About Immaculate Conception · Charenton, Louisiana
Immaculate Conception Catholic Church is a small Roman-Latin parish in Charenton, Louisiana, set on the tribal lands of the Chitimacha (Chitamacha) people in St. Mary Parish. Part of the Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana, it is one of the oldest Catholic communities on lower Bayou Teche — originally established as a mission in 1836 and constituted an independent parish in 1841, making it the first Catholic parish founded in what became St. Mary Parish. Today the parish keeps a modest schedule of worship — Sunday and Wednesday Masses, with confessions heard a half hour before each liturgy — under the pastoral care of Rev. Michael DeBlanc, who also serves Sacred Heart in neighboring Baldwin.
- Established
- 1841
- Patron
- Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Rector
- Rev. Michael DeBlanc
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana
Why belong here
Immaculate Conception offers a deeply rooted, mission-sized Catholic community in Charenton, where worship has been offered continuously since the 1830s on Chitimacha tribal land. With Mass celebrated on Sunday morning and Wednesday evening, the sacrament of Reconciliation available a half hour before each liturgy, and a single pastor caring for both this parish and Sacred Heart in neighboring Baldwin, visitors and parishioners find a small, intergenerational family of faith connected to one of the oldest Catholic settlements on lower Bayou Teche.
Mass times at Immaculate Conception
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday — 9:30 AM (30 minutes before 10:00 AM Mass)
- Wednesday — 4:30 PM (30 minutes before 5:00 PM Mass)
Parish Identity & Setting
Immaculate Conception Catholic Church is a Roman-Latin rite parish of the Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana, located at 3041 Chitimacha Trail (P.O. Box 278) in Charenton, Louisiana 70523. The parish serves the small Catholic community of St. Mary Parish on the sovereign tribal lands of the Chitimacha (Chitamacha) people — a setting reflected in the road name itself. Phone is (337) 923-4281 and the parish email of record is [email protected]. The parish is administered through the diocesan parish finder and remains a tightly-knit mission-sized faith community.
- Patron: Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (feast day December 8)
- Diocese: Lafayette in Louisiana
- Rite: Roman (Latin)
- Mailing: P.O. Box 278, Charenton, LA 70523-0278
History
The parish is one of the oldest in southwest Louisiana. Its mission chapel at Charenton on lower Bayou Teche was served from 1836 by priests traveling down from St. Martinville and from the New Orleans cathedral. Charenton became an independent parish in 1841, and the early sacramental registers — baptismal records beginning in 1842, marriage records from 1839 and funeral records from 1844 — make the parish an important genealogical anchor for St. Mary Parish families.
- 1836 — Mission founded; served from New Orleans cathedral and St. Martinville.
- 1841 — Erected as an independent parish; first church parish in St. Mary Parish.
- 1842 — Baptismal records begin.
- 1884 — Sisters of St. Joseph open a school at Charenton.
- After 1838 — Priests from New Iberia also assist at the Charenton mission.
- Charenton's priests have historically also served Franklin and Pattersonville and the wider lower-Teche region.
Clergy & Pastoral Care
The current pastor is Rev. Michael DeBlanc, who according to the Diocese of Lafayette priests directory also serves as pastor of Sacred Heart Church in neighboring Baldwin, Louisiana. Fr. DeBlanc can be reached through the parish office at (337) 923-4281 or via email at [email protected].
- Rev. Michael DeBlanc — Pastor (also Pastor of Sacred Heart Church, Baldwin)
- Sacred Heart, Baldwin: P.O. Box 308, Baldwin, LA 70514-0308, (337) 923-7781
Liturgy & Sacraments
The parish keeps a modest worship schedule of two Masses a week, with the sacrament of Reconciliation heard a half hour before each liturgy. There are no separately published adoration or devotions times online; visitors should call the parish office to confirm the current week's schedule.
- Sunday Mass — 10:00 AM
- Wednesday Mass — 5:00 PM
- Confessions — heard 30 minutes before each Mass
- Celebration in the Roman (Latin) rite
Sacraments & Sacramental Records
Immaculate Conception maintains sacramental registers reaching back nearly to the founding of the mission — an unusually deep archive for a parish of this size and a key source for genealogists researching Catholic families of St. Mary Parish.
- Baptism records: from 1842
- Marriage records: from 1839
- Funeral records: from 1844
The Chitimacha Community
Charenton sits on the sovereign lands of the Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana, one of the state's four federally recognized tribes and a nation with deep historical roots in the Bayou Teche region. The parish has served the tribal community since the 1830s mission days, and the road name 'Chitimacha Trail' (sometimes rendered Chitamacha Trail) on which the church sits reflects this long-standing relationship.
- Parish address: 3041 Chitimacha Trail, Charenton, LA 70523
- Historic parish cemetery is located behind the church.
Visiting & Directions
Travelers coming from US 90 should take the Baldwin exit, head north to LA 182, turn right to the stop light in Baldwin, and then turn left at the light onto LA 326 / Chitimacha Trail, which leads directly to the parish. Because the parish is mission-sized, anyone planning a visit for confession or Mass is encouraged to call ahead to confirm the schedule.
- From US 90: Baldwin exit
- North to LA 182
- Right to the stop light in Baldwin
- Left at the light onto LA 326 (Chitimacha Trail)
Contact
Parishioners and visitors can reach Immaculate Conception by phone, mail, or through the diocesan parish finder.
- Address: 3041 Chitimacha Trail, P.O. Box 278, Charenton, LA 70523-0278
- Phone: (337) 923-4281
- Email: [email protected]
- Diocesan listing: https://diolaf.org/parishfinder
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. D. Brasseurfrom 1836
Mission priest from St. Martinville and the New Orleans cathedral.
- Fr. Charles H. B. St.-Aubinfrom 1840
- Fr. Joseph Billonfrom 1841
First pastor after Charenton became an independent parish.
- Fr. C. Lucasfrom 1846
- Fr. J. E. Blinfrom 1848
- Fr. N. Françaisfrom 1852
- Fr. P. Guerard
- Fr. James Blake
- Fr. P. G. McMahon
- Fr. Desgaultiere
- Fr. F. Christophe Cunyfrom 1861
- Fr. F. P. Ponchonfrom 1872
- Fr. Christopher Cambre
Highlighted by the Diocese of Lafayette Vocations office as pastor of Immaculate Conception (paired with Sacred Heart, Baldwin); also a prize-winning gumbo cook at the annual Collarnary Cookoff.
- Rev. Michael DeBlanc
Current pastor per the Diocese of Lafayette priests directory; also pastor of Sacred Heart Church, Baldwin.