About Diocese of Baton Rouge
The Diocese of Baton Rouge (Latin: Dioecesis Rubribaculensis) is a Roman Catholic diocese in south-central Louisiana, suffragan to the Archdiocese of New Orleans. Established on July 22, 1961 by Pope John XXIII from territory carved out of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, it covers 5,405 square miles across twelve civil parishes (counties). Its mother church is St. Joseph Cathedral in downtown Baton Rouge — the oldest church building in the metropolitan area — and its patron is St. Joseph. Headed today by its sixth bishop, Michael Gerard Duca, the diocese serves some 235,000 Catholics through 64 parishes, a Catholic schools system, the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System, and Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Baton Rouge.
- Bishop
- Michael Gerard Duca
- Established
- 1961
- Cathedral
- St. Joseph Cathedral, Baton Rouge
- Territory
- Twelve civil parishes of south-central Louisiana: Ascension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Livingston, Pointe Coupée, St. Helena, St. James, Tangipahoa, West Baton Rouge, and West Feliciana
- Parishes
- 64
- Province
- Archdiocese of New Orleans (Ecclesiastical Province of New Orleans)
History of the Diocese of Baton Rouge
Catholic life in what is now the Diocese of Baton Rouge long predates the diocese itself. Spain's King Carlos IV founded the parish of St. Joseph in 1792 as 'Nuestra Señora de los Dolores,' when Louisiana was still under the Diocese of Santiago de Cuba. A third church on the present downtown site — designed by Father John Cambiaso, S.J., in the Gothic Revival style — was built in 1853, partly destroyed by Union cannon fire during the Civil War, rebuilt, and given its soaring 195-foot spire in 1891. On July 22, 1961, Pope John XXIII erected the Diocese of Baton Rouge by taking twelve civil parishes from the Archdiocese of New Orleans, and installed Bishop Robert Emmet Tracy as its first ordinary on November 8 of that year. The diocese has had six bishops — Tracy, Sullivan, Ott, Hughes, Muench, and Duca — and has remained territorially intact, with no daughter dioceses carved from it.
- Parish founded 1792 under Spanish rule; Diocese erected July 22, 1961
- Six bishops since 1961: Tracy, Sullivan, Ott, Hughes, Muench, Duca
- First Bishop Tracy spoke at Vatican II on October 24, 1963 — first American bishop to do so
Geography and Territory
The Diocese of Baton Rouge covers about 5,405 square miles across twelve civil parishes in south-central Louisiana: Ascension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Livingston, Pointe Coupée, St. Helena, St. James, Tangipahoa, West Baton Rouge, and West Feliciana. Two of those parishes — Pointe Coupée and Iberville — are among the original twelve counties defined by the Territorial Legislative Council in 1803, which created Louisiana's 'civil parish' system directly from the prior ecclesiastical parish boundaries of French and Spanish colonial Louisiana. Today the diocese contains 64 parishes plus two ethnic apostolates and two university chaplaincies.
- 12 civil parishes, ~5,405 sq mi
- 64 church parishes
- Two university chaplaincies: Christ the King at LSU and St. Albert the Great at SELU
St. Joseph Cathedral
St. Joseph Cathedral, located at the corner of Main and Fourth Streets in downtown Baton Rouge, is the oldest church building in the metropolitan area and has been the mother church of Catholic life in south Louisiana since 1792. Designated the cathedral of the new diocese in 1961, it was extensively renovated in 1966-1970 to conform with the liturgical renewal of Vatican II, gaining a travertine sanctuary wall, a marble altar, and the great mahogany Christ-on-the-Cross by Ivan Meštrović. A 1992 installation of the 'Providence' gallery organ marked the parish's bicentennial. The cathedral is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and received a national award from the U.S. Liturgical Conference for its Vatican II renovation.
- Built 1853 in Gothic Revival style by Fr. John Cambiaso, S.J.
- Spire and bell tower added 1891 (height 195 feet); rebuilt after Hurricane Betsy, 1966-68
- German stained glass, 1911-1918; major 1921-1924 expansion; post-Vatican II renovation 1966-1970
- Known as the 'nursery of bishops' — nine priests assigned here have become bishops
Our Bishops
Six bishops have shepherded the Diocese of Baton Rouge since 1961. The current bishop is Michael Gerard Duca, a Dallas native who was ordained for the Diocese of Dallas in 1978, served as Bishop of Shreveport (2008-2018), and was installed as the sixth Bishop of Baton Rouge on August 24, 2018. His episcopal motto is 'Hope in the Lord.'
- Bishop Robert Emmet Tracy (1961-1974) — founding bishop, Vatican II participant
- Bishop Joseph Vincent Sullivan (1974-1982)
- Bishop Stanley Joseph Ott (1983-1992)
- Bishop Alfred Clifton Hughes (1993-2001) — later Archbishop of New Orleans
- Bishop Robert William Muench (2002-2018) — Bishop Emeritus
- Bishop Michael Gerard Duca (2018-present) — motto 'Hope in the Lord'
Bishop Michael G. Duca
Michael Gerard Duca, a native of Dallas, Texas, was ordained a priest on April 29, 1978 for the Diocese of Dallas and was conferred the title of Reverend Monsignor on December 20, 2004. He was named the second Bishop of Shreveport on April 1, 2008, and ordained and installed on May 19, 2008. On June 26, 2018, Pope Francis appointed him Bishop of Baton Rouge; he was installed at St. Joseph Cathedral on August 24, 2018, in a Mass during which — following custom — he rapped on the cathedral door three times with a small mallet to symbolically take possession of his see.
- Ordained priest April 29, 1978 (Diocese of Dallas)
- Bishop of Shreveport 2008-2018
- Installed as sixth Bishop of Baton Rouge on August 24, 2018
Catholic Schools
The Secretariat for Catholic Schools of the Diocese of Baton Rouge oversees elementary and secondary schools in every corner of the twelve-parish territory. The Catholic Schools Office, led by Superintendent Dr. Cindy Ryals, supports schools in their mission to 'Evangelize Hearts, Educate Minds, Encourage Talent, and Embrace the Future.' Four diocesan regional high schools anchor secondary education, alongside two independent Baton Rouge schools — Catholic High School and St. Joseph's Academy. The REACH Program provides Catholic special education.
- Diocesan regional high schools: St. Michael the Archangel (Baton Rouge), Ascension Catholic (Donaldsonville), St. Thomas Aquinas (Hammond), Catholic High of Pointe Coupee (New Roads)
- Independent secondary schools: Catholic High School and St. Joseph's Academy (Baton Rouge)
- Special Education: REACH Program
- Child Nutrition Program
Office of Evangelization & Catechesis
The Office of Evangelization & Catechesis supports parishes, schools, and families in forming missionary disciples through workshops, consulting, and a custom Learning Management System called LearnCat. The office also oversees Youth & Young Adult Ministry and offers a Ministry and Theology (MAT) Program leading to Diocesan Certification at Basic and Intermediate levels, along with catechumenate preparation through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA).
- LearnCat LMS for catechetical certification
- New Evangelization Workshop Series
- Faith-tech workshop
- Living as Missionary Disciples workshop
- Youth & Young Adult Ministry
Catholic Charities and Social Outreach
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Baton Rouge is the principal social-services arm of the local Church. In 2018, in partnership with Our Lady of the Lake, Catholic Charities helped launch 'The Faith Fund,' a small-dollar, low-interest microlending alternative to predatory payday lenders; by 2023 the fund had made 1,742 loans totaling $6.4 million, retaining an estimated $18 million in community wealth. Bishop Muench also established a Diocesan Racial Harmony Commission, and each year the diocese visits most of the prisons and jails in the region.
- The Faith Fund microlending program (with Our Lady of the Lake)
- Diocesan Racial Harmony Commission
- Annual prison and jail ministry visits
Healthcare Ministry — Our Lady of the Lake / FMOL Health
The diocese's flagship health apostolate, Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge, was founded in 1923 by the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Sisters and is now the largest private medical center in Louisiana. It houses the region's only Level I Trauma Center and Comprehensive Stroke Center of Excellence, plus Our Lady of the Lake Children's Hospital. In 2000 the system acquired Riverview Medical Center in Gonzales (now Our Lady of the Lake St. Elizabeth). The system — rebranded FMOL Health in November 2025 — spans Louisiana and Mississippi with ministries from Acadiana to the Northshore and Jackson.
- Founded 1923 by the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady
- 900+ licensed beds; Level I Trauma Center; Children's Hospital
- Our Lady of the Lake St. Elizabeth (Gonzales) — acquired 2000
- Rebranded FMOL Health in 2025 across Louisiana and Mississippi
Diocesan Archives
The Diocesan Archives collect, organize, preserve and make available for research the historical and vital records of the Diocese of Baton Rouge. The Archives have published a 22-volume series of 'Diocese of Baton Rouge Catholic Church Records' covering sacramental registers from 1707 to 1900, along with 'Roots of Faith: A History of the Diocese of Baton Rouge' and a companion documentary television series (also called 'Roots of Faith') hosted by Renee Richard in cooperation with the Archives Department. The Archives are housed in a purpose-built facility at 1919 Parker Street, Baton Rouge.
- 22-volume Catholic Church Records series (1707-1900)
- Roots of Faith: A History of the Diocese of Baton Rouge (book and TV documentary)
- 'Roots of Faith: Ancestry' genealogy series with Renee Richard, Judy Riffel and Leonard Smith III
- Located at 1919 Parker Street, Baton Rouge
Parishes in the Diocese
The diocese's 64 parishes stretch from Donaldsonville on the Mississippi River to Hammond in the Florida Parishes and from Baton Rouge south to Napoleonville. Notable clusters include the historic River Road parishes of St. James, Ascension, Assumption and Iberville; the university chaplaincies at LSU (Christ the King) and Southeastern Louisiana (St. Albert the Great); and the cathedral parish of St. Joseph in downtown Baton Rouge.
- Cathedral parish: St. Joseph Cathedral, Baton Rouge
- University chaplaincies: Christ the King (LSU), St. Albert the Great (SELU, Hammond)
- Historic River Road parishes in Ascension, Assumption, Iberville, St. James, and West Baton Rouge
- Ethnic apostolates including the Office of Hispanic Ministry
Catholic Life Center and Diocesan Offices
The Catholic Life Center at 1800 South Acadian Thruway in Baton Rouge serves as the administrative hub of the diocese, housing the offices of the bishop, vicar general, chancellor, schools, evangelization, finance, and other diocesan departments. It was conceived under Bishop Tracy as a model facility combining diocesan administration, education, and social service. The mailing address for the diocesan offices is P.O. Box 2028, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-2028.
- Address: 1800 South Acadian Thruway, Baton Rouge, LA 70808
- Mailing: P.O. Box 2028, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-2028
- Phone: (225) 336-8715; Fax: (225) 242-0290
- Houses Secretariat for Catholic Schools, Office of Evangelization & Catechesis, and diocesan administration
Protecting God's Children and Safe Environment
In January 2019 the Diocese of Baton Rouge publicly identified 37 clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse; the list grew to 41 by February 2019, 43 by July 2019, 45 by January 2020, and 46 by July 2020. The diocese settled a 2003 lawsuit brought by abuse survivor Patrick Myers — and five other former altar servers — in December 2005. In 2009 the diocese paid $225,000 to settle another abuse lawsuit and subsequently renamed Bishop (High School) after credible accusations against the namesake surfaced.
- 46 credibly accused clergy publicly named (Jan 2019 - Jul 2020)
- 2005 settlement with Patrick Myers and five other plaintiffs
- 2009 settlement of $225,000 in another abuse lawsuit
