About Christ the King Parish & Student Center at LSU · Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Christ the King Parish & Student Center at LSU is the Catholic parish serving the Louisiana State University campus in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge. Founded originally as a chapel in 1940 and elevated to parish status in 1980, it functions simultaneously as a parish church, Catholic student center, and home to the Portiuncula Adoration Chapel (opened 2019). With roughly 1,200 students at Sunday Mass, 400 students in weekly Bible studies, and about 875 visits to the adoration chapel per month, CTK describes itself as 'a family on mission forming lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ and His Church' on LSU's campus.
- Established
- 1940
- Patron
- Christ the King
- Rector
- Rev. Fr. Mathew T. Dunn
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge
Why belong here
CTK is one of the largest Catholic student parishes in the country and is built to draw students, faculty, staff, and local residents into the sacramental and devotional life of the Church. With three Sunday Masses, daily Mass Monday–Thursday, weekday confessions, and Eucharistic adoration in the Portiuncula Chapel roughly 875 times each month, it offers unusually rich access to the sacraments alongside more than 400 students in weekly Bible studies, FOCUS missionary outreach, the JPII Men's Household, the Thomistic Institute at LSU, retreats, praise & worship, OCIA, Confirmation, and a student music ministry. Visitors and parishioners are welcomed into a uniquely international and university-aged community shaped by the rhythms of LSU and the liturgical year.
Mass times at Christ the King Parish & Student Center at LSU
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday: 4:30 p.m. – 5:50 p.m.
- Tuesday: 4:30 p.m. – 5:50 p.m.
- Wednesday: 4:30 p.m. – 5:50 p.m.
- Thursday: 4:30 p.m. – 5:50 p.m.
- Saturday: 2:30 p.m.
Adoration times
- Monday – Thursday: 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. (Portiuncula Adoration Chapel, during Fall and Spring semesters)
About Christ the King
Christ the King Parish & Student Center at LSU is the Catholic parish serving the Louisiana State University campus in Baton Rouge, within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge. Its mission is 'to be a family on mission forming lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ and His Church' on LSU's campus. CTK functions simultaneously as a parish church, a Catholic student center, and the home of the Portiuncula Adoration Chapel. The main church building sits on the corner of Dalrymple Drive facing Highland Road, across from the LSU Visitor's Center; an Administrative building and CTK Office stand behind it, and the JPII Men's Household is located at 11 W Fraternity Lane.
- Mission: a family on mission forming lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ and His Church
- Roughly 1,200 students at Sunday Mass, 400 in weekly Bible studies, 875 monthly visits to the adoration chapel
- Located across from the LSU Visitor's Center at Highland Road & Dalrymple Drive
- Pastoral leadership: Rev. Fr. Mathew T. Dunn
History
Catholic campus ministry at LSU began as the St. Thomas Aquinas Mission in 1928, originally under St. Agnes Parish and then transferred to St. Joseph Parish so a Catholic Student Center could be formed. Father Leon Francis Gassler, pastor of St. Joseph, was appointed chaplain and Father Maurice Schexnayder assistant chaplain. The first Mass on the 'new' LSU campus was celebrated October 13, 1929 in the Agriculture Hall. After eleven years of fundraising, the Catholic Student Center was built at a cost of $135,000; the cornerstone was laid in December 1939 and the Chapel of Christ the King was dedicated in 1940. By the 1950s the church and student center were expanded, with Newman Hall added as a new student center wing. The Claretian Fathers staffed the center from 1965 to 1979; diocesan priests have staffed it since 1979. CTK was the first Catholic student center in the United States to have religious sisters — the Sisters of St. Joseph of Medaille — serving as campus ministers. Christ the King was established as a parish in 1980. In 1998 the complex was demolished, renovated, and rebuilt, and the new church was dedicated in 2000. In 2019 the Portiuncula Adoration Chapel — modeled on St. Francis's Portiuncula in Assisi — was opened for public prayer and houses relics of St. Francis and St. Clare.
- 1928: St. Thomas Aquinas Mission founded at new LSU campus
- October 13, 1929: First Catholic Mass on campus (Agriculture Hall)
- December 1939: Cornerstone of Catholic Student Center laid
- 1940: Chapel of Christ the King dedicated
- 1950s: Church expanded; Newman Hall student center wing added
- 1965–1979: Staffed by Claretian Fathers
- First U.S. Catholic student center with religious sisters as campus ministers (Sisters of St. Joseph of Medaille)
- 1979: Diocesan priests assume staffing
- 1980: Christ the King becomes a parish
- 1998: Demolition, renovation, and rebuilding
- 2000: New church dedicated
- 2019: Portiuncula Adoration Chapel opened
- Four priests who served at CTK became bishops: Maurice Schexnayder, Robert Tracy, William Borders, Stanley Ott
Sacraments
CTK prepares and celebrates all seven sacraments of the Catholic Church, with programming geared to both the LSU community and resident parishioners. Infant baptisms are celebrated at 12 p.m. on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month. Confirmation is celebrated in the Fall (Christ the King Sunday) and Spring, with classes running September–November and January–April; the program is open to baptized Catholic college students, parishioners 16+, and other young adults 18+. OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) welcomes anyone affiliated with LSU who wishes to become Catholic or complete their Sacraments of Initiation.
- Baptism: infants 2nd & 4th Sundays at 12 p.m.; adults via OCIA
- Confirmation: Fall & Spring; classes Sept–Nov and Jan–Apr
- OCIA (formerly RCIA): inquiries via Grace Krause ([email protected])
- Reconciliation: Mon–Thu 4:30–5:50 p.m.; Saturday 2:30 p.m.
- Holy Matrimony: preparation via the parish office
- Eucharist: daily and Sunday Masses
Formation & Leadership
Formation is at the heart of CTK's outreach to the LSU community. Around 400 students gather weekly in small-group Bible studies tailored to specific affinity groups (Greek life, athletes, freshmen, men, women, architecture students, etc.). The Student Leadership program releases applications each spring for the following school year. The JPII Men's Household forms young men in prayer, the sacraments, and missionary discipleship, while the Thomistic Institute at LSU provides intellectual formation grounded in the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas. Guest speakers and visitors, retreats, praise & worship nights, and service opportunities round out the formation calendar.
- Small-group Bible studies (~400 students weekly)
- Student Leadership program
- JPII Men's Household
- Thomistic Institute at LSU
- Guest speakers and visitors
- Retreats and praise & worship nights
Bible Studies
Spring 2026 Bible studies meet on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays at various times and locations. Groups are intentionally organized around specific affinities (fraternity men, sorority women, freshmen, underclassmen, athletes, architecture students, etc.) and are led by student leaders under the coordination of Noelle Shipley ([email protected]). Groups meet in CTK's FOCUS office and Tracy/Borders Rooms, in Greek houses, and in off-campus residences.
- Mon–Wed meetings; multiple time slots each evening
- Affinity-based groups: Greek life, athletes, freshmen, men, women, etc.
- Led by student leaders; coordinated by Noelle Shipley
Becoming Catholic (OCIA)
The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) is the parish's process for learning about the Catholic Church and preparing to receive the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Holy Communion, and Confirmation). OCIA also serves baptized Catholics who have not yet received First Communion, Confession, or Confirmation. Inquiries are directed to Grace Krause ([email protected]) via the OCIA Inquiry form.
- Open to anyone affiliated with LSU
- Catechumenate and inquiry sessions
- Previously known as RCIA
FOCUS Missionaries
Christ the King partners with FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students), which maintains a team of missionaries, a Team Director, and an Assistant Director on campus. FOCUS missionaries disciple students through Bible studies, mentoring, outreach to fraternities and sororities, and one-on-one accompaniment — a major reason CTK can sustain ~400 students in weekly Bible study.
- FOCUS Team Director and Assistant Director
- Multiple FOCUS missionaries on staff and in residence
- Discipleship through Bible studies, mentoring, and outreach
Music Ministry
CTK's Student Music Ministry coordinates music for Masses and praise & worship events. A Coordinator of Student Music Ministry is on staff, working with student musicians and singers to support the parish's liturgical and devotional life.
- Coordinator of Student Music Ministry on staff
- Supports Sunday and daily Masses
- Praise & worship nights
Staff
CTK's pastoral team is led by Fr. Mathew T. Dunn, Pastor, who also serves as a Diocesan Vocation Recruiter and Chaplain of Courage for the Diocese of Baton Rouge. The broader team includes a Parish Administrator (Greg Boudreaux), a Development Director, a Director of Campus Ministry (Claire Ashworth), a Communications lead, a Bookkeeper & CPC, an Admin Assistant, multiple Campus Ministers (Ali Dazzio, Patrick Towles, Noelle Shipley as Campus Ministry Coordinator, Kelley Hartman, Bryce Pellegrin, Luke Martin, Juliette Cheramie, Catherine Kelty, Jenny Moore, Chalon Fogarty), FOCUS missionaries, a Coordinator of Student Music Ministry, and Resident Sacristans/Interns (Brandon, Will, Katie Ibarra, Grace Krause, Rachel Haydel).
- Pastor: Rev. Fr. Mathew T. Dunn
- Parish Administrator: Greg Boudreaux
- Director of Campus Ministry: Claire Ashworth
- Campus Ministry Coordinator: Noelle Shipley
- FOCUS Team Director and Assistant Director on staff
- Coordinator of Student Music Ministry
Get Connected
CTK offers multiple on-ramps for students and visitors: small-group Bible studies, music ministry, service and mission opportunities, retreats, praise & worship, social events, and formation in the JPII Men's Household. The parish's 'Get Connected' form helps visitors indicate their availability (Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays) and areas of interest, including international outreach, becoming Catholic (OCIA), Confirmation, and service. Updates are posted on the Events Calendar and on Instagram/Facebook @ctklsu.
- Small groups & Bible studies
- Music ministry
- Service / mission opportunities
- Retreats, praise & worship, social events
- International, OCIA, Confirmation, and service tracks
- Follow @ctklsu on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Maurice Schexnayder1929 – c. 1940s
First assistant chaplain, then chaplain of the St. Thomas Aquinas Mission / Catholic Student Center; built the original chapel, dedicated 1940. Later became a bishop.
- Father Leon Francis Gassler1928 –
Pastor of St. Joseph Parish, appointed first chaplain of the LSU Catholic Student Center when St. Agnes's St. Thomas Aquinas Mission was transferred.
- Claretian Fathers (community)1965 – 1979
Missionary congregation of Claretians staffed the Student Center for 14 years.
- Diocesan priests (community)1979 – present
Diocese of Baton Rouge diocesan priests took over staffing of the center in 1979, when Christ the King became a parish in 1980.
- Fr. Than N. VuPrior to 2025
Quoted as Pastor in the official parish history on the CTK website.
- Rev. Fr. Mathew T. Dunn2025 – present
Current Pastor; also appointed Diocesan Vocation Recruiter and Chaplain of Courage in 2025 pastoral assignments.