About St. Anthony of Padua · Gheens, Louisiana
St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church is a small Cajun Catholic parish serving the rural community of Gheens, Louisiana, set back from Bayou Lafourche along Highway 654. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Houma–Thibodaux and shares its pastoral team and ministries with its sister parish, St. Hilary of Poitiers in Raceland/Mathews. Worship centers on a Saturday Vigil Mass, Sunday Mass, and seasonal Wednesday devotions, and the church is known locally for housing the venerated statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor that famously survived a 1920s storm that destroyed the original building.
- Patron
- St. Anthony of Padua
- Rector
- Rev. Rusty Bruce
- Diocese
- Diocese of Houma–Thibodaux
Why belong here
St. Anthony is the spiritual home of a tight-knit Cajun community set along Bayou Lafourche, with the warmth of a small parish and the resources of a larger sister church, St. Hilary, just down the road. The parish shares a robust slate of ministries — Knights of Columbus, Council of Catholic Women, Men's Fellowship, youth formation (K–12), adult formation, music ministry, and outreach through the local Good Samaritan Food Bank — so newcomers of any age can find a place to belong and serve.
Mass times at St. Anthony of Padua
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- 30 minutes prior to each Mass
- By appointment (scheduled through the parish office)
Parish Identity and Community
St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church is the Catholic parish serving the small Cajun community of Gheens, Louisiana, on the back side of Bayou Lafourche. Worship is intimate — a Saturday Vigil Mass, Sunday Mass, and a Wednesday evening Mass during Advent and Lent — and the parish shares pastoral staff, faith formation, and most of its ministries with its sister parish, St. Hilary of Poitiers in Raceland/Mathews.
The Statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor
The most distinctive treasure of St. Anthony's is its venerated statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, the centerpiece of one of the most enduring local traditions along Bayou Lafourche. According to the story, a young girl named May Ayo was critically injured when a horse stepped on her; her family prayed to Our Lady of Prompt Succor, and her mother vowed to donate a statue to their parish if May survived. May recovered, but no church in Raceland or Lockport would accept the statue — so it was offered to St. Anthony's in Gheens, where it was welcomed.
- In the 1920s, a severe storm destroyed St. Anthony's Church. The statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor was reportedly the only thing left standing.
- Parishioners cared for the statue until the church was rebuilt and the statue was returned to its permanent home in the parish.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor and Hurricane Devotion
Our Lady of Prompt Succor — 'Prompt Succor' meaning 'quick assistance' — is a beloved Marian devotion in South Louisiana, especially invoked against hurricanes and storms. The Gheens statue is one of the local touchstones of that devotion.
Clergy and Pastoral Leadership
St. Anthony's and St. Hilary's share a single pastoral team, reflecting the close network of Catholic communities along Bayou Lafourche. The pastor, parochial vicar, and deacon serve both parishes.
- Pastor: Rev. Rusty Bruce — ordained June 6, 2020; Parochial Vicar from July 2020; Administrator from July 2022; named Pastor by Bishop Simon Peter on November 5, 2025 (ext. 205).
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. Davis Ahimbisibwe — ordained July 2, 2023; appointed Parochial Vicar of St. Hilary and St. Anthony effective July 1, 2025 (ext. 204).
- Deacon Timothy Vedros — assists at Mass, trains altar servers, provides the Sacrament of Baptism and funeral rites/graveside services, and leads the Men's Fellowship Group (ext. 203).
Faith Formation and Adult Formation
Faith formation at St. Anthony is provided through the Saint Hilary Youth Formation program and a new Adult Formation Group that meets at St. Anthony's Spiritual Life Center.
- K–6th Grade Instructional
- Edge Middle School Ministry (7th–8th Grade)
- Life Nights (9th–10th Grade)
- Confirmation Preparation (11th Grade)
- St. Anthony Adult Formation Group — meets on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays after the 5:30 PM Mass, with a Q&A with the priest and a shared topic/resource decided at the first meeting.
Parish Ministries and Organizations
St. Anthony's ministries are coordinated with St. Hilary's, giving the smaller Gheens parish access to a wide array of formation, fellowship, and service groups. The parish encourages newcomers to find a place where they can put faith into practice.
- Liturgical: Altar Servers, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (EMHC), Lectors & Commentators, Music Ministry, Ushers & Greeters
- Youth: K–6th Instructional, Edge (7th–8th), Life Nights (9th–10th), Confirmation (11th), OCIC
- Adult: Small Groups, Men's Fellowship, Women's Study Groups, Better Together (Marriage & Family), Corks & Catholicism, Council of Catholic Women, Homebound Ministry, Grief to Grace Ministry, Adult Formation Group at St. Anthony
Knights of Columbus Council #8840
Knights of Columbus Council 8840 serves both St. Hilary of Poitiers in Raceland and St. Anthony in Gheens. The council and its Ladies Auxiliary provide countless service hours to both parishes and the local community, including partnering with the Good Samaritan Food Bank.
- Grand Knight contact: Mr. Le — [email protected]
- Includes a Ladies Auxiliary.
Sacraments and Pastoral Care
St. Anthony's sacramental life is shared with St. Hilary. The deacon assists with baptisms and funeral rites/graveside services, and confession is available before every Mass or by appointment.
- Baptism — assisted by Deacon Timothy Vedros
- Funeral Rites and Graveside services — Deacon Timothy Vedros
- Confession / Reconciliation — 30 minutes before each Mass or by appointment
- Confirmation — through the 11th Grade program
- First Communion — through parish faith formation
- Matrimony — contact the parish office
The Gheens Community
St. Anthony's is woven into the history of Gheens (originally 'La Vacherie'), which was purchased from the Ouacha and Chaouacha tribes in the 1740s and developed into a sugar plantation by the Gheens family after 1879. Highway 654 — locally called 'the Gheens Road' — is the only road into town from Highway 308 along Bayou Lafourche, and St. Anthony's sits among the community's principal landmarks along this route.
- Land purchased by Claude Joseph Dubreuil, Jr. from the Ouacha and Chaouacha tribes in the 1740s.
- J.R. Gheens purchased part of the holdings in 1879 and built the Gheens Plantation for his family's Louisville taffy business.
- In 1890, the Gheens family incorporated Golden Ranch Sugar and Cattle Co., still located in the back of town.
Cemetery and Grounds
The parish grounds include the St. Anthony Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum, serving the Catholic families of Gheens and the surrounding bayou communities.
- St. Anthony Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum
Contact and Online Presence
Because St. Anthony shares its pastoral and administrative life with St. Hilary, the parish's primary web presence is hosted within the St. Hilary website, with a dedicated St. Anthony page. The parish also maintains a Facebook page.
- Parish page: sthilaryraceland.org/st-anthony/
- Facebook: facebook.com/stanthonygheens/
- Parish Office phone: (985) 537-6002
- Emergency line: (985) 300-5022
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Rusty Bruce2022–present
Ordained June 6, 2020; appointed Parochial Vicar of St. Hilary and St. Anthony on July 1, 2020; named Parochial Administrator in July 2022 and re-appointed July 1, 2025; officially named Pastor of both parishes by Bishop Simon Peter on November 5, 2025.