About St. Anne · Natchitoches, Louisiana
St. Anne Chapel (Old River) is a small historic Catholic mission chapel in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, founded in the 1800s by French Creole families and dedicated to Saint Anne, mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Located at 3659 Old River Road on the banks of Old River near Kisatchie Bayou, it serves the Old River Creole community near Natchez and is the cultural and religious center of the area's Louisiana Creole people of predominantly French descent. The chapel operates as a mission of St. Augustine Catholic Parish Church of Isle Brevelle within the Diocese of Alexandria, with Sunday Mass celebrated at 8:30 a.m. under the pastoral care of the parish team of St. Augustine.
- Established
- 1800s
- Patron
- St. Anne (Saint Anne, mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Rector
- Rev. William Gearheard
- Diocese
- Diocese of Alexandria, Louisiana
Why belong here
St. Anne Chapel at Old River is one of the oldest Creole Catholic worship sites in the Cane River country, with roots reaching back to the 1800s and the French Creole families — Rachal, Longlois, Lacaze, Metoyer and Brevelle — who built it. For descendants of those founding families and for anyone drawn to Louisiana's historic Creole heritage, Sunday Mass at 8:30 a.m. in this simple riverside chapel offers a tangible connection to more than a century of faith along Old River. As a mission of St. Augustine Parish on Isle Brevelle, it is cared for by the same pastoral team that serves the broader Cane River Creole community, including shared liturgies and devotions with nearby historic churches.
Mass times at St. Anne
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- 30 minutes before Mass
- By appointment
History of St. Anne Chapel at Old River
St. Anne Chapel at Old River was founded by French Creole families in the 1800s as one of four mission churches planted by St. Augustine Catholic Parish Church on Isle Brevelle. The chapel and adjoining cemetery sit on the banks of Old River near Kisatchie Bayou in Natchitoches Parish, serving as the cultural and religious center of the area's Louisiana Creole community. Notable Creole founding and patron families include Rachal, Longlois, Lacaze, Metoyer and Brevelle. The mission was originally under the Roman Catholic Diocese of Natchitoches, which is now part of the Diocese of Alexandria.
- Founded in the 1800s by French Creole families
- Established as a mission of St. Augustine Catholic Parish Church, Isle Brevelle
- Notable founding and patron families: Rachal, Longlois, Lacaze, Metoyer, Brevelle
- Originally under the Diocese of Natchitoches; now in the Diocese of Alexandria
Connection to St. Augustine Parish and the Cane River Creole Country
St. Anne Chapel belongs to a network of historic Creole Catholic worship sites organized under St. Augustine Catholic Parish Church of Isle Brevelle. After Bishop Auguste Marie Martin elevated St. Augustine from mission to parish on March 11, 1856 and assigned Fr. Francois Martin as its first resident pastor, the parish expanded with the financial backing of the Metoyer, Brevelle, Guidry, Balthazar and Roques families to found four mission churches across the Cane River area. St. Anne Chapel at Old River is one of those four sister missions, alongside St. Charles Chapel at Bermuda, St. Joseph's Catholic Mission at Bayou Derbonne, and St. Anne Church at Spanish Lake (which served the Adai Caddo Indians of Louisiana).
- St. Anne Chapel at Old River
- St. Charles Chapel at Bermuda
- St. Joseph's Catholic Mission at Bayou Derbonne
- St. Anne Church (Spanish Lake) — serving the Adai Caddo Indians of Louisiana
Staff and Pastoral Care
St. Anne Chapel is served by the pastoral team of St. Augustine Parish in Isle Brevelle. The pastor listed for the St. Augustine cluster on the Diocese of Alexandria website is Rev. William Gearheard. As a mission chapel, St. Anne shares clergy and pastoral resources with the wider Cane River cluster of historic Creole parishes.
- Rev. William Gearheard — Pastor (of the St. Augustine cluster)
- Mission status under St. Augustine Catholic Parish Church, Isle Brevelle
Diocese of Alexandria and the 'Together as One Church' Realignment
St. Anne Chapel at Old River falls within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Alexandria in central Louisiana. In February 2026 the diocese announced a sweeping pastoral realignment plan titled 'Together as One Church,' set to take effect July 1, 2026, intended to address rural parishes with shrinking clergy and congregations across Natchitoches Parish. Under the plan, larger parishes such as the Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Natchitoches, Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Campti, and St. Anthony of Padua in Natchitoches will continue with resident pastors; St. Augustine Church in Natchez and St. John the Baptist Church in Cloutierville will operate in a shared pastorate; Our Lady of Rosary Chapel in Black Lake will remain a mission served by Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary; and St. Anne Church in Spanish Lake will remain a mission served by St. Anthony of Padua. St. Anne Chapel in Old River will remain available as a worship site with occasional liturgies determined by the pastoral team.
- Diocese of Alexandria — current diocesan authority
- Originally part of the Diocese of Natchitoches, now merged into Alexandria
- Under 'Together as One Church' (effective July 1, 2026): chapel to remain available as a worship site with occasional liturgies
Location, Cemetery and the Old River Community
St. Anne Chapel and its cemetery are located at 3659 Old River Road (Parish Road 615), on the banks of Old River near Kisatchie Bayou, in the Old River Creole community near Natchez, Louisiana (Natchitoches Parish, ZIP 71457; coordinates approximately 31.64083° N, 93.06611° W). Like nearby Cane River and Bayou Brevelle, Old River was once the main channel of the Red River; when the river shifted course it left an oxbow that has anchored generations of Creole families. The chapel continues to anchor that community's spiritual and cultural life.
- Address: 3659 Old River Rd., Natchitoches, LA 71457
- Road: Old River Road (Parish Road 615)
- On the banks of Old River near Kisatchie Bayou
- Old River was once the main channel of the Red River