By Dr. Curtis Varnell
An old American proverb states, “from small beginnings come great things.” The statement is certainly true of the little Catholic church found in the small community of Shoal Creek.
Immediately after the Civil war, railroads construction began in earnest all across the U.S. As payment for construction, the Government gave the railroads huge tracts of public land along the track. In order to become profitable, the railroads needed settlers and some of the best, most productive immigrants were German farmers and craftsmen. To attract these immigrants, the Cairo and Fulton Railroad gave 100 acres of land ad $2,500 dollars to the Benedictine sisters of Indiana to build a church and school in Logan County. They figured, and rightly so, that a church and school would attract devout hard-working Catholics. The first four sisters arrived in 1878 and remained at the just-established monastery at Subiaco until a log cabin could be constructed for their use. The sisters cleared the rocky, sandy soil and began the task of establishing a self-supporting monastery on the site. They soon opened a school and church named Saint Scholastica, establishing a center for the local community. During the summer months, in addition to their other duties, they taught religious correspondence courses for novices and vacation bible school for all children who wished to attend.
By 1898, the community had grown to include other Sisters from around the world as well as a thriving farm, several cabins, a church, and other buildings located around a central courtyard.
In 1916, in collaboration with a small Missouri Benedictine community, the Sisters at Shoal Creek adopted the work of healthcare. Over the course of the next 125 years, St. Scholastica sponsored five hospitals; St. Josephs of Bonneville, MO., St Anthony’s in Morrilton, St. Hildegard’s in Clarksville, St. Mary’s in Dermott, and Crawford Memorial in Van Buren. All of these hospitals are still in operation under different names. In addition, St. Scholastica Monastery has staffed 62 elementary schools in five states, twelve music schools, and two orphanages. They also established high schools at Shoal Creek and the better known; St. Scholastica Academy in Fort Smith.
The rural community was plagued by lack of water, isolation, access to health care, and especially poor roads. It was said the final straw was when the Bishop, on a visit to all local churches, became so ensnared and bogged down in the mire that made up the Old Military Road, that he decided the best solution was to just move the main convent Fort Smith. This was accomplished in 1924, resulting in the beautiful St. Scholastica Church, school, and convent in Fort Smith. Shoal Creek monastery remained but with a more limited scope.
Visiting the small Shoal Creek Church, cemetery, and Hesychia House of Prayer today one little realizes the impact of the dedication and faith of the first four Sisters and their successors on the generations that followed.
