About St. Anthony · Gretna, Louisiana
St. Anthony Mission is a small Catholic mission church at 924 Monroe Street in historic McDonoghville, Gretna, Louisiana. It operates as a mission of St. Joseph Parish (the historic "Mother Church" of West Jefferson) in the Archdiocese of New Orleans. The community gathers for Sunday Mass, a Saturday Vigil, and weekday Mass, with a particular devotional life built around the Tuesday Rosary, the weekly Perpetual Help Novena, and the First Friday Holy Hour and Novena to the Sacred Heart. The old church building sits within the McDonoghville Historic District and continues to serve as a beloved worship site for parishioners on the West Bank.
- Established
- 1857 (wider St. Joseph community); 1967 (current 924 Monroe St. church building)
- Patron
- St. Anthony (of Padua)
- Rector
- Rev. Gary Copping (Pastor of St. Joseph Parish, which shepherds St. Anthony Mission)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of New Orleans (Metropolitan Archdiocese of New Orleans)
Why belong here
St. Anthony Mission offers the warmth of a small, neighborhood Catholic mission rooted in the historic McDonoghville community of West Bank Gretna. Parishioners gather for Sunday Mass, Saturday Vigil, weekday Mass, a weekly Tuesday morning Rosary, and a First Friday Holy Hour and Novena to the Sacred Heart — a devotional rhythm rooted in the historic Catholic culture of the greater New Orleans area. As a mission of St. Joseph Parish (the "Mother Church" of fourteen West Jefferson parishes), St. Anthony also draws on the broader parish's clergy, deacons, school, ministries and outreach, including support for Community Center for Life through the Baby Bottle Campaign and an annual Mission Appeal for Franciscan missionaries.
Mass times at St. Anthony
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM (or by appointment)
Adoration times
- First Friday: 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM after the 8:30 AM Mass, with Novena to the Sacred Heart
Overview & Identity
St. Anthony Mission is the historic Catholic mission church at 924 Monroe Street in McDonoghville, Gretna, Louisiana. It operates as a mission of St. Joseph Parish under the Archdiocese of New Orleans, sharing the same pastor (Rev. Gary Copping) and the same team of deacons. The community gathers for Sunday Mass, Saturday Vigil and weekday Mass, alongside a weekly Rosary, the Novena of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, and a First Friday Holy Hour and Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
- Type: Mission church (mission of St. Joseph Parish)
- Diocese: Archdiocese of New Orleans
- Address: 924 Monroe Street, Gretna, LA 70053
- Phone: (504) 368-6161
- Website: stjosephgretna.com (shared with mother parish)
History
The Catholic presence that gave rise to St. Anthony Mission began in 1857, when Redemptorist Father Thaddaeus Anwander, CSSR, celebrated the first Mass in Gretna on Christmas Day. As McDonoghville and the surrounding West Bank neighborhoods grew in the 19th and 20th centuries, St. Anthony became a dedicated worship site for local Catholics. The present church at 924 Monroe Street was constructed in 1967, and the building is recognized in the National Park Service nomination for the McDonoghville Historic District as a contributing religious resource alongside Calvary Baptist Church (1937) and Hosanna Fellowship Church (c. 1960). After a newer St. Anthony parish church was established elsewhere in Gretna (at 901 Franklin Street), this Monroe Street church became known as the "Old" St. Anthony Church and today continues its life as the mission.
- 1857 — First Mass celebrated in Gretna by Fr. Thaddaeus Anwander, CSSR (Christmas Day)
- 1967 — Current St. Anthony church building constructed at 924 Monroe Street
- 1954 — St. Anthony Catholic School built at 900 Franklin Street (Gretna)
- Later 20th century — Site continues as a mission of St. Joseph Parish
- Recognized in the National Register / NPS nomination for the McDonoghville Historic District
Devotions
The mission keeps a vigorous devotional rhythm rooted in classic Catholic piety of the greater New Orleans area. The Tuesday morning Rosary gathers parishioners to pray for an extensive list of intentions, and two novenas are prayed at Mass each week.
- Rosary at St. Anthony — Tuesdays at 8:00 AM
- Novena of Our Lady of Perpetual Help — prayed during Monday Mass
- Novena to the Sacred Heart — First Friday after 8:30 AM Mass
Clergy & Staff
St. Anthony Mission shares its pastoral team with St. Joseph Parish, including the pastor and a team of deacons who serve the wider West Jefferson faith family. The clergy contact line for the parish office at St. Joseph is (504) 368-1313.
- Rev. Gary Copping — Pastor
- Deacon David Kalil — Permanent Deacon
- Deacon Len Enger — Deacon
- Deacon Oscar Alegria — Deacon
- Deacon Jerry Labadot — Retired Deacon
St. Anthony School
St. Anthony Catholic School is associated with the parish community at 900 Franklin Street in Gretna (built in 1954), within walking distance of the mission church on Monroe Street. The school is part of the broader Catholic education network of the Archdiocese of New Orleans and is supported by St. Joseph / St. Anthony Mission families.
- St. Anthony School — 900 Franklin Street, Gretna (built 1954)
- Recognized contributing school in the McDonoghville Historic District
- Part of the Archdiocese of New Orleans Catholic school network
Outreach & Mission Appeal
Through St. Joseph Parish, the mission participates in archdiocesan and local outreach. The annual Mission Appeal supports Franciscan missionaries serving in Ukraine, Russia, Chile, Guinea Bissau, Pakistan, India, the Philippines, Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia. Locally, the parish runs the Baby Bottle Campaign benefiting Community Center for Life, which provides pregnancy-help services to mothers and families facing unplanned pregnancies on the West Bank.
- Annual Mission Appeal — supporting Franciscan missionaries worldwide
- Community Center for Life — Baby Bottle Campaign (pro-life maternal support)
- Connection to St. Joseph Parish ministries and retreats
McDonoghville & the Historic Setting
The mission sits in the McDonoghville neighborhood, a small farming-village-turned-residential community along the Mississippi River in West Bank Jefferson Parish. According to the National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places nomination for the McDonoghville Historic District, the neighborhood retains a remarkable concentration of intact residential structures built between 1865 and 1969 across three construction booms. St. Anthony Catholic Church (1967) is one of three contributing religious structures in the district, alongside Calvary Baptist Church (1937) and Hosanna Fellowship Church (c. 1960).
- Located in the McDonoghville Historic District (National Register nomination)
- Three contributing churches recognized — St. Anthony (1967), Calvary Baptist (1937), Hosanna Fellowship (c. 1960)
- Surrounding architecture — shotguns, double-shotguns, bungalows, cottages, ranch houses
- Two booms of Catholic parish growth in Gretna — St. Joseph (610 Sixth St., 1927) and St. Anthony