About Our Lady of the Lake · Lake Village, Arkansas
Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church is a small historic parish of the Diocese of Little Rock situated on the banks of Lake Chicot in Lake Village, Arkansas. Founded in 1866 as St. Mary of the Lake by Katherine Kiernan Johnson — and later renamed Our Lady of the Lake in 1896 — the parish has served the Catholics of Chicot County for more than 150 years and remains a living monument to the Italian immigrant colony that shaped the Sunnyside Plantation community. Today the parish is pastored by Father Joseph 'Joe' Friend, assisted by Deacon Timothy Sampolesi, and gathers a multigenerational flock from Lake Village and the surrounding Arkansas Delta.
- Established
- 1866
- Patron
- Our Lady of the Lake (Blessed Virgin Mary); parish renamed from St. Mary of the Lake in 1896
- Rector
- Father Joseph 'Joe' Friend
- Diocese
- Diocese of Little Rock (South Delta Deanery)
Why belong here
Our Lady of the Lake is a place where the Catholic faith has been kept and handed down across more than 150 years of Delta life, from the first Mass in Katherine Johnson's home to today's multigenerational parish. Rooted in both Irish and Italian immigrant Catholic heritage — and honored each year with the parish's famous spaghetti dinner — the community gathers around the Eucharist with daily and weekend Mass, Eucharistic Adoration on First Fridays, the Saturday Rosary, and a regular confession schedule. With adult faith formation, religious education for children, and OCIA led by the pastor, deacon, and dedicated lay staff, the parish offers the full rhythm of Catholic life in a small, family-sized setting on the shores of Lake Chicot.
Mass times at Our Lady of the Lake
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:15 – 4:45 p.m.
- Sunday 8:15 – 8:45 a.m.
Adoration times
- First Friday of each month: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament after the 8:00 a.m. Mass, continuing for nine hours until Benediction at 5:30 p.m.
- First Friday Devotion: Adoration 8:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., followed by Mass at 6:00 p.m.
Our Story: Founded in 1866 on the Shores of Lake Chicot
The parish was founded in 1866 by Katherine Kiernan Johnson, the young Irish Catholic bride of Lake Village merchant Joseph Bertram Johnson, who helped her purchase four acres of land and recruit Bishop Edward Fitzgerald to dedicate the mission as St. Mary of the Lake in 1869. The community was renamed Our Lady of the Lake in 1896, the same year Italian Catholic colonists from the Sunnyside Plantation began settling on the lake's west side, giving the parish its enduring multicultural Delta character.
- First Mass celebrated in the Johnson home in 1866
- Formally dedicated as St. Mary of the Lake in 1869 by Bishop Edward Fitzgerald
- Renamed Our Lady of the Lake in 1896
- Marked 150 years of worship in 2016
The Sunnyside Italian Colony and Our Parish Heritage
In 1895, 562 Italian Catholics from Marche, Emilia, and Veneto arrived at Austin Corbin's Sunnyside Plantation on the east side of Lake Chicot. Father Pietro Bandini resigned his post in New York to minister to them in January 1896, also shepherding Our Lady of the Lake. After malaria, broken contracts, and the plantation's collapse, Bandini led nearly half the colony to found Tontitown, Arkansas in 1898; the rest began migrating to the west side of Lake Chicot in 1908, where they became the backbone of Our Lady of the Lake.
- Father Pietro Bandini, chaplain to the Sunnyside Italians from 1896
- 562 Italian colonists arrived aboard the Chateau Iquem in December 1895
- Blessing from Pope Leo XIII, November 1895
- Many current parishioners carry surnames found in the original immigrant records
The Church Building: Italian Romanesque on the Lake
The current church, constructed in 1939, is Italian Romanesque in style, built of variegated red brick with a small gabled portico, a triple-arched window in the gable, and brick corbeling around the gable and the two-bell belfry. The original 1866 frame church was moved to the rear of the property during construction, served as the parish hall, and was later replaced by a new hall in the 1960s. The stained-glass windows were installed in 1949 and a further renovation took place in 1981.
- Italian Romanesque architecture in variegated red brick
- Built 1939; stained-glass windows 1949; renovated 1981
- Single nave with an open truss roof
- Two-bell belfry with brick corbeling
Parish Staff and Clergy
The parish is shepherded by Father Joseph 'Joe' Friend, assisted by Deacon Timothy Sampolesi, who also coordinates OCIA. Lay staff include Parish Secretary Lisa Casali, Director of Adult Faith Formation Debbie Vaughn, and Director of Religious Education Elisabed Salinas.
- Pastor: Father Joseph 'Joe' Friend ([email protected])
- Deacon: Timothy Sampolesi — also OCIA Coordinator (870-265-3377)
- Parish Secretary: Lisa Casali
- Director of Adult Faith Formation: Debbie Vaughn (870-265-1459)
- Director of Religious Education (DRE): Elisabed Salinas (870-355-7468)
Faith Formation, OCIA, and Religious Education
Our Lady of the Lake offers a complete program of formation for adults and children. The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) is coordinated by Deacon Timothy Sampolesi, Adult Faith Formation is directed by Debbie Vaughn, and the parish DRE, Elisabed Salinas, oversees Religious Education for children and youth.
- OCIA (RCIA) — Deacon Tim Sampolesi (870-265-3377)
- Adult Faith Formation — Debbie Vaughn (870-265-1459)
- Religious Education / DRE — Elisabed Salinas (870-355-7468)
Stained Glass Windows and Sacred Art
The 1949 stained-glass windows of the church depict devotional images tied to the parish's spiritual heritage, including the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Peter, and Saint Gerard Majella (the patron of childbirth, installed in the cry room in thanksgiving for the safe delivery of a child of the Michael family). The parish also preserves the tabernacle used during Good Friday services and the processional crucifix once used during Holy Hour.
- Sacred Heart of Jesus window
- Blessed Virgin Mary window
- Saint Peter window
- Saint Gerard Majella window (cry room)
- 1949 stained-glass installation
Sacred Heart Confraternity
A historical parish society founded by the men of the parish, the Sacred Heart Confraternity was composed of all male Catholics who had made their First Holy Communion and paid yearly dues of fifty cents. Its main function was to provide a Requiem High Mass upon each member's death and to remember all living and deceased members in a monthly Mass.
- Founded by the men of Our Lady of the Lake
- Yearly dues of fifty cents
- Provided a Requiem High Mass for each member at death
Hyner Cemetery
The parish maintains the Hyner Cemetery, a sacred resting place tied to the Johnson and early Catholic families of Lake Village. Katherine Kiernan Johnson, the parish's founder, is buried in the parish cemetery she and her husband helped establish with the original 1866 land purchase.
- Original cemetery established with the 1866 land grant
- Burial site of founder Katherine Kiernan Johnson (d. 1925)
- Burial site of Joseph Bertram Johnson (d. 1872)
Parish Museum and Italian Heritage
A small museum at the parish preserves photographs, documents, and letters relating to the Italian immigration to the Lake Village area and the history of the church. Open most days by calling ahead, it is free with donations welcome. The parish also keeps Italian-American Catholic heritage alive through its annual spaghetti dinner, a beloved community tradition documented in the parish's 150th-anniversary book "Our Lady of the Lake 1866–2016: Desire, Commitment, Reality" by historian Libby Olivi Borgognoni.
- Museum of Italian immigration and parish history
- Free admission; donations welcome
- Annual spaghetti dinner
- 150th anniversary book by Libby Olivi Borgognoni (2016)
Visiting and Contact
Our Lady of the Lake is located directly across from Lake Chicot at 314 S. Lake Shore Drive in Lake Village, Arkansas. The parish office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to noon. Visitors are warmly welcomed at any weekend or weekday Mass, and are invited to stop by the church museum to learn more about the Italian heritage that shaped the parish.
- 314 S. Lake Shore Dr., Lake Village, AR 71653
- Mailing: P.O. Box 272, Lake Village, AR 71653
- Phone: (870) 265-5439 / (870) 265-5663
- Office Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – noon
- Email: [email protected]