Our Lady of Lourdes

About Our Lady of Lourdes

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church is a small rural parish of the Diocese of Alexandria in the unincorporated community of Fifth Ward (Egg Bend), Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana, about eight miles north of Marksville. Established as a parish in 1948, it traces its roots to a 1925 mission of St. Francis de Sales in Echo. The church sits on Egg Bend Road and serves a multi-generation farming community along the Red River bottomlands. The parish is part of the Avoyelles Deanery and is currently pastored by Rev. Kenneth Obiekwe, STD, alongside Deacon Darrell Dubroc.

History of the Parish

The story of Our Lady of Lourdes is a story of missionary priests, river-bend settlers, and a community that grew from a chapel in the cotton fields into an established parish. The land on which the church stands was donated to the Bishop of Alexandria in the early 20th century, and the first chapel was raised in 1925 by a French missionary who lies buried beside it. Forty-eight years of mission status were followed in 1948 by formal parish status under Bishop Charles P. Greco, a new rectory, and eventually the present church in 1969.

• 1925: Father Joseph Jacquet', a French missionary from Echo, builds the first church; he is buried beside it at his request.
• Decades as a mission of St. Francis de Sales in Echo, served by Fathers Deculear, Couvillion and others traveling by horse and buggy.
• December 1, 1941: Congregation of Our Lady of Lourdes Roman Catholic Church of the Parish of Avoyelles, Louisiana chartered as a corporation.
• 1948: Bishop Charles P. Greco erects Egg Bend as a parish; Camp Claiborne building purchased as rectory.
• First resident pastors: Belgian Fathers John Jansen and Henry Beckers; housekeeper Miss Sue Boucher serves 28 years.
• March 16, 1959: Bishop Greco transfers the three land tracts into the corporation's name.
• 1969: Present church built under Father Charles Dekeukalere; old church converted to hall (1971).
• 1986: Father Angelo Messina ("Father Snoopy") becomes first diocesan priest assigned to the parish.
• 2005: Father Paul Kunnumpurarm, M.S.F.S. adds a rectory conference/CCD/meeting room.
• 2010: St. John the Baptist, Moncla, reassigned; new pastorate of Our Lady of Lourdes + St. Martin of Tours, Belledeau created.

Pastorate Succession

Our Lady of Lourdes has been served by both diocesan and religious-order priests, including Belgian missionaries in its earliest years, and Indian and Ugandan missionaries in more recent times. The longest tenure belongs to Father Charles Dekeukalere (1955–1982), who oversaw the building of the present church. The current pastorate pairs Fifth Ward with St. Martin of Tours in Belledeau, an arrangement now several decades old.

• Father John Jansen (1948, many years) — Belgian, first resident pastor
• Father Passchyn — succeeded Father Jansen
• Father Charles Dekeukalere (1955–1982) — built the new church
• Father Jules Claes (May 1982) — paved the parking lot
• Father Angelo Messina, "Father Snoopy" (1986–1990) — first diocesan priest
• Father Kenneth Roy (June 1990 – June 1993) — Avoyelles native
• Father Mathew Michael (1993–1996)
• Father Daniel P. O'Conner (June 1996 – February 2000)
• Father Rusty Rabalias (February 2000 – June 2005) — Avoyelles native
• Father Paul Kunnumpurarm, M.S.F.S. (June 2005 – ~2010) — India
• Father Silverino Kwebuza, A.J. (July 2010 – 2016) — Uganda
• Father William Gearheard, Jr. (July 2016 – 2017) — Diocese of Lafayette
• Father Kurian Zachariah (July 2017 – recent) — India
• Rev. Kenneth Obiekwe, STD — current pastor (also St. Martin of Tours, Belledeau)

Parish Staff & Office

The parish is served by a small team of clergy and lay staff. Sharon Lemoine and Bebe Bordelon have served as parish secretary; Jason Dupuy is the bookkeeper; music is led by Co-Directors Clina Villemarette and Shawn and Krystle Reynaud; and religious education is directed by Shawn Reynaud. The parish office is open two days a week.

• Rev. Kenneth Obiekwe, STD — Pastor
• Deacon Darrell Dubroc — Deacon
• Bebe Bordelon — Secretary
• Jason Dupuy — Bookkeeper
• Clina Villemarette — Co-Director of Music
• Shawn and Krystle Reynaud — Co-Directors of Music
• Shawn Reynaud — Director of Religious Education
• Office hours: Wednesday 8:00 am – 3:30 pm; Thursday 8:00 am – 12:00 noon
• Office phone: 318-253-9936; Email: [email protected]; Fax: 318-253-6300

Parish Organizations & Ministries

Lay leadership at Our Lady of Lourdes is organized through five parish bodies, each of which has a current chairperson listed in the parish bulletin: a Parish Pastoral Council, an Altar Society, a Finance Council, a Cemetery Committee, and Knights of Columbus Council #9418, which sponsors the parish's largest annual fundraiser.

• Parish Pastoral Council — Chair: Steven Bordelon
• Altar Society — President: DD Lamartiniere
• Parish Finance Council — Chair: Kenneth Ducote
• Knights of Columbus Council #9418 — Grand Knight: Marc Bordelon (hosts the annual Palm Sunday Dinner at the Fifth Ward KC Hall, 2573 Hwy. 1, Marksville)
• Cemetery Committee — Chair: Deacon Ted Moulard

Religious Education (CCD)

Faith formation for the parish's children is run through a parish-based CCD program. The current Director of Religious Education is Shawn Reynaud. A dedicated CCD classroom was added to the rectory during the pastorate of Father Paul Kunnumpurarm, M.S.F.S. (2005), giving the parish a permanent space for catechesis, meetings, and small-group gatherings.

• CCD Director: Shawn Reynaud (cell: 318-205-8744 in the 2023 parish bulletin)
• CCD classroom built as part of a 2005 rectory addition under Father Kunnumpurarm
• Children's sacraments (First Communion, Confirmation) prepared through the CCD program

Music Ministry

Liturgical music is led by a team of three co-directors: Clina Villemarette and the husband-and-wife team of Shawn and Krystle Reynaud. Shawn Reynaud also serves as Director of Religious Education, linking the music and formation programs in parish life.

• Co-Directors of Music: Clina Villemarette; Shawn and Krystle Reynaud

Knights of Columbus Council #9418

Our Lady of Lourdes is home to Knights of Columbus Council #9418, which serves the wider Egg Bend / Fifth Ward Catholic community. The council's signature event is its annual Palm Sunday Dinner, a long-running parish fundraiser held at the Fifth Ward KC Hall, 2573 Hwy. 1, Marksville, on the morning of Palm Sunday.

• Grand Knight: Marc Bordelon
• Annual Palm Sunday Dinner — held 10:00 am – 12:00 noon, Fifth Ward KC Hall
• Menu: pork or chicken with rice dressing, corn, coleslaw, and trimmings; $13/plate
• Proceeds support Knights of Columbus charitable efforts and parish activities

Cemeteries

The parish maintains multiple associated Catholic cemeteries in the Fifth Ward area, overseen by a Cemetery Committee chaired by Deacon Ted Moulard. These are recorded with the Louisiana Cemetery Board under the pastorate of Fr. Kenneth Obiekwe, and include at least two well-documented sites along LA Highway 1194 and surrounding roads.

• Cemetery Committee — Chair: Deacon Ted Moulard
• Our Lady of Lourdes Cemetery #2 — also known as the Kelone and Dubroc Cemetery (Find a Grave ID 67923)
• Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Cemetery #3 — 517 LA Highway 1194, Fifth Ward, LA (Find a Grave ID 2447394)

Sacraments

The parish celebrates the usual sacraments — Reconciliation, Baptism, Marriage, First Communion, and Confirmation — and prepares children for First Communion and Confirmation through the CCD program. Specific reconciliation times are not published on the parish's current schedule; parishioners are invited to contact the office to arrange.

• Reconciliation: contact the parish office to schedule
• Baptism: contact the parish office
• Marriage: contact the parish office
• First Communion and Confirmation: through the CCD/Religious Education program

The Name: Our Lady of Lourdes

The church is named for Our Lady of Lourdes, in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary's eighteen apparitions in 1858 to Bernadette Soubirous at the grotto of Massabielle in Lourdes, France. The parish's own history narrative recounts the apparition story and notes the still-flowing spring at the grotto, the waters of which have shown remarkable healing power. The parish's patroness is celebrated liturgically each year on the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes on February 11.