About Most Sacred Heart of Jesus · Gramercy, Louisiana
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is a Roman Catholic parish serving the town of Gramercy in St. James Parish, Louisiana. The faith community traces its origins to a mission chapel of St. Joseph Church in Paulina, established in the early 20th century, and has worshipped as a parish in its own right since 1961. Today it shares clergy with the other two parishes of the East St. James Parish cluster: St. Joseph in Paulina and St. Michael the Archangel in Convent. The cluster's mission is to focus on 'Faith, Sacraments, Gospel, and Community,' and Sacred Heart is the Sunday-evening Mass site in the small River Road community that grew up around the former Colonial Sugars refinery.
- Established
- 1961
- Patron
- Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Rector
- Rev. Lazaru Panthagani
- Diocese
- Diocese of Baton Rouge
Why belong here
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is a small, neighborly River Road parish where three churches — Sacred Heart in Gramercy, St. Joseph in Paulina, and St. Michael the Archangel in Convent — work as one cluster to put 'Faith, Sacraments, Gospel, and Community' first. Parishioners are warmly welcomed to share in the Sunday evening Mass, faith formation, the Knights of Columbus, Catholic Daughters of America, the young-adult River Road Catholics ministry, choir ministry, homebound and hospital visitation, and a full calendar of retreats and parish missions. It is a community rooted in more than a century of Catholic life on the east bank of St. James Parish — a place to belong and serve.
Mass times at Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 4:00 PM – 4:50 PM (before 5 PM Mass)
Adoration times
- Adoration at Our Lady of Prompt Succor Chapel (cluster-wide)
About the Parish Cluster
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is one of three Catholic parishes that together form 'The Catholic Church in East St. James Parish' — a tight-knit cluster on the River Road east bank of St. James Parish, Louisiana. The other two parishes are St. Joseph in Paulina and St. Michael the Archangel in Convent. The cluster embraces a mission to 'Focus on Faith, Sacraments, Gospel, and Community,' striving to be 'the hands and feet of Christ, reaching out to those in need and sharing His comforting message.' Most ministries cross parish lines so that the three churches work together as one body under the leadership and model of Jesus.
- Sacred Heart — 615 Main St., Gramercy, LA (Sunday 5 PM Mass)
- St. Joseph — 2130 Rectory St. (Hwy 44), Paulina, LA (Saturday 4 PM Vigil Mass, Sunday 10 AM Mass)
- St. Michael the Archangel — 6476 Highway 44, Convent, LA (Sun 7-7:50 AM Confession, 8 AM Mass)
History of Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
The Catholic faith arrived in Gramercy with the workers who came to the Colonial Sugar Company refinery after 1902. In 1915, members of Knights of Columbus Council No. 1817 petitioned Archbishop Blenk of New Orleans for a local Mass; five years later a former Woodmen of the World meeting hall was purchased and remodeled as Sacred Heart Chapel, blessed in 1920 as a mission of St. Joseph in Paulina. A new, dedicated church was finally dedicated on December 5, 1955. Six years later, when the Diocese of Baton Rouge was erected in 1961, Sacred Heart was established as a parish in its own right with Father William Collins, S.M., as its first pastor. The parish was clustered with St. Joseph in Paulina in 1997 and joined by St. Michael the Archangel in Convent in 2002.
- 1902 — Colonial Sugar Company purchases the Gramercy refinery
- 1915 — Knights of Columbus Council No. 1817 petitions Archbishop Blenk for a local Mass
- 1920 — Sacred Heart Chapel (former Woodmen of the World building) blessed as a mission of St. Joseph, Paulina
- Dec. 5, 1955 — New Sacred Heart church dedicated
- 1961 — Parish canonically erected; Fr. William Collins, S.M., first pastor
- 1997 — Clustered with St. Joseph, Paulina
- 2002 — St. Michael the Archangel, Convent, joins the cluster
Clergy & Staff
Sacred Heart's pastoral care is provided in collaboration with the other two parishes of the East St. James cluster. The parish's administrator and deacon are shared with St. Joseph and St. Michael the Archangel, and contact for Sacred Heart-specific needs is directed through the cluster office.
- Rev. Lazaru Panthagani — Administrator (St. Joseph Paulina, St. Michael the Archangel Convent, and Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Gramercy)
- Deacon Randall A. Clement — Deacon Assistant (St. Joseph, Paulina)
- First pastor: Father William Collins, S.M. (appointed 1961)
Spiritual Life & Worship
The Spiritual Life & Worship Committee seeks out speakers and opportunities to deepen the spiritual and religious life of the parishioners across the three parishes. Sacred Heart in Gramercy was the host site for the cluster's next parish mission, February 18-20, 2024, with Fr. Michael Champagne preaching each evening from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM. Retreats, days of prayer and parish missions are scheduled regularly throughout the cluster.
- Retreats, Days of Prayer, Parish Missions
- Parish Mission (Feb 18-20, 2024, Sacred Heart, Gramercy)
- Spiritual Life & Worship Committee
Parish Worship Ministries & Music
Liturgical music at the cluster is supported by choirs that serve each parish's Sunday Masses, drawn from the wider musical life of the East St. James Catholic community.
- St. Felicity Choir — Carrie Luersen, 869-9018 (8:00 AM Mass, St. Michael)
- St. Perpetua Choir — Kathleen Canatella, 562-3966
- Liturgy Committees serving St. Michael and St. Joseph parishes
Community Life & Organizations
Across the cluster, parishioners are served by a wide range of community-life and service organizations that bring families, women, men, and young adults together.
- Catholic Daughters of America — Regent Jackie Copponex (Court St. Michael), Regent Regaina Forsythe (Court St. Joseph); Donna Rochon at SH (225-869-5751)
- Jr. Catholic Daughters of America (JCDA) — Regent Libby Hotard, 225-806-0521
- Knights of Columbus (Council No. 1817 historically connected to the founding of Sacred Heart)
- River Road Catholics Young Adult Ministry — Contact: Courtney Mistretta, 225-933-0628; Facebook: 'River Road Catholics YAM'
- Bereavement Ministry
- Welcoming Committee
- St. Michael Bingo/Fund Raisers
Outreach & Pastoral Care
A network of ministers visits the sick, brings Holy Communion to those unable to attend Mass, and supports the bereaved.
- Hospital Ministry — visits Catholic patients at St. James Parish Hospital
- Homebound Ministry — Lay Ministers of the Eucharist bring Holy Communion; Sacred Heart contact: Missy Laurent, 869-5751
- Bereavement Ministry
Youth & Young Adults
The cluster deliberately invites teens and young adults into the life of the Church through a Monthly Youth Mass and a dedicated young-adult community.
- Monthly Youth Mass — first weekend of each month, ages 13 through college students
- Youth Mass volunteer interest form (scannable from the parish flyer)
- River Road Catholics Young Adult Ministry
Sacraments & Devotions
Sacred Heart shares in the sacramental life of the cluster, with Reconciliation offered before the Sunday evening Mass and ongoing preparation for Baptism, Marriage, First Eucharist, and Confirmation. Devotional life is enhanced by adoration at Our Lady of Prompt Succor Chapel.
- Sunday Confession: 4:00 – 4:50 PM (before 5 PM Mass)
- Adoration: Our Lady of Prompt Succor Chapel
- Baptism, Marriage, First Communion, Confirmation preparation through the cluster
Visit, Contact & Giving
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is located on Main Street in Gramercy, Louisiana. The parish shares a website and online giving platform with the other two East St. James parishes, accessible through the cluster's main site.
- Address: 615 Main St., Gramercy, LA 70052
- Parish phone: (225) 869-5751
- Cluster website & online giving: http://www.rivrdcat.org/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father William Collins, S.M.1961
First pastor of Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, appointed when the Diocese of Baton Rouge was established.