About Our Lady of Peace · Vacherie, Louisiana
Our Lady of Peace (Notre Dame de la Paix) is a historic Roman Catholic parish in Vacherie, Louisiana, in the heart of the River Parishes' sugarcane country on the west bank of St. James Parish. Established in 1864 from a mission chapel dating to 1854, the parish was built and sustained for generations by Acadian French, German, and African American Catholic settlers. The magnificent red-brick Gothic Revival church, completed around 1900 and consecrated in 1902, is a National Register-eligible landmark famous for the racially-integrated way its members raised it. Today Our Lady of Peace shares pastoral ministry with neighboring St. James and St. Philip parishes under the umbrella website "Cane Catholics," and remains a vibrant, Eucharist-centered worshipping community within the Diocese of Baton Rouge.
- Established
- 1864
- Patron
- Our Lady of Peace (Notre Dame de la Paix)
- Rector
- Rev. Michael J. O'Rourke, OP (Administrator of the Cane Catholics cluster: St. James, St. Philip, and Our Lady of Peace)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Baton Rouge
Why belong here
Our Lady of Peace offers River Parishes Catholics a deeply rooted, historic place to worship — a magnificent 1900-vintage Gothic Revival brick church whose construction united the whole Vacherie community across racial lines. As one of three clustered parishes served by the same Dominican administrator and deacon team, it offers a full weekly schedule of Masses in English, regular Saturday confession, and a calendar of parish missions (such as the recent 'Behold the Lamb' Eucharistic mission) and Flocknote communication to keep members connected. For those who value a Eucharistic-centered, multi-generational parish with a remarkable story, Our Lady of Peace welcomes new members and visitors.
Mass times at Our Lady of Peace
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 PM – 3:50 PM
History of Our Lady of Peace Parish
Our Lady of Peace, known in French as Notre Dame de la Paix, was established in 1864 from a mission chapel that the Acadian French and German Catholic settlers of Vacherie had begun building on newly purchased land in 1854. By 1856 the wealthy sugar planter Valcour Aime had donated the funds for a chapel bell, and the first baptisms were being recorded even as the parent parish of St. James still held canonical jurisdiction. During the Civil War and Federal occupation of south Louisiana, the Catholic population continued to grow, and in 1864 Archbishop Odin formally erected the new parish, with Father A. Duval as the first resident pastor.
- 1854 — land purchased for a mission chapel and cemetery in Vacherie
- 1856 — Valcour Aime donates a chapel bell; first baptisms recorded
- 1864 — parish formally established as Notre Dame de la Paix amid Civil War
- 1868 — Archbishop Odin grants permission for a new church
- 1880 — a cyclone nearly destroys the existing church; parishioners repair it
- 1893–1900 — present Gothic Revival brick church built at a cost of about $43,000
- May 12, 1902 — church consecrated by Bishop James H. Blenk of Puerto Rico (in place of Archbishop Chapelle)
The Building of the Church (1893–1900)
Construction of the magnificent, cross-shaped, red-brick church began in 1893 under Father Magin Palmer, with the whole Vacherie Catholic community — Black and white together — hauling Rangia shells from a nearby Indian mound, laying bricks, framing timbers, and nailing slate to the roof. Young boys and girls of both races carried two or three bricks at a time to the bricklayers. Parishioners who later recounted the story to parish historian Rev. Henry Gautreau remembered it as a singular moment when the church became a common bond for the entire community.
- Construction cost: approximately $43,000
- Dimensions: 80 feet wide by 120 feet long
- Bell tower: 70 feet tall, dominating the front facade
- Style: Gothic Revival; exterior reads as two stories, interior is one tall volume
- Materials: red brick exterior with stained glass windows added in later renovations
Father Magin Palmer and the Integrated Vision (1893–1908)
Under Father Palmer, Our Lady of Peace defied the racial norms of turn-of-the-century Louisiana: Black and white craftsmen worked side by side on every level of the construction project, and in the finished church — though separated by the center aisle — both Black and white congregants were seated in the front of the nave, with white families on the left and Black families on the right. Palmer refused to draw any racial lines at the sacraments; there were no separate Communion lines for the Eucharist. He also actively promoted education for African American members of the parish. A later priest revived similar integrated ministry during the 1940s and 1950s.
- 1893–1908 — Father Magin Palmer's pastorate
- Equal access to construction, seating, sacraments, and education
- Burial tradition: whites on the left side of the cemetery main aisle, Blacks on the right; later shared as space required
Parish School, Convent, and the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception
A parish school housed in a one-room schoolhouse in front of the cemetery opened in 1891. In 1902 the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception moved into a convent on the parish grounds — using an old store that had been relocated onto church property — and began teaching the girls of the parish (who sat on homemade benches). A new convent was built for the sisters in 1910, but the school closed in 1915 and the religious left. The history of Catholic education in the parish has been revived in modern times through faith formation and CCD-style programs coordinated across the Cane Catholics cluster.
- 1891 — one-room parish schoolhouse established
- 1902 — Sisters of the Immaculate Conception establish a convent at the parish
- 1910 — new convent constructed
- 1915 — parish school closes; sisters depart
Renovations and the Modern Sanctuary
Time and neglect took their toll on the fine old building, but beginning in 1949 a major round of repairs restored the structure: the church was painted, given a new floor slab, new pews, new confessionals, and new stained glass windows. In 1954 the Francois Sevin family donated the statue of Our Lady of Peace that now stands in the niche on the front of the church, and in 1965 Monsignor Patrick Gillespie consecrated a new marble altar that allowed the priest to face the congregation — a turning point in the parish's liturgical life.
- 1949 — painting, new floor slab, new pews, new confessionals, new stained glass
- 1954 — statue of Our Lady of Peace donated by the Francois Sevin family
- 1965 — Monsignor Patrick Gillespie consecrates the new forward-facing marble altar
The Cane Catholics Cluster (St. James, St. Philip, Our Lady of Peace)
Our Lady of Peace shares its pastoral team with two sister parishes in west St. James — St. James Church and St. Philip Church — under the joint website "Cane Catholics" (canecatholics.com). The cluster is currently administered by Rev. Michael J. O'Rourke, OP, a Dominican friar, assisted by Deacon Glenn Hymel. The three parishes coordinate their Mass schedules (so a Catholic in western St. James can always find a nearby daily or Sunday Mass), confession times, and special events such as parish missions.
- St. James Church — St. James, LA
- St. Philip Church — Vacherie, LA
- Our Lady of Peace Church — Vacherie, LA
- Administrator: Rev. Michael J. O'Rourke, OP (Dominican)
- Deacon Assistant: Deacon Glenn Hymel
- Cluster communication via Flocknote — text Cane to 84576
Parish Life, Communications, and Events
The cluster keeps parishioners connected through Flocknote text and email alerts (subscribe by texting "Cane" to 84576), a shared website at canecatholics.com, and occasional parish missions such as the recent "Behold the Lamb" Eucharistic mission led by Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers and hosted jointly by the three Cane Catholic parishes. The historic Our Lady of Peace Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum on the parish grounds continues to serve as a place of burial and remembrance for local Catholic families.
- Flocknote cluster communication — text Cane to 84576
- Parish missions and evangelization events (e.g. 'Behold the Lamb')
- Cemetery and mausoleum ministry on parish grounds
Sacraments
Our Lady of Peace celebrates the Eucharist at its weekly and Sunday Masses, hears Confessions on Saturday afternoons, and continues the historic sacramental life of the parish (baptisms have been recorded here since 1856). Couples preparing for marriage, families arranging baptisms, and the faithful needing last rites are encouraged to contact the parish office at the number listed.
- Eucharist — daily and Sunday Masses
- Confession — Saturdays 3:00–3:50 PM
- Baptism — contact parish office
- Marriage — contact parish office
- Anointing of the Sick / Last Rites — contact the parish
Visiting Our Lady of Peace
The church is located at 13281 LA Highway 644 in Vacherie, Louisiana, on the west bank of St. James Parish in the cane-growing heart of the River Parishes between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. The parish grounds include the historic church, the cemetery and mausoleum, and surrounding pastoral property. Visitors are warmly welcomed — especially those wishing to learn more about one of south Louisiana's most historically significant African American Catholic heritage sites.
- Address: 13281 LA Highway 644, Vacherie, LA 70090
- Phone: (225) 265-3953
- Web: canecatholics.com
- Setting: west bank of St. James Parish, surrounded by sugarcane fields
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father A. Duval1864
First resident pastor of the newly established parish; served only a short time.
- Father J. M. Ravoire1865–?
Succeeded Father Duval as second pastor.
- Father Magin Palmer1893–1908
Led the 1893–1900 construction of the present church and famously integrated both the building crews and the seating in the finished sanctuary across racial lines.
- Monsignor Patrick Gillespieby 1965
Consecrated the new forward-facing marble altar in 1965.
- Rev. Henry Gautreau
Parish historian; interviewed congregants whose families had worked on the church construction.