About St. Augustine · Natchez, Louisiana
St. Augustine Catholic Church, popularly known as the Isle Brevelle Church, is a historic parish on the Cane River in Natchez, Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana. Established as a mission in 1829 and elevated to a parish on March 11, 1856 by Bishop Auguste Marie Martin, it is celebrated as the oldest surviving Black Catholic church in the United States and the first church in Louisiana built by and for free people of color. Its founder, the Creole planter Nicolas Augustin Metoyer, financed construction on land he donated along the Isle Brevelle; his brother Louis Metoyer (founder of nearby Melrose Plantation) is remembered as architect and builder. Today it is part of the Diocese of Alexandria, served by Fr. William Gearheard, and remains the cultural and spiritual heart of the Cane River Creole community.
- Established
- 1856
- Patron
- St. Augustine (patron saint of founder Nicolas Augustin Metoyer)
- Rector
- Rev. William Gearheard
- Diocese
- Diocese of Alexandria (Louisiana)
Why belong here
St. Augustine invites you into more than two centuries of continuous Catholic worship on the Cane River, in the oldest surviving Black Catholic church in the United States. Worship is warm and rooted: weekday and weekend Masses in a historic church with a 200-year-old bell, a packed calendar of devotions (First Friday and First Saturday Holy Hours, Stations of the Cross in Lent, daily Rosary before Mass, a Sunday Vocation Chalice, Healing Masses), and a thriving youth and family life through CCD, OCIA, the Youth Choir, Altar Servers, and the Men's Prayer Group. Add to that a parish hall that becomes Louisiana's 'finest restaurant' during the annual Creole and Family Festival, an active Confraternity of Christian Mothers in its second century, and outreach through the Parish Care Ministry—and you have a community where belonging runs deep across generations.
Mass times at St. Augustine
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- 30 minutes before each Mass
- Saturdays 4:00–4:45 pm
- By appointment
Adoration times
- First Friday: Holy Hour for one hour following the 8:00 am Mass
- First Saturday: 9:00 am Mass followed by Holy Hour
- Wednesday evenings: Confessions & Adoration 6:30–8:30 pm (with CCD following Mass)
Our History
The parish story is inseparable from the Metoyer family and the Creole de couleur community of Isle Brevelle. Tradition holds that founder Nicolas Augustin Metoyer, after a formative trip to France in 1801, built the first chapel in 1803 with family money and labor; written records document the chapel's blessing by Fr. Jean Baptiste Blanc on July 19, 1829. The mission was raised to a parish in its own right on March 11, 1856, and grew to serve four mission churches. The original chapel was torched by Union forces in May 1864; a second church burned in the early 1900s; the present church was dedicated on February 15, 1917 and rededicated after major renovation on February 25, 2001.
- Built by and for free people of color — first church in Louisiana with that distinction
- First resident pastor: Fr. François Martin, appointed 1856 by his brother Bishop Auguste Marie Martin
- Pastored by the Holy Ghost Fathers (Spiritans), 1913–1990
- Present church dedicated February 15, 1917; rededicated by Bishop Sam Jacobs February 25, 2001
- Original 1829 bell still hangs in the tower and is in use today
- Sisters of Providence served the parish community for 126 years (1889–2015)
Faith Formation: CCD & OCIA
Religious education for children and youth is led by Deloris Jones, the parish's Religious Education Director. The OCIA program welcomes adults seeking initiation into the Catholic Church or wanting to deepen their faith. Both programs run during the school year with catechist enrichment and youth-server recognition events coordinated at the diocesan level.
- CCD: Wednesdays after the 6:00 pm Mass (6:30–7:30 pm)
- OCIA (Adult Initiation): Thursdays 6:00 pm; $20 registration, register by calling 318-379-2521
- Catechist Enrichment Day (Maryhill Renewal Center) — diocesan formation event
- Mass Honoring Altar Servers at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral
Music & Liturgy
Liturgical music at St. Augustine is shaped by the parish's Creole Catholic heritage and a youth choir program. Sister Elizabeth Ann Holmes, SSF, serves as both Teacher and Choir Director.
- Sr. Elizabeth Ann Holmes, SSF — Teacher / Choir Director
- Youth Choir practice every Wednesday 6:00 pm (youth attend Mass on the 3rd Wednesday of each month)
- Sunday 10:30 am Mass as the principal liturgical celebration
Parish Organizations & Lay Life
Lay groups at St. Augustine mix longstanding devotional societies with contemporary small groups. The Christian Mothers, in their second century, anchor women's parish life; the Men's Prayer Group gathers Sundays; the Parish Care Ministry keeps the community linked in prayer.
- Confraternity of Christian Mothers — affiliated with the Archconfraternity November 5, 1922, under the patroness Our Lady of Sorrows
- Men's Prayer Group — Sundays 9:30 am
- Men's Reflection — Saturday 10:00 am–2:00 pm
- Parish Care Ministry — prayer list for the sick and homebound
- AA Meeting — Wednesdays 7:00 pm
- Mass Intention Requests — accepted through the parish office
Mission Chapel — St. Anne, Old River
St. Anne Chapel on Old River is the sole surviving mission of the four founded when St. Augustine was elevated to parish status in 1856. It serves a small surrounding community with Sunday Mass and confession before Mass.
- Address: 3659 Old River Road, Natchitoches, LA 71457
- Sunday Mass: 8:15 am
- Confession: 30 minutes before Mass or by appointment
Creole and Family Festival
Each October, the parish grounds at Isle Brevelle host the Creole and Family Festival (formerly the St. Augustine Catholic Church Annual Fair), a decades-long tradition that turns the parish hall into what the Natchitoches Parish Journal calls 'arguably the finest restaurant in the state of Louisiana.' Descendants of the Cane River Creole families return from across the U.S. and abroad for a weekend of homemade Creole cuisine, Zydeco music, children's games, and the 'Run for Rod' 5K honoring Chad 'Rod' Nelson II.
- Held annually in October at the parish grounds
- Signature foods: meat pies, tamales, red beans and rice, and 100+ gallons of gumbo
- Zydeco artists such as Gerard Delafose and the Zydeco Gators featured
- Inaugural 'Run for Rod' 5K held in 2024; proceeds donated to the parish
- NSU Creole Heritage Center cultural exhibit on site
Visit, Contact, and Plan Your Visit
St. Augustine is located on Highway 484 in the Isle Brevelle community of Natchitoches Parish, within the Cane River National Heritage Area. The parish office is open Wednesday through Friday mornings; livestream Masses and a Mass Intention Request form are available on the parish website.
- Address: 2262 Highway 484, Natchez, LA 71456
- Phone: 318-379-2521
- Email: [email protected]
- Fax: 318-379-6085
- Office hours: Wednesday–Friday, 8:00 am–2:00 pm
- Website: www.staugustinecaneriver.com (with parish livestream)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. François Martin1856–
First resident pastor; installed by his brother, Bishop Auguste Marie Martin, when Isle Brevelle was made a parish in its own right on March 11, 1856.
- Fr. J. Baumgartner1917 dedication
Pastor when the present church structure was dedicated by Bishop Van de Van on February 15, 1917.
- Holy Ghost Fathers (Spiritans)1913–1990
Took charge of the parish in 1913 under Bishop Van de Van; administered it until 1990.
- Fr. Norbert Rosso1970
Pastor who, on June 10, 1970, acquired the oil portrait of founder Augustin Metoyer at the Melrose Plantation auction with an opening bid of $2,000.
- Fr. Victor Vead2001 rededication
Pastor when the church was rededicated by Bishop Sam Jacobs on February 25, 2001, after restoration and remodeling that added an adjoining parish hall and rectory.
- Rev. Charles B. Raymid-2010s
Pastor during the 2016 Jubilee honoring the Sisters of Divine Providence for 126 years of service in Isle Brevelle.
- Rev. William Gearheardpresent
Current pastor.