward to a hard winter?.(12)
Some parishioners recall that in later years, when he cooked for himself, he used to count the strands of spaghetti into the pot before cooking them, and was quite happy to go around in old worn out suits. He also seemed to be partial to the ?moonshine? that was so prevalent after the Depression in these parts, and always carried a little flask in his hip pocket. After the closure of the Mill, the church and rectory were without electricity, so the Bishop loaned him money to purchase a generator. Later on, Bishop Gerow again loaned him $250.00 to help him buy a new car (1934). Because he remained here as Pastor for so many years, his name appears on many reports to the diocese He baptized many of our present day parishioners. Some of those diocesan reports are quite interesting in shedding some light on these times here in Kiln. In 1934, he reports how he had been attacked by a ruffian, and later how the rectory was robbed. In this year, his predecessor, Fr. Mortier, died, and his friend, Fr. Sorin, the pastor in DeLisle, was seriously ill, so he wrote and notified Fr. Sorin?s relatives in France. In 1938 he recommended to the Bishop that the parish missions be divided as it was more work that he could handle. In 1939 he established a Perpetual Trust Fund with the diocese (small by today?s standards) and instructed that the interest be used to pay insurance on the churches in the parish.(13) He seems to have been financially supported during most of his active ministry by his family in Belgium, and so was in a
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position to establish this Trust Fund that still exists to this day. Reports of 1941 state that the Bishop here somehow found out that Fr. Denis was not in good health and made inquiries into this matter only to be told it was untrue. Fr. Denis was upset with these rumors and considered it a joke. However, in 1945 on April 2nd, Fr. Denis suffered a stroke that paralyzed him and two days later he was totally incapacitated. He was moved to the old Biloxi Hospital where he remained for the next eight years until his death in 1953. About the time that Fr. Denis took ill, the reports indicated that approximately S2500.00 had been raised to build a new mission church in Catahoula, which was built and dedicated as ?Our Lady of the Pines? in 1949. One of our presently retired priests of the diocese recently recalled to me how it was part of his assignment to bring communion on a regular basis to Fr. Denis during those vears that he remained hospitalized up until his death in the old Biloxi Hospital. (17)
Immediately after Fr. Denis? departure from this parish, the Divine Word Missionaries, S.V.D., from St. Augustine Seminary in Bay St. Louis, attended to this parish. Shortly afterwards, the Trinitarians ( M.S.ST.), in agreement with the Bishop, took over the administration of the parish (on a trial basis for
10	years). Fr. Francis Xavier Toner was the first Trinitarian priest to serve in this parish and again those (post) war years were not easy ones. Fr. Toner brought his mother to live with him and to ?keep house?. In 1949, the Bishop came to the Parish to dedicate the new church in Catahoula, and also in that year he confirmed 107 individuals from Kiln and its missions - probably the largest confirmation group in the history of the parish. Fr. Toner remained as pastor here about 8 years, and died only a few years ago (1991), while still active in ministry as Pastor of St. Joseph Parish, Pearlington, at the age of 83.
In the succeeding years, there was a long line of Trinitarian priests who served both as associates and pastors (See list of names at end of booklet). By 1954, a modem youth center was built where the present rectory now stands. This apparently was in response to the complaints that too many of the local youth spent far too much of their free time in the local hangout known as ?The Cowshed? - that is now a vacant lot across the road from the D&K Store. The youth center (metal structure) built at a cost of $20,520.00 boasted a wooden floor for skating, a boxing ring for the young men and changing rooms with shower facilities. Mr. Crump, a local businessman who had done well in the cotton warehousing business in New Orleans, was a major benefactor of this project, with Fr. Mallory also active in promoting these activities.
In the mid 60?s, with Fr. Canisius Hayes as Pastor, a decision was made to build a new rectory (the present day one). The old wood frame structure was in a state of disrepair and was later sold, moved across the road to Sr. Mary
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