About St. Bonaventure · Avondale, Louisiana
St. Bonaventure was a Catholic parish of the Archdiocese of New Orleans serving the community of Avondale, Louisiana, in Jefferson Parish on the West Bank of the New Orleans metro area. Founded in 1965, the parish worshipped at 329 S. Jamie Boulevard and offered weekend and daily Mass along with Eucharistic Adoration and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. In 2024, as part of the Archdiocese's pastoral sustainability planning, St. Bonaventure was merged with Our Lady of the Angels in Waggaman to form the new St. John Paul II Parish, with worship now centered at the former Our Lady of the Angels Church.
- Established
- 1965
- Patron
- St. Bonaventure (Bishop and Doctor of the Church)
- Rector
- Father Vincent Phan (pastor of the merged St. John Paul II Parish, formed July 1, 2024)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of New Orleans
Why belong here
St. Bonaventure offered a small, tight-knit West Bank Catholic community rooted in nearly sixty years of service to Avondale. Parishioners gathered for daily and weekend Mass in English (Roman-Latin rite), weekly Wednesday evening Eucharistic Adoration, and regular Confession before Saturday Vigil Mass and on Wednesday evenings. Today, the parish's life continues within the newly formed St. John Paul II Parish, which carries forward St. Bonaventure's ministries and faithful at the former Our Lady of the Angels Church in neighboring Waggaman.
Mass times at St. Bonaventure
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM
- Wednesday 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
Adoration times
- Wednesday 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Parish Identity & Patron
The parish was named for St. Bonaventure (1221–1274), the Franciscan bishop, cardinal, and Doctor of the Church known for balancing intellectual life with the simplicity and poverty of the Franciscan tradition. His feast day is celebrated on July 15. The community worshipped in the Roman-Latin rite of the Archdiocese of New Orleans.
- Patron: St. Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
- Feast Day: July 15
- Rite: Roman-Latin
History & Founding
St. Bonaventure was established in 1965 to serve the growing Catholic population of Avondale on the West Bank of Jefferson Parish. For nearly six decades it maintained a regular schedule of daily and weekend Mass, Adoration, and Reconciliation. Following the 2022 launch of the Archdiocese of New Orleans' Parish Sustainability planning process, St. Bonaventure was identified for merger and, on July 1, 2024, was combined with neighboring Our Lady of the Angels of Waggaman into the new St. John Paul II Parish.
- Established 1965
- Closed/merged July 1, 2024
- Successor parish: St. John Paul II Parish (Waggaman)
- Founding pastor of merged parish: Father Vincent Phan
Clergy & Pastoral Leadership
Father Curtis Thomas served as pastor of St. Bonaventure and was identified in news coverage as a pastor with ties to author Anne Rice and the West Bank Catholic community. With the 2024 merger, pastoral leadership of the Avondale/Waggaman community passed to Father Vincent Phan as the founding pastor of St. John Paul II Parish.
- Father Curtis Thomas — pastor (pre-merger)
- Father Vincent Phan — founding pastor, St. John Paul II Parish (2024– )
Contact & Location
The parish office and church were located on the West Bank of Jefferson Parish, in the New Orleans metropolitan area. Mail and inquiries were directed to the parish's Yahoo address.
- Address: 329 S. Jamie Blvd, Avondale, LA 70094
- Phone: (504) 436-1279
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://stbonaventureavondale.org/
Diocese & Archdiocesan Context
St. Bonaventure belonged to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of New Orleans, which serves the greater New Orleans area including the West Bank of Jefferson Parish. The parish was referenced on the Archdiocese's website in connection with the 2024 merger that formed St. John Paul II Parish alongside Our Lady of the Angels, Waggaman.
- Archdiocese of New Orleans
- Listed at nolacatholic.org as 'St. Bonaventure & Our Lady of the Angels'
2024 Parish Merger into St. John Paul II Parish
As reported by the Clarion Herald, the Archdiocese of New Orleans merged St. Bonaventure (Avondale) with Our Lady of the Angels (Waggaman) effective July 1, 2024. The new St. John Paul II Parish worships at the Our Lady of the Angels Church site, with Father Vincent Phan appointed as founding pastor. The decision followed the multi-year Parish Sustainability review led by Father Charles Benoit with the Catholic Leadership Institute, which analyzed sacramental, financial, staffing, pastoral, and spiritual vitality across every parish of the Archdiocese.
- Merger effective: July 1, 2024
- Worship site: Our Lady of the Angels Church, Waggaman
- Founding pastor: Father Vincent Phan
- Planning process led by Father Charles Benoit (Catholic Leadership Institute)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Curtis Thomas
Identified in news coverage as pastor of St. Bonaventure in Avondale; previously served as pastor of Nativity of Our Lord in Kenner, LA.
- Father Vincent Phan2024–present
Named founding pastor of St. John Paul II Parish, the merged parish formed from St. Bonaventure (Avondale) and Our Lady of the Angels (Waggaman) effective July 1, 2024.