As the Union army pulled out of the town during the disastrous Red River Campaign, Father J. P. Bellier disguised his voice to impersonate that of General Nathaniel Banks, the Union commanding officer, and ordered the troops to spare the church.

[1] Because of the newly constructed church and Alexandria's central location, Bishop Cornelius Van de Ven petitioned the Roman Curia to transfer the seat of the diocese from Natchitoches to Alexandria.

Pope Pius X granted this wish, changing the title to Diocese of Alexandria on 6 August 1910 and designating St. Francis Xavier Church as the cathedral of the newly created diocese.

[1][3] The current bishop of Alexandria is the Most Reverend Robert W. Marshall Jr., and the rector of the cathedral is Father James A. Ferguson.

[citation needed] The cathedral boasts a 3-manual, 48-rank Reuterpipe organ inaugurated in 2004.