About Our Lady of the Assumption · Johnsons Bayou, Louisiana
Our Lady of the Assumption is a Roman Catholic mission chapel in Johnson Bayou, an unincorporated coastal community in Cameron Parish, southwest Louisiana. It is a mission of St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church in nearby Hackberry and falls under the Diocese of Lake Charles. The chapel is famous as the closest church to where the eye of Hurricane Rita made landfall in 2005; after surviving Rita and then being destroyed by Hurricane Ike in 2008, it was rebuilt and reopened in 2012 as a hurricane-resistant, elevated chapel designed by VSG Architects.
- Patron
- Our Lady of the Assumption (the Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lake Charles
Why belong here
Our Lady of the Assumption offers an intimate Catholic community in one of the most exposed and storm-battered stretches of the Louisiana Gulf coast. As the closest church to where Hurricane Rita made landfall, the rebuilt chapel is both a symbol of local resilience and a working parish where the Rosary is prayed before every Mass, the Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help follows the First Saturday Mass, and Confession is available before each Mass. Visitors and parishioners are drawn by the hand-finished interior, the custom Marian stained-glass series, and the small, family-style worship of a tight-knit Cameron Parish mission.
Mass times at Our Lady of the Assumption
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Before each Mass
- By appointment
About the Mission
Our Lady of the Assumption is the Catholic mission chapel of the unincorporated coastal community of Johnson Bayou in Cameron Parish, the southwestern-most parish of Louisiana along the Gulf of Mexico. It is a mission of St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church in Hackberry and is administered as part of the Diocese of Lake Charles (West Deanery). The chapel serves the small, predominantly Cajun fishing population of the Johnson Bayou area and is one of several historic Catholic chapels that dot lower Cameron Parish.
- Mission of St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church, Hackberry
- Diocese of Lake Charles (West Deanery)
- Located at 6470 Gulf Beach Highway, Johnson Bayou / Cameron, LA 70631
History and Hurricanes
The chapel's modern history is inseparable from the hurricanes that have shaped lower Cameron Parish. On September 24, 2005, Hurricane Rita — a Category 3 storm with 100-plus mph winds and a more than 15-foot storm surge — devastated lower Cameron Parish. The Diocese of Lake Charles has noted that Our Lady of the Assumption in Johnson Bayou was the closest church to the spot where the eye of Rita made landfall; the chapel was damaged but was back in operation by Easter 2006. Less than three years later, on September 13, 2008, Hurricane Ike came ashore in southeast Texas and destroyed the Chapel of the Assumption, which had escaped Rita with only easily repairable damage.
- 2005: Hurricane Rita damages the chapel; it returns to service by Easter 2006
- 2008: Hurricane Ike destroys the chapel
- St. Patrick Chapel in Sweetlake serves as a temporary hub for lower Cameron Parish parishioners
- Diocese of Lake Charles and parishioners collaborate on the rebuild
Rebuilding the Chapel (2012)
After two devastating hurricanes within three years and a steep decline in local population, diocesan leaders and parishioners chose to rebuild a chapel-only facility on the original Johnson Bayou site, with the master plan allowing for a future parish hall and educational facilities as the community rebounds. The new 3,700-square-foot chapel was designed by VSG Architects and completed in 2012. Because the site sits in a high-velocity wave-action coastal zone, the building was engineered to meet severe wind loads, and the finished floor is set 17 feet above sea level. A hydraulic elevator serves elderly and handicapped worshippers given the elevation. Much of the highly detailed interior finish work was carried out by local parishioners themselves.
- Architect: VSG Architects (Lake Charles)
- Completed 2012
- 3,700 sq ft chapel on the original Johnson Bayou site
- Finished floor 17 feet above sea level
- High-velocity wave-action coastal-zone wind-load design
- Hydraulic elevator for elderly and handicapped access
- Future expansion planned for parish hall and educational facilities
Stained Glass and Interior Furnishings
The new chapel is unified by a thirteen-panel Marian stained-glass series created by Stained Glass Inc. Each panel portrays a significant moment from the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, framed in custom Gothic-style borders designed to complement the architecture of the chapel. The stained glass is set behind triple-glazed, hurricane-resistant windows. Liturgical furnishings — the rear altar, front altar, pulpit and lectern — were purchased from a company that salvages and refurbishes old church furnishings rescued from damaged and demolished churches around the country. A statue of Our Lady of the Assumption that survived both hurricanes was reconditioned and placed in front of the new chapel.
- Thirteen-panel Marian stained-glass series by Stained Glass Inc.
- Custom Gothic-style borders matching the chapel's architecture
- Triple-glazed, hurricane-resistant windows
- Salvaged and refurbished altars, pulpit and lectern
- Reconditioned Marian statue of Our Lady of the Assumption
Devotions and Sacramental Life
Devotional life at the mission centers on Marian prayer. The Rosary is prayed before every Mass, and the Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help is prayed following the First Saturday Mass. The Sacrament of Penance is offered before each Mass and by appointment, and the mission shares in the broader sacramental and faith-formation life of its parent parish, St. Peter the Apostle in Hackberry.
- Rosary before all Masses
- Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help after First Saturday Mass
- Sacrament of Penance before Mass and by appointment
- Shared sacramental life with St. Peter the Apostle, Hackberry