Our Lady of Guadalupe

History of Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission

Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission was born out of the Mexican Catholic community that formed around Forest Hill's plant nurseries in the early 1990s. Father Pedro Sierra-Posada, a Colombian-born priest and diocesan director of Hispanic ministry, traveled the nurseries looking for Catholics and began celebrating Mass in the workers' homes. The first small church was built on the site now used as the parish's 'little hall.' Bishop Sam G. Jacobs formally dedicated the mission on August 31, 1996, with the Extension Society contributing $12,500 toward the project. As the community outgrew that first church, a second, larger metal building was constructed — partly on land donated by the Kellogg family — and dedicated on December 12, 2002, with Father Pedro designing the altar. In 2008 the mission was formally attached to St. Martin Church in Lecompte, where Father Pedro had been named pastor; he served that role for six years before retiring and being succeeded by Father Adam Travis for seven years.

Father Marc A. Noël, Pastor

Father Marc A. Noël has served as pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission since 2021. He was born and raised in St. Paul, Alberta, Canada, in a French-Canadian Catholic family. In 1991 he did missionary work with Mother Teresa's sisters among the poor in Haiti, and on his way home stopped in Louisiana, where a bishop invited him to join a youth evangelization team for the Diocese of Alexandria. After a year and a half he traveled to a missionary seminary in Colombia to discern a vocation to the priesthood, returned, and was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Alexandria in 1998. Soon after arriving in Forest Hill he recognized that the small church and church hall could not accommodate the Hispanic Catholic community's sacramental, catechetical, and pastoral needs, which led him to propose the 'Leaving a Legacy' capital campaign for a new church.

Parish Ministries

Our Lady of Guadalupe runs more than a dozen lay-led ministries that animate every part of parish life, from liturgy and faith formation to hospitality, music, and outreach. Anyone interested in joining a ministry is encouraged to contact the parish office.

• Music Ministry — David Rubio, Juan Carlos Villegas; Alma Araiza (Tuesday choir)
• ACTS Core — Francisco Vargas
• Pastoral Council — Ivan Mojica, Enriqueta Mojica
• Group of Catechists — Elena Vargas
• Youth Group — Kimberly Mojica
• Readers Group — Margarita Landin-Vargas
• Eucharistic Adoration — Salome Rubio
• Two Hearts Alliance Group — Juana Rubio
• Group of Sacristans — Antonio Rubio
• Cleaning Group — Sonia Bustamante
• Cooking Group — Julia Juarez, Flor Nolasco
• Dance Group — Jackie Sierra, Elizabeth Barcenas

Faith Formation & Sacramental Preparation

Faith formation for children and youth is a major part of parish life, and the mission offers dedicated weekly catechesis for First Communion and Confirmation candidates in addition to a youth group. Sacramental preparation and reception of the other rites of initiation is coordinated through the parish office.

• First Communion (Primera Comunión) — Tuesdays 6:00 pm; coordinator Elena Vargas, (318) 729-6405
• Confirmation (Confirmación) — Wednesdays 6:00 pm; coordinator Kimberly Mojica, (256) 522-3507
• Youth Group — led by Kimberly Mojica
• Baptism (Bautizos) — scheduled by calling the parish office
• Marriage (Matrimonio) — must be scheduled at least six months in advance by calling the parish office

ACTS Retreats

Our Lady of Guadalupe is one of the host parishes for ACTS (Adoration, Community, Theology, Service) retreats in the Diocese of Alexandria. The mission has sponsored Spanish-language men's and women's ACTS retreats, as well as Teen ACTS, held at Maryhill Renewal Center in Pineville. Contact for the local chapter is Javier Molinary ([email protected]).

• ACTS Core team — Francisco Vargas
• Teen ACTS contact — Keith Zimmerman
• Spanish Men's ACTS retreat
• Spanish Women's ACTS retreat
• Teen ACTS retreat
• Retreats held at Maryhill Renewal Center, Pineville

'Leaving a Legacy' Capital Campaign

Recognizing that the current metal church can no longer accommodate Sunday Masses, quinceañeras, weddings, First Communions, Confirmations, and post-ACTS potlucks — often leaving worshippers standing outside — Bishop Ronald P. Herzog has granted the mission permission to run a five-year, $2.5 million capital campaign called 'Leaving a Legacy.' The campaign was launched on the weekend of August 24–25, 2024, with Father Marc presenting a vision for development and construction of a new church. The new building will rise on a 7-acre property that Father Pedro purchased about half a mile down the road roughly sixteen years ago, which has already been cleared and leveled. A longer-term goal of the campaign is for Our Lady of Guadalupe to mature from a dependent mission of St. Martin, Lecompte into a full parish of the Diocese of Alexandria.

• Campaign name: 'Leaving a Legacy'
• Goal: $2.5 million over five years
• Launched: August 24–25, 2024
• Site: 7-acre parcel purchased by Fr. Pedro, about half a mile from the current church
• Long-term goal: transition from mission to full parish
• Donations: contact Fr. Marc A. Noël at [email protected] or visit nsgforesthill.org

Visiting & Contact Information

Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission Church is located at 10 Butter Cemetery Road, Forest Hill, Louisiana 71430 (mailing address: 53 Butter Cemetery Rd., Forest Hill, LA 71430). The parish office can be reached at 318-792-7273 or [email protected], and is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 am – 4:00 pm. The mission's website at nsgforesthill.org is bilingual (Spanish and English), with visitors able to switch languages via the flag icon.

• Address: 10 Butter Cemetery Road, Forest Hill, LA 71430
• Mailing: 53 Butter Cemetery Rd., Forest Hill, LA 71430
• Phone: 318-792-7273
• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://www.nsgforesthill.org/en
• Office hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
• Parish Secretary: Anna Ruiz