Holy Savior Menard Central High School is the Roman Catholic parochial secondary institution of learning in Alexandria, the seat of Rapides Parish and the largest city in central Louisiana. The Menard mission statement accents: (1) Faith Development, (2) Academic Excellence, and (3) Service. Menard, operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Alexandria in Louisiana, enrolls approximately six hundred students.
The school also enrolls non-Catholics. It offers standard instruction in mathematics, science, history, English, social studies, and the arts. Catholicism, including the Old Testament and New Testament and Catholic morality, is taught in each grade as a required class. Mass is celebrated weekly, and each class makes an annual trip to the nearby Maryhill Retreat Center.
The nearly forty faculty members come from diverse backgrounds. Most are Catholic, but non-Catholics are frequently employed to teach at Menard. Parental involvement in the youngsters' education is encouraged through the Menard Parent Teacher Club.
History
Holy Savior Menard's roots date back to 1884, when Father L. Menard became the eleventh pastor of St. Francis Xavier Commercial College Catholic Church. On October 10, 1892, the works and prayers of Father Menard became a reality with the construction of the first school for boys in Alexandria. It was located on Second and Ogden Streets and was named the St. Francis Xavier Commercial College. In 1903, the school was rebuilt on the corner of Fourth and Beauregard Streets, next to the present St. Francis Xavier Cathedral. In 1915, the school was raised ten feet to provide a third floor and additional floor space to handle the increased enrollment. Father Menard was also responsible for bringing the Sisters of Divine Providence and the Brothers of the Sacred Heart to Alexandria. The sisters taught at the St. Francis Xavier Girls Academy, founded in 1894, and later at Providence Academy, Providence Central, and currently at Our Lady of Prompt Succor Elementary School. The Brothers taught at the Commercial College and later at Menard Memorial High School.
In June 1922, the Elliot Street property between 19th and 20th Streets was acquired, and after thirty-one years, the St. Francis Xavier Commercial College ceased to exist, being renamed Menard Memorial, after Father Menard. Menard Memorial operated at the Elliot Street location as a school for boys until 1966.
In 1914, St. Francis Xavier transformed into Providence Academy for Girls and opened on the grounds of the present day Our Lady of Prompt Succor Church. In 1949, Providence Academy became Providence Central for girls in grades nine to twelve, and Our Lady of Prompt Succor for boys and girls in kindergarten to eighth grade.
In 1934, the Menard Memorial school colors were changed from purple and gold to green, gold, and white, and the mascot was changed from the bulldogs to the eagles. The year 1966 marked the last year for the name "Menard Memorial." In that year, the school combined with Providence Central to become Holy Savior Menard Central High School. The new facility at its present location on Coliseum Boulevard opened in the fall of 1967.
In 1988, in cooperation with Our Lady of Prompt Succor, the seventh and eighth grades were moved from Prompt Succor to Menard.
Holy Savior Menard is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and by the Louisiana State Department of Education. The School is affiliated with the National Catholic Educational Association, The National Association of Secondary School Principals, and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Athletic teams participate under the auspices of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association.
Holy Savior Menard has graduated more than six thousand students. One of the school's greatest assets is the achievements of its graduates. Many prominent leaders in the Central Louisiana area are among students nurtured through their crucial adolescent years by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, the Sisters of Divine Providence, and the dedicated lay faculty and staff members at Holy Savior Menard Central High School.
The Religious Sisters of Mercy are members of a religious institute of Catholic women founded in 1831 in Dublin, Ireland, by Catherine McAuley. As of 2019, the institute has about 6200 sisters worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations. They also started many education and health care facilities around the world.
Former names: Diocese of Natchitoches (1853-1910), Diocese of Alexandria (1910-1977), Diocese of Alexandria-Shreveport (1977-1986).
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence is a diocese of the Catholic Church in the United States. The diocese was erected by Pope Pius IX on February 17, 1872 and originally comprised the entire state of Rhode Island and the counties of Bristol, Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket in the state of Massachusetts. On March 12, 1904, those four counties were separated from the Diocese of Providence to form the Diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts, leaving the Diocese of Providence with just the state of Rhode Island.
The Marianites of Holy Cross (MSC) is a Catholic congregation of nuns, founded in Le Mans, France, in 1841, by the Blessed Father Basil Anthony-Marie Moreau, CSC. It was founded as a third distinct society within the Congregation of Holy Cross, that is, the congregation of the priests and brothers of Holy Cross. The Marianites of Holy Cross is now an independent congregation.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor is a Roman Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary associated with a wooden devotional image of the Madonna and Child enshrined in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America. The image is closely associated with Mother Saint Michel, the Superior of the New Orleans Ursulines.
A Lourdes grotto is a replica of the original grotto at Lourdes, France or a grotto honouring Our Lady of Lourdes unassociated with the Lourdes site. Some such grottoes are called simply "Lourdes grottoes"; others are described as replicas, or as honouring Our Lady of Lourdes.
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