About Our Lady of Good Counsel · Lake Charles, Louisiana
Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church is a personal parish of the Diocese of Lake Charles situated along the Contraband Bayou in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Its church and adjoining Student Center are a short walk from the campus of McNeese State University, and the parish is home to McNeese students, faculty, and many local families. It is the only personal parish of its kind in the Diocese of Lake Charles, offering a full range of ministry to students, families, and visitors alike. The parish's college-student outreach is known as 'Cowboy Catholics,' and its motto is 'Evangelizing through Excellence.'
- Established
- 1970
- Patron
- Our Lady of Good Counsel (Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Rector
- Reverend Paul Jussen
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lake Charles
Why belong here
Our Lady of Good Counsel is a uniquely double-purpose parish: a full Catholic parish serving about 400 local families AND the official Catholic Student Center for McNeese State University. Worshippers find a daily and Sunday Mass schedule designed around both working families and a college student's rhythm, with daily confessions 30 minutes before every Mass. The parish is also home to the lively 'Cowboy Catholics' student ministry, with twice-yearly Awakening retreats, small groups, RCIA for college-age seekers, a campus minister on staff, and a newly launched (2021) Knights of Columbus council. It is a place where generations — students, faculty, and neighborhood families — pray, study, and serve side by side.
Mass times at Our Lady of Good Counsel
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Every day, 30 minutes before each Mass
About Our Lady of Good Counsel
Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church is a personal parish of the Diocese of Lake Charles, located at 221 Aqua Drive in Lake Charles, Louisiana, along the Contraband Bayou. Its church building and adjoining Cowboy Catholic Student Center sit a short walk from the McNeese State University campus. The parish is the only personal parish of its kind in the Diocese, serving McNeese students, university faculty, and many local families — about 400 households in total — with a full schedule of Masses, sacraments, and formation.
- Established 1970, South Central Deanery, Calcasieu Civil Parish
- Personal parish of the Diocese of Lake Charles
- About 400 registered families
- Hybrid identity: family parish + McNeese State University Catholic Student Center
Parish History
The parish was established in 1970 as listed in the Diocese of Lake Charles 2024–2025 Directory. From its earliest days it has been linked to higher education in Southwest Louisiana, serving as the Catholic Student Center for McNeese State University. Over the decades the parish built a robust campus ministry — branded 'Cowboy Catholics' — alongside programs for parish families, including the on-site Center for Catholic Studies in partnership with Our Lady of Holy Cross College of New Orleans.
- Founded 1970
- Long partnership with Our Lady of Holy Cross College for accredited theology courses
- 2021: parish launches a Knights of Columbus council with largely student membership
- 2021: young women promote causes of Southwest Louisiana 'Servants of God'
- Twice-yearly 'Cowboy Awakening' retreats grow into a signature ministry
Clergy and Parish Staff
The parish is led by a pastor/chaplain who serves both the parish and the university community, supported by a deacon and a full lay staff including a campus minister, parish catechetical leader, music director, development director, and parish coordinator.
- Reverend Paul Jussen — Pastor / Chaplain ([email protected])
- Deacon Paul Gregory — Pastoral Associate ([email protected])
- Meghan Rougeau — Parish Coordinator ([email protected])
- Kyle Dupre — Development Director ([email protected])
- Hannah Beard — Campus Minister ([email protected])
- Marty Broussard — Secretary/Bookkeeper ([email protected])
- Mona Breaux — Parish Catechetical Leader ([email protected])
- Kellie Comeaux — Heartworks Missionary ([email protected])
- Audra Melton — Music Director ([email protected])
Cowboy Catholics — Student Ministry
'Cowboy Catholics' is the Catholic student ministry at Our Lady of Good Counsel. Its mission is to form lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ — men and women who live out the Gospel in their families and professions long after attending McNeese State University. Under the motto 'Evangelizing through Excellence,' the ministry seeks to provide a spiritual home and a place of intellectual and spiritual formation for the McNeese community.
- Mission: form lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ
- Motto: 'Evangelizing through Excellence'
- Home: Cowboy Catholic Student Center at 221 Aqua Drive
- Open to McNeese students, faculty, and visitors
- Hub for retreats, small groups, RCIA, and Knights of Columbus
Center for Catholic Studies
Hosted on the Our Lady of Good Counsel campus, the Center for Catholic Studies offers accredited theology courses for college credit or audit. The Center is made possible by an articulation agreement between McNeese State University and Our Lady of Holy Cross College of New Orleans (SACSCOC accredited), with the Diocese of Lake Charles facilitating coursework. Classes have included Christology (taught by Father D.B. Thompson) and 'The Catholic Novel' (taught by Deacon Glenn Viau, exploring Flannery O'Connor, G.K. Chesterton, C.S. Lewis, Graham Greene, and Walter Miller Jr.).
- Courses transfer as liberal arts credits at McNeese
- Open to college students or any interested lay faithful meeting enrollment requirements
- Past instructors include Father D.B. Thompson and Deacon Glenn Viau
- Registration through the diocesan Office of Religious Education
Cowboy Awakening Retreats
Awakening is the signature student-led retreat of Cowboy Catholics, offered twice a year (fall and spring). It draws on Catholic principles while welcoming students from all denominations, and combines small-group reflection, Mass, confession, prayer, talks, and surprise activities. Father Paul Jussen has described students leaving Awakening 'feeling the presence of God like they never felt before,' and many Awakening participants have subsequently entered RCIA and been confirmed in the Catholic Church.
- Held twice yearly — fall and spring
- Student-led retreat with Mass, adoration, confession, small groups
- Often leads participants into RCIA and Confirmation
- Open to students of all denominations
Knights of Columbus at the Parish
In November 2021 a Knights of Columbus council was launched at Our Lady of Good Counsel, with membership drawn largely from college students involved in Cowboy Catholics. Father Paul Jussen, chaplain of the new council, called it 'a beautiful gift' for the parish, and the council continues to serve the parish and broader community alongside the diocesan Knights structure.
- Council launched November 21, 2021
- Chaplain: Father Paul Jussen
- Membership largely college students from Cowboy Catholics
Sacraments
Our Lady of Good Counsel celebrates the sacraments both for parish families and for the McNeese student community. Baptisms and marriages are scheduled by appointment through the parish office; confessions are heard 30 minutes before every Mass; and RCIA is offered with a special pathway for college-age inquirers.
- Baptisms — by appointment
- Marriages — by appointment
- Confession — 30 minutes before every Mass
- RCIA — including a McNeese-student track leading to Confirmation
- Eucharist — see Mass schedule
Parish Events and Fundraisers
The parish and Cowboy Catholics host an annual Charity Clay Shoot fundraiser at the Lake Charles Gun Club (recently held in early November) to support Newman Club projects at the Catholic Student Center. The parish also supports pilgrimages coordinated by the Diocese of Lake Charles and participates in regional Catholic life in Southwest Louisiana.
- Cowboy Catholics Charity Clay Shoot (annual, Lake Charles Gun Club)
- Sponsorship levels include gold, silver, and station sponsors
- Parish serves as a pilgrimage stop in diocesan pilgrimages
Visit, Contact, and Office Hours
The parish office is open Monday through Thursday 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM (closed for lunch noon–1:00 PM) and Friday 8:30 AM to noon. Visitors can reach the parish by phone at 337-477-1434, by fax at 337-479-2129, or by email at [email protected]. The church is located at 221 Aqua Drive, Lake Charles, LA 70605 — a short walk from McNeese State University.
- Address: 221 Aqua Drive, Lake Charles, LA 70605
- Phone: 337-477-1434 | Fax: 337-479-2129
- Office email: [email protected]
- Office hours: Mon–Thu 8:00 AM–4:00 PM (closed noon–1:00 PM); Fri 8:30 AM–noon
- Web: cowboycatholics.org
Diocese of Lake Charles
Our Lady of Good Counsel belongs to the Diocese of Lake Charles, led by Bishop Glen John Provost. It sits in the South Central Deanery (dean: Very Reverend Matthew Cormier, V.F.), which includes Christ the King, Our Lady Queen of Heaven, St. Martin de Porres, Sacred Heart of Jesus (East Cameron), St. John Vianney (Bell City), and St. Mary of the Lake (Big Lake). The parish cooperates with diocesan offices including the Office of Religious Education, Catholic Charities of Southwest Louisiana, and the Tribunal.
- Diocese: Lake Charles
- Bishop: Most Reverend Glen John Provost
- Deanery: South Central
- Dean: Very Reverend Matthew Cormier, V.F.
- Partners: Office of Religious Education; Catholic Charities of SWLA
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Reverend Paul Jussencurrent (as of 2024–2025 directory)
Pastor/Chaplain of Our Lady of Good Counsel and Cowboy Catholics student ministry.
- Reverend Nathan Long
Identified as pastor in a 2015 diocesan newsletter referencing the Cowboy Catholics Charity Clay Shoot at the parish.
- Father D.B. Thompson, M.Div.
Taught Christology at the Center for Catholic Studies at OLGC in 2016; also listed as an Ecclesiastical Judge in the diocesan tribunal.
- Father Edward Richard, M.S.
Identified as Dean of the West Deanery in the diocesan directory; referenced in connection with parish events in 2015.