About Our Mother of Mercy · Church Point, Louisiana
Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church is a Black Catholic parish in Church Point, Louisiana, in Acadia Parish, staffed by the Josephite Fathers and Brothers of the Society of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart. The parish was originally established as an out-mission of Our Mother of Mercy in Rayne in 1927 and became its own parish in 1941 under the Diocese of Lafayette. It sits on the north side of the bayou in the small rural town of Church Point, serving generations of Creole and African American Catholic families, and is part of the long Josephite pastoral tradition in southwest Louisiana that also includes neighboring Rayne, Breaux Bridge, and Baton Rouge parishes.
- Established
- 1941
- Patron
- Our Mother of Mercy (the Blessed Virgin Mary under this title)
- Rector
- Rev. Edward J. Chiffriller, SSJ
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana
Why belong here
Our Mother of Mercy offers the full rhythm of Catholic sacramental life in a close-knit small-town setting, with daily and weekend Masses, regular confession, Eucharistic adoration, and the steady pastoral care of the Josephite Fathers and Brothers — a religious community whose mission from their founding has been the spiritual care of African American and Creole Catholic communities. Visitors will find a welcoming Black Catholic parish rooted in Creole heritage, deeply tied to the family networks of Acadia Parish, and served by priests who know their people by name.
Mass times at Our Mother of Mercy
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 PM (English) — per Catholic Church Directory
- Saturday 3:30 PM to 4:00 PM — per CatholicClocks listing
Adoration times
- Tuesday 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM (per CatholicClocks listing)
Parish Identity & Location
Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church serves the small Acadia Parish town of Church Point, Louisiana, located on U.S. Highway 190 north of the Bayou Teche region of Acadiana. Its mailing and physical address is 693 North Main Street, Church Point, LA 70525. The parish belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette and is staffed by the Josephite Priests and Brothers of the Society of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart, headquartered in Baltimore. It is one of a closely related cluster of Josephite-staffed Black Catholic parishes across south Louisiana, alongside the Shrine of Our Mother of Mercy in Rayne, St. Francis of Assisi in Breaux Bridge, and St. Francis Xavier in Baton Rouge.
- 693 N. Main St., Church Point, LA 70525
- Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana
- Staffed by the Josephite Society of the Sacred Heart (SSJ)
History
The Our Mother of Mercy community in Church Point began as a 1927 out-mission of the older Our Mother of Mercy in Rayne, about fifteen miles east. Both parishes trace their roots to 1924, when the Rayne congregation was established as a mission of St. Theresa Catholic Church in Crowley and became a separate parish in September 1924 (originally named St. Louis' Catholic Church). Black Catholics in Church Point had a parish school before they had their own church building; that school was taught by lay teachers trained by the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, and their salaries in those early years were paid by Mother Katharine Drexel, now St. Katharine Drexel.
- 1927 — Our Mother of Mercy mission established at Church Point as an out-mission of the Rayne parish
- 1920s–30s — School opened and staffed by lay teachers trained by the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament under Mother Katharine Drexel
- 1941 — Mission elevated to an independent parish under the Diocese of Lafayette
- Continuous Josephite pastoral care since founding
Josephite Pastoral Care
From its beginnings the parish has been served by the Josephite Fathers and Brothers, the Society of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart, a religious community historically dedicated to the evangelization and pastoral care of African American Catholics. The Diocese of Lafayette's priests directory lists Father Edward J. Chiffriller, SSJ, as pastor of Our Mother of Mercy, Church Point, with Rev. Emmanuel Awe, SSJ, appearing in Catholic Church Directory listings as Administrator. Fr. Henry Julius Davis, SSJ, served as pastor here in the mid-2010s before being reassigned to Corpus Christi/Epiphany Church in New Orleans. Recent Josephite Harvest profiles document the ongoing rotation of Josephite priests through this and other Louisiana parishes as part of the Society's Area III ministry.
- Current pastor: Rev. Edward J. Chiffriller, SSJ
- Fr. Emmanuel Awe, SSJ — Administrator (per Catholic Church Directory listing)
- Fr. Henry Julius Davis, SSJ — former pastor in the mid-2010s
- Part of the Josephite Society's 'Area III' Louisiana ministry cluster
Visit & Contact Information
Parishioners and visitors can reach the church office by phone or email. The mailing/email contact is the parish office at the North Main Street address. The parish's official web presence is its page on the Josephite Society website; for the most current bulletins and announcements, the parish office is the best contact.
- Address — 693 N. Main St., Church Point, LA 70525
- Phone — (337) 684-2319
- Email — [email protected]
- Website — josephites.org/our-mother-of-mercy-church/
- Diocese — Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana
Heritage & Cultural Context
Our Mother of Mercy belongs to the long Creole Catholic heritage of Acadia Parish. Generations of African American and Creole families in Church Point and surrounding bayou communities have worshipped here since the late 1920s, keeping alive Zydeco music, Creole French prayer, and foodways that local directories describe when they call this 'a hometown church on this side of the bayou.' The parish's sister church — the Shrine of Our Mother of Mercy in Rayne — was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2026 after more than a century of continuous ministry, an honor that reflects the broader significance of the Black Catholic communities the Josephites have served in southwest Louisiana since the 1920s.
- Rooted in Creole Catholic culture of Acadia Parish
- Connected to the older Rayne parish (Shrine of Our Mother of Mercy) — listed on the National Register of Historic Places (2026)
- Sustained Black Catholic presence in Acadiana since the 1920s