About Our Lady Queen of Heaven · Lake Charles, Louisiana
Our Lady Queen of Heaven Catholic Church (OLQH) is a parish of the Diocese of Lake Charles in Lake Charles, Louisiana, situated at 3939 Lake Street in a residential neighborhood of south Lake Charles. Established in 1957 and celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2017, the parish is widely recognized for its striking 1968 mid-century Modern Movement church designed by the New Orleans firm of Curtis and Davis under the direction of founding pastor Monsignor Irving DeBlanc. The parish is home to a parish school (PK–8), a Perpetual Adoration Chapel, the Consolata Cemetery, and senior living ministries, and offers Mass in English with a vibrant LifeTeen youth program.
- Established
- 1957
- Patron
- Our Lady Queen of Heaven (Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title 'Queen of Heaven')
- Rector
- Rev. Monsignor Daniel A. Torres, V.G.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lake Charles
Why belong here
OLQH is a long-established south Lake Charles parish that pairs a distinctive mid-century modern church with a full range of parish life: a 650-student PK–8 Catholic school, a Parish Religious Education Program (PREP), LifeTeen youth ministry, a perpetual adoration chapel, daily and Sunday Masses, and a robust St. Vincent de Paul outreach that feeds and furnishes families in need. With weekend Masses in English plus senior-living Masses at Villa Maria, Resthaven, Brookdale and Grand Cove, plus ministries from OCIA to music, the parish is structured to walk with families through every stage of Catholic life.
Mass times at Our Lady Queen of Heaven
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 2:30 PM – 3:45 PM (before 4:00 PM Vigil Mass)
- 30 minutes before each Daily Mass
- 30 minutes before each Sunday Mass
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Perpetual Adoration Chapel: 24 hours a day (closes 2:00 PM Saturday and reopens 7:00 PM Sunday)
History of Our Lady Queen of Heaven
Established in 1957 as a new Catholic parish in a growing residential area of south Lake Charles, OLQH moved quickly from mission to established parish. Its 1968 church is a Modern Movement landmark designed by the New Orleans firm Curtis and Davis under the direction of founding pastor Monsignor Irving DeBlanc, who persuaded his parishioners that a contemporary building would best serve Vatican II's liturgical reforms. The plans were vetted by liturgical consultant Frank Kacmarcik of Minnesota, and the design as built was the third submitted by the architects. In 2001, OLQH hosted the installation of Bishop Edward K. Braxton as the second Bishop of Lake Charles. The parish marked its 60th anniversary in 2017.
- Founded: 1957
- Church built: 1968 (designed 1968–1971)
- Architect: Curtis and Davis of New Orleans (project architect Robert Biery)
- Liturgical consultant: Frank Kacmarcik, Minnesota
- Founding pastor and design champion: Monsignor Irving DeBlanc
- Hosted installation of Bishop Edward K. Braxton, February 22, 2001
- 60th anniversary celebrated in 2017
Architecture of the 1968 Church
Our Lady Queen of Heaven's 1968 church is one of the most recognized mid-century Catholic church designs in Louisiana. Set back from the street in a grove of pine trees, the building is approached by a tree-lined path and a flight of stairs to a forecourt of low white-painted brick walls that mediate between secular and sacred space. The square plan, flat roof, brick base and stained-cedar upper walls produce what project architect Robert Biery called 'a simple objective statement of transparency restrained so as to allow the people to see each other in celebration rather than the building elements.' Lower walls of clear glass allow views straight through the building to a landscaped courtyard, while the plants and flowers provide the color that stained glass would elsewhere provide. Inside, seating is arranged on three sides facing the altar, and the baptismal font is incorporated into the single worship space; the wood ceiling, low-backed pews, curtains and carpet are in muted browns and beiges. A later covered walkway was added in front of the church.
- Style: Modern Movement (mid-century modern)
- Materials: brick, stained cedar, clear glass
- Plan: square, flat-roofed, continuous open worship space
- Seating on three sides; baptismal font in main worship space
- Set among pine trees; landscaped courtyard beyond clear-glass walls
Clergy and Parish Staff
The parish is led by Pastor Rev. Monsignor Daniel A. Torres, V.G., assisted by Parochial Vicar Fr. Josh Page and Deacon Harold J. Nixon, who also serves as Office Manager. Robert Piper is the Executive Administrator. The staff includes an Evangelization/OCIA Director, Music Ministry, PREP coordinators for elementary, middle and high school, Youth Minister, SVDP ministry lead, finance, and maintenance, as well as directors for parish entities (Consolata Cemetery, Crossroads, FLCC, Villa Maria) and the school principal.
- Pastor: Msgr. Daniel A. Torres, V.G.
- Parochial Vicar: Fr. Josh Page
- Deacon / Office Manager: Deacon Harold J. Nixon
- Executive Administrator: Robert Piper
- Director of Evangelization and OCIA: Felicia Borel
- Music Director: Colette Tanner; Organist/Accompanist: Boriana Buckles
- PREP: Robin Suire (Elementary), Jeanne Marcantel (MS/HS), Diane Crocker (Assistant)
- Youth Minister: Shannon Barlow
- SVDP Ministry: John Friend
- Comptroller: Christina Matt
- OLQH School Principal: Trevor Donnelly
Faith Formation and Religious Education
Religious formation at OLQH happens through PREP (Parish Religious Education Program), which serves elementary, middle and high school students in parallel tracks, and through the OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) process directed by the Evangelization office. Youth Ministry, led by a full-time Youth Minister, anchors teen faith life around the 5:30 PM Sunday LifeTeen Mass.
- PREP Elementary — Robin Suire
- PREP Middle School & High School — Jeanne Marcantel
- PREP Assistant — Diane Crocker
- OCIA / Evangelization — Felicia Borel
- Youth Ministry / LifeTeen — Shannon Barlow
Music and Liturgy
Music Ministry at OLQH is led by a Music Director and an organist/accompanist, supporting the parish's rich Sunday and weekday Mass schedule. The Volunteer & Liturgy Coordinator works with clergy and ministry leaders to schedule lectors, extraordinary ministers, ushers and other liturgical volunteers.
- Music Director: Colette Tanner
- Organist/Accompanist: Boriana Buckles
- Liturgy Coordinator: Bridget Kingery
Outreach: St. Vincent de Paul
Our Lady Queen of Heaven's St. Vincent de Paul (SVDP) Ministry is one of the parish's largest outreach arms, providing one-time emergency food, financial assistance (utility, rent, and other emergencies), and good-used furniture and working appliances to households in need within parish boundaries. SVDP operates a furniture warehouse, partners with Catholic Charities through the Charity Tracker system to avoid fraud and duplication, and runs a Thanksgiving and Christmas gift-card distribution that serves more than 100 households each holiday. The food pantry is supplied in part by PREP and the parish school. Volunteers are recruited for phone screening, warehouse pickup, and holiday distribution.
- Emergency food (one-time, not a regular food pantry)
- Emergency utility, rent and financial assistance
- Good-used furniture and working appliances for families recovering from fire, hurricane, flood, or shelter transition
- Thanksgiving and Christmas gift-card distribution (100+ households)
- Volunteer roles: Phone, Food Pantry, Furniture Warehouse, Holiday
Our Lady Queen of Heaven Catholic School (PK–8)
Our Lady Queen of Heaven Catholic School partners with parents and the community to challenge each student to develop intellectually, culturally and spiritually in an environment of academic excellence. The school serves roughly 650 students across an Elementary School (3908 Creole Street), a Middle School, and an Early Childhood Center (607 W. Claude Street) that accepts children from 6 weeks through 4 years of age. About 65 teachers and staff support the program, with a student/teacher ratio of approximately 11.8 and 20+ faculty members who are themselves alumni.
- Grades: PK–8 plus Early Childhood (6 weeks–4 years)
- Enrollment: ~650 students
- Staff: ~65 teachers and staff (student/teacher ratio ~11.8)
- Elementary School: 3908 Creole St., Lake Charles, LA 70605 — (337) 477-7349
- Middle School Office: (337) 564-5376
- Early Childhood Center: 607 W. Claude Street — (337) 477-8438
- Principal: Trevor Donnelly
- Affiliation: Roman Catholic; member National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA)
Parish Entities: Cemetery and Senior Living
In addition to the church, school and outreach programs, the parish operates several 'entities' that form a network of care across the life span. Consolata Cemetery is the parish's Catholic cemetery, with flower ordering handled through the parish office. Villa Maria is a parish retirement community, and the parish also celebrates Mass for residents of Resthaven, Brookdale and Grand Cove senior living facilities. Crossroads and FLCC round out the parish's broader operational ministries.
- Consolata Cemetery — Director: Dewey Duhon
- Villa Maria Retirement Community — Director: Becky See
- Crossroads — Manager: Rickey Richard
- FLCC — Director: Natalie Watkins
- Senior Masses: Villa Maria, Resthaven, Brookdale, Grand Cove
Mission Statement and Parish Identity
Our Lady Queen of Heaven articulates its mission as follows: 'As members of the Catholic family of faith, the parishioners of Our Lady Queen of Heaven will emulate Christian virtues of faith, hope, and love, by sharing our lived faith in the Spirit of Christ so as to strengthen the quality of life for our families into future generations as we pray, work, suffer and share hope together.' The parish encourages registration, online giving, and Flocknote email/text communication, and maintains Safe & Sacred Environment training for those working with minors and vulnerable adults.
- Online Church Giving via the parish website
- Parish Registration
- OLQH Flocknote (parish email and text communication)
- Safe & Sacred Environment Training
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Monsignor Irving DeBlancFounding pastor; led parish through 1968 church construction
Visionary behind the Modern Movement church design built to embody Vatican II liturgical reforms.