About St. Catherine of Alexandria · Arnaudville, Louisiana
St. Catherine of Alexandria is a Catholic parish in Arnaudville, Louisiana, part of the Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana and clustered with the neighboring St. John Francis Regis parish under a single pastoral team. The parish sits along Bayou Teche in the heart of Acadiana, a Cajun-heritage community where the Catholic faith is deeply intertwined with local culture. Sunday Masses are offered at 7:00 AM and 8:30 AM, with a Monday morning Mass and weekday adoration at the historic Adoration Chapel housed in the old convent. The parish is a hub for the annual Fête-Dieu du Teche, the Assumption-day Eucharistic boat procession that retraces the Acadian journey down the Teche.
- Established
- 1949
- Patron
- St. Catherine of Alexandria
- Rector
- Father Abadie
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana
Why belong here
St. Catherine of Alexandria offers a warm Cajun-Catholic community along Bayou Teche where the Faith is lived out alongside local Acadian culture. The parish celebrates Sunday Masses at 7:00 AM and 8:30 AM, hosts a Monday morning Mass with confessions and adoration, and maintains an Adoration Chapel in the old convent for Eucharistic devotion. It is one of the host churches on the annual Fête-Dieu du Teche Assumption-day boat procession, and it runs a food pantry partnered with Second Harvest Food Bank — making it a parish where worship, heritage, and outreach go hand in hand.
Mass times at St. Catherine of Alexandria
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday 8:00 – 8:25 AM (before 8:30 AM Mass at St. Catherine)
- Sunday 8:00 – 8:25 AM (before 8:30 AM Mass at St. Catherine)
Adoration times
- Monday 7:00 – 7:55 AM (Adoration Chapel in the old convent, Main St. & Camp St.)
Parish Identity & Mission
The parish's stated mission, as published on its website, is: "We exist for the glory of God and the salvation of souls through the Sacraments and through the authentic teachings of Holy Mother Church." St. Catherine of Alexandria is one of two clustered parishes served from the same office — along with St. John Francis Regis — under Father Abadie, with the parish office located at 232 Main St., P.O. Box 649, Arnaudville, LA 70512.
- Phone: (337) 754-5912 — Fax: (337) 754-7203
- Parish office contact: Betty Sanders
Baptism Preparation
St. Catherine of Alexandria welcomes parents seeking Baptism for their children. As the parish explains, "Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit…, and the door which gives access to the other sacraments." All paperwork must be submitted to the Parish Office and signed by Father Abadie before a baptism can be scheduled. Parents are expected to attend a baptism formation program, unless completed within the last five years or waived by the pastor.
- Contact: Betty Sanders — 337-754-5912 — [email protected]
- Sponsor must be a fully initiated, confirmed Catholic at least 16 years of age living a visible Catholic life
- A Christian witness from a non-Catholic denomination may serve alongside a Catholic sponsor
- Baptismal Interview form available to print and submit or complete online
Fête-Dieu du Teche — Assumption Day Boat Procession
Every year on August 15, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the parish joins the Fête-Dieu du Teche — a 37-mile Eucharistic boat procession down Bayou Teche that retraces the Acadian journey of 1765. The day begins with an 8:00 AM French Mass celebrated by Bishop J. Douglas Deshotel at St. Leo's Catholic Church in Leonville. The procession moves by boat up the Teche, stopping at Arnaudville (St. Francis Regis), Cecilia, Breaux Bridge, and Parks for the Rosary and Benediction. Priests are available for Confessions at every stop, and Pope Francis has granted a plenary indulgence to participants.
- Begins: 8:00 AM French Mass at St. Leo's, Leonville
- Boat procession departs 9:30 AM
- Arnaudville stop: St. Francis Regis, 232 Main St, Arnaudville, LA
- Founded 2015 by Father Michael Champagne of the Community of Jesus Crucified
- Plenary indulgence granted by Pope Francis
Acadian Catholic Heritage
The Fête-Dieu du Teche was launched in 2015 with diocesan approval by Father Michael Champagne to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the arrival of the Louisiana Acadians — French Catholics persecuted for their faith and expelled from Nova Scotia after the French and Indian War. In 1765, French Capuchin Father Jean-François Civrey accompanied the Acadians down the Bayou Teche to found St. Martin de Tours Church in St. Martinville. St. Catherine of Alexandria continues this tradition today, praying the Rosary in French and hosting one of the boat procession's key stops along the historic bayou.
- Patroness of the Acadian people: Our Lady of the Assumption
- Rosary prayed in French
- Partnered with the Community of Jesus Crucified
Outreach & Community
Beyond the sanctuary, St. Catherine of Alexandria is rooted in community life along the Teche. The parish runs a community food pantry in partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank and hosts an annual Étouffée Festival. It also sponsors "Theology on the Bayou," a summer lecture series held at Bayou Teche Brewing in Arnaudville featuring local priests speaking on Catholic topics such as the lives of the saints, relics and devotion, and canonization causes.
- Community Food Pantry — partnered with Second Harvest Food Bank
- Annual Étouffée Festival
- Theology on the Bayou — lecture series at Bayou Teche Brewing
Diocese & Wider Church
St. Catherine of Alexandria belongs to the Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana, currently led by Bishop J. Douglas Deshotel. The diocese serves the Acadiana region — a cluster of Cajun parishes along Bayou Teche and the Atchafalaya Basin. St. Catherine's shares pastoral coverage and facilities with the neighboring St. John Francis Regis parish in Arnaudville, both served from the same parish office at 232 Main Street.
- Diocese: Lafayette in Louisiana
- Bishop: Most Rev. J. Douglas Deshotel, D.D.
- Clustered parish: St. John Francis Regis, 232 Main St., Arnaudville