About Our Lady of Mt. Carmel · Chataignier, Louisiana
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel is a small Roman Catholic parish in the village of Chataignier, Louisiana, in the heart of Cajun country in Evangeline Parish. Established in 1869 by Father Jean Baptiste Bre as a mission separated from St. Landry Catholic Church in Opelousas, it is the second-oldest church in the Evangeline region and serves as a quiet, longtime spiritual home for the rural, agriculture-based community. The parish sits in the Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana and is currently pastored by Rev. D. Blaine Clement, who also serves nearby Annunciation of the BVM in Duralde.
- Established
- 1869
- Patron
- Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel)
- Rector
- Rev. D. Blaine Clement
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana
Why belong here
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel is a small, walkable Catholic parish rooted in 19th-century Acadian faith and still serving the multigenerational farm families of Evangeline Parish. The parish offers the Mass and the sacrament of confession on a regular weekly schedule, with weekday and weekend Masses and confession offered before each. If you live in or are passing through the village of Chataignier, the parishioners and their pastor welcome you to join in the Masses and devotions of this historic and tight-knit community.
Mass times at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 3:40 PM – 3:55 PM (15 minutes before the 4:00 PM Vigil Mass)
- Sunday: 7:00 AM – 7:25 AM (about 30 minutes before the 7:30 AM Mass)
- Also: Confession is heard about 30 minutes prior to each scheduled Mass
Parish Identity & Diocese
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church is a parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana. Its mailing address is P.O. Box 118, Chataignier, Louisiana 70524, and the church is at 5706 Vine Street in Chataignier, a small village in rural Evangeline Parish, Louisiana. The parish is listed in the Diocese of Lafayette's online parish finder and is identified by GCatholic as Church ID 35222.
- Diocese: Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana
- GCatholic Church ID: 35222
- Rite: Roman-Latin (Roman Rite)
- Parish founded: 1869
- Patron: Our Lady of Mount Carmel (feast day July 16)
Founding & Early Mission Years (1856–1869)
The faith life of Chataignier began in 1856, when missionaries from St. Landry Catholic Church in Opelousas started coming out to celebrate Mass for the local Acadian settlers. Local tradition says those earliest Masses were held in the open air and under crude wooden sheds. In the early 1860s, devout local landowner Jean Bertrand Pousson donated about sixty acres of land directly to Archbishop Odin so that a proper Catholic church and cemetery could one day serve Chataignier — with the unusual stipulation in the deed that religious services had to continue to be held on the premises or the land would revert to his heirs.
- 1856: First Masses celebrated by missionaries from St. Landry Catholic Church, Opelousas
- Early 1860s: Jean Bertrand Pousson donates ~60 acres to Archbishop Odin for church/cemetery purposes
- First on-site chapel built on the donated property
- 1864: Marriage of Philomene (Pousson's daughter) and Paulin Fontenot held in the mission church
Becoming a Parish (1869)
In 1869 the mission of Chataignier was formally elevated to its own parish — Our Lady of Mount Carmel — with Father Jean Baptiste Bre as the first pastor. The land on which the church was built was donated by Mr. Bertrand Paussion, and a separate structure was constructed to serve as the parish church. Our Lady of Mt. Carmel is recognized as the second-oldest Catholic parish in the Evangeline region.
- 1869: Mission becomes the separate parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
- First pastor: Father Jean Baptiste Bre
- Church-site land donated by Mr. Bertrand Paussion
- Recognized as the 2nd-oldest Catholic parish in the Evangeline region
The Eunice Years and Re-establishment (1901–1905)
In 1901, the pastor Father A. L. Bacchioci relocated to the newly founded village of Eunice, taking the earliest baptismal and marriage records with him. Chataignier briefly became a mission church of the new Eunice parish. The parish was re-established as an independent entity in 1902, and formal Chataignier records begin again in 1905; the parish has remained its own parish continuously since that time.
- 1901: Pastor moves to Eunice; Chataignier becomes a mission
- Early Chataignier records relocated to St. Anthony's, Eunice (where they remain)
- 1902: Chataignier re-established as a separate parish
- 1905: Continuous parish records begin at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel
Clergy & Staff
The parish is currently served by Rev. D. Blaine Clement, who also serves as pastor of Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary parish in Duralde in the same deanery of the Diocese of Lafayette. Fr. Thomas Montelaro is listed in the parish's online church staff directory.
- Pastor: Rev. D. Blaine Clement
- Pastor also serves: Annunciation of the BVM, Duralde (4476 Duralde Highway, Eunice, LA 70535)
- Parish staff directory also lists: Fr. Thomas Montelaro
Location, Contact & Visiting
The parish office and church are located on Vine Street in the village of Chataignier, a small agricultural community in southeast Evangeline Parish. Visitors can reach the parish office at the listed phone number or via email.
- Address: 5706 Vine Street, Chataignier, LA 70524
- Mailing: P.O. Box 118, Chataignier, LA 70524
- Phone: (337) 885-3223
- Email: [email protected]
- Parish finder: Diocese of Lafayette website (diolaf.org/parishfinder)
The Pousson Donation & Local Cemetery
Perhaps the most distinctive local fact about the parish is the original land donation by Jean Bertrand Pousson in the early 1860s. He gave roughly sixty acres of land directly to Archbishop Odin so the community could have its own church and burial ground. The deed contained a reversion clause requiring that religious services continue to be held on the site, and that clause is why the parish still maintains a small chapel on the original donated land today — used for funeral services — along with what is now the local Catholic cemetery.
- Donor: Jean Bertrand Pousson (early 1860s)
- Donee: Archbishop Odin (Archdiocese of New Orleans)
- Restriction: Religious services required on the premises or land reverts to heirs
- Present-day result: Small chapel for funeral services plus a Catholic cemetery remain on the original tract
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Jean Baptiste Bre1869
First pastor, established the parish when it separated from St. Landry Catholic Church in Opelousas.
- Father A. L. Bacchioci1901
Moved from Chataignier to the newly founded village of Eunice in 1901, taking the early parish records with him; Chataignier briefly became a mission of Eunice before being re-established as its own parish.