About Our Lady of the Assumption · Carencro, Louisiana
Our Lady of the Assumption is a Roman Catholic parish in Carencro, Louisiana, belonging to the Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana. Founded in 1925 as Carencro's African-American Catholic parish during the era of segregation, it sits at 410 North Michaud Street and continues to serve the local community with weekly Mass, confessions, and religious education. The parish is historically tied to Saint Katharine Drexel and the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, who staffed the adjacent Assumption School for generations until desegregation. Today it remains an active worship site and a touchstone of Black Catholic heritage in Acadiana.
- Established
- 1925
- Patron
- Our Lady of the Assumption (the Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of her Assumption)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana
Why belong here
Our Lady of the Assumption has been a faithful Catholic presence in Carencro since 1925 and remains an active parish rooted in a remarkable heritage of Black Catholic education and community life supported by Saint Katharine Drexel and the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. It offers a welcoming schedule of weekday and weekend Masses (Saturday 4:00 pm and Sunday 9:00 am) along with Saturday confessions, plus weekday confessions before Mass. Visitors and parishioners are warmly invited to worship in a parish whose history is preserved and shared through the historic Assumption School complex, and where catechism classes continue in the old school building behind the church.
Mass times at Our Lady of the Assumption
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 pm – 3:30 pm
- Approximately 15 minutes before all weekday Masses
Parish Identity & Heritage
Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish in Carencro, Louisiana, within the Diocese of Lafayette. It was founded in 1925 as the African-American Catholic parish of the Carencro community during the era of segregation, and it continues to be a vital worship and gathering place for local families. Its identity is deeply shaped by its connection to Saint Katharine Drexel and the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament.
- Founded 1925 as the Black Catholic parish of Carencro
- Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana
- Patron: Our Lady of the Assumption (Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Address: 410 N. Michaud St., Carencro, LA 70520
History & Founding
The parish was built in 1925 with the assistance of Bishop Jules B. Jeanmard of the Diocese of Lafayette and the financial support of Mother Katharine Drexel. Reverend Francis Smith of the Holy Ghost order served as its founding pastor. In 1934 he opened Assumption School on newly purchased land behind the church and rectory; Mother Drexel paid the salaries of its early lay teachers. The school grew rapidly and was taken over by the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament in 1948, eventually serving more than 300 students at its peak.
- 1925: Church built; founding pastor Fr. Francis Smith, C.S.Sp.
- 1934: Assumption School opens behind the church
- 1948: Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament arrive to teach
- 1953: New classroom added; enrollment passes 300
- 1971: Assumption School merges with St. Pierre School to form Carencro Catholic School
- 1981: SBS can no longer supply teachers; former Assumption campus closes as a school
Connection to Saint Katharine Drexel
Our Lady of the Assumption is one of the most tangible local legacies of Saint Katharine Drexel (1855–1955), the Philadelphia heiress who founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament and Xavier University in New Orleans. Mother Drexel helped open two schools for Black and Native American children in the Carencro area in 1924 and 1926, both of which were consolidated behind Our Lady of the Assumption church. Today, the parish is working to renovate the historic school complex into a Museum and Cultural Hall in her honor, restoring it as a center for educational, cultural, and spiritual development.
- Mother Katharine Drexel paid early Assumption School teachers' salaries
- Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament staffed Assumption School from 1948
- Xavier University in New Orleans also founded by Mother Drexel
- Saint Katharine was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2000 (feast day March 3)
Assumption School & Desegregation
Assumption School served as the only opportunity for Catholic education for Black children in the Carencro area for decades. After federal pressure in the early 1970s, the Diocese of Lafayette integrated its schools by merging Assumption with the white parish's St. Pierre School. The African-American community strongly opposed the initial move of eighth graders to St. Pierre and did not send their children; integration across the two campuses took years to accomplish. The Assumption campus was used for catechism classes after the school closure.
- Merger of Assumption School and St. Pierre School in 1971
- St. Pierre School renamed Carencro Catholic School
- SBS sisters continued teaching on the former Assumption campus until 1981
Buildings & Architecture
The Our Lady of the Assumption church, built in 1925, is a one-story frame structure featuring a low tower, arched window lintels, an apse, and a barrel vault above the center aisle. Originally of wood-frame construction, the exterior is now covered in vinyl siding with an asphalt roof. The parish rectory is a one-story frame bungalow with a large side addition, built at or near the same time as the church. The complex also includes the historic Assumption School buildings behind the church, documented in the National Register nomination for the property.
- One-story church with barrel-vaulted center aisle
- Arched window lintels and an apse
- Low tower at the front of the building
- Vinyl siding and asphalt roof over original frame construction
- Rectory: one-story frame bungalow with side addition
Faith Formation & Religious Education
After the Assumption School campus closed as an integrated Catholic school, the historic buildings behind the church continued to be used for catechism classes and faith formation. The parish's longstanding educational mission, dating back to Saint Katharine Drexel's sponsorship, continues today through religious education held on the campus.
- Catechism / religious education classes held in the former Assumption School building
- Parish incorporated as 'The Congregation of the Assumption Roman Catholic Church' (Louisiana Secretary of State filings)
Visiting the Parish
Our Lady of the Assumption is located in the heart of Carencro on North Michaud Street, north of Veterans Drive. Visitors coming from I-49 should take the Carencro exit, head west on Veterans Drive, turn right onto North Michaud Street, and continue to 410 N. Michaud Street. The parish can be reached by phone at (337) 896-8304.
- From I-49 Carencro exit, go west on Veterans Drive
- Turn right (north) onto North Michaud Street
- Continue to 410 N. Michaud Street, Carencro, LA 70520
- Parish office phone: (337) 896-8304
- Email: [email protected]
Preservation & Future of the Historic Campus
The historic Our Lady of the Assumption complex is a focal point of community pride and ongoing restoration. Plans documented in Louisiana legislative filings call for renovating the building known as 'The Old Cafeteria' into a Museum and Cultural Hall honoring Saint Katharine Drexel — a center for educational, economic, health, social, cultural, and spiritual development. The complex lies within a designated Cultural District of the City of Carencro and remains an important landmark of African-American Catholic heritage in Acadiana.
- Phase I renovation plans for 'The Old Cafeteria' into a Museum and Cultural Hall
- Located in the Cultural District of Carencro
- Honors Saint Katharine Drexel and the legacy of Assumption School
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Reverend Francis Smith (C.S.Sp.)1925–c. mid-20th century
Founding pastor; a member of the Holy Ghost (Spiritans) order. Built the rectory and opened the parish school in 1934 on land behind the church.
- Reverend Andrew Sheridan
Succeeded Father Smith as pastor; urged the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament to staff Assumption School and built a small convent for them.
- Reverend Gregory M. Simien
Pastor at the time of the National Register nomination for Our Lady of the Assumption School; now listed as retired in the Diocese of Lafayette priests' directory.