About St. Elizabeth · Paincourtville, Louisiana
St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church is a historic Roman Catholic parish in Paincourtville, Louisiana (Assumption Parish) on Bayou Lafourche, founded in 1840 and a fixture of the local Cajun-Catholic community for nearly two centuries. The present Gothic church — the third on the site — was dedicated in 1902 and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1983. Since 2000 the parish has been clustered with neighboring St. Jules in Belle Rose, with the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette (IMS) currently serving as pastor and a permanent deacon assisting across both communities. (Source: diobr.org, Wikipedia, sesjchurch.com)
- Established
- 1840
- Patron
- St. Elizabeth of Hungary
- Rector
- Very Rev. Tomi Thomas, IMS, V.F.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Baton Rouge
Why belong here
St. Elizabeth offers the full rhythm of Catholic life on Bayou Lafourche — a daily and Sunday Mass schedule that alternates between the historic Paincourtville church and the clustered St. Jules in Belle Rose, weekly PSR faith formation for K–11, an active RCIA and Adult Confirmation process, a Knights of Columbus council, a King's Men group, Eucharistic Adoration, regular Reconciliation, ongoing Bible Studies, and a parish school whose roots go back to the Sisters of Mount Carmel in 1876. It is a congregation with deep regional roots that still calls its members to service and scholarship in the name of its patron, St. Elizabeth of Hungary.
Mass times at St. Elizabeth
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Reconciliation: scheduled — see parish bulletin / sesjchurch.com for current times
Adoration times
- Eucharistic Adoration: scheduled — see parish bulletin / sesjchurch.com for current times
St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church — Overview
St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church is a historic Roman Catholic parish in Paincourtville, Assumption Parish, Louisiana, on Bayou Lafourche. Founded in 1840 on land donated by Miss Elizabeth Dugas, the parish is the spiritual home of a multi-generation Cajun-Catholic community along the bayou. Its current brick Gothic church was dedicated in 1902 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 (NRHP #83000486). Since 2000 the parish has been clustered with St. Jules in Belle Rose, and today both communities are shepherded by the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette, with Very Rev. Tomi Thomas, IMS, V.F. serving as pastor and Deacon Ehren G. Oschwald assisting.
Founding and Early History (1840–1866)
The first St. Elizabeth Church was blessed on March 27, 1840 by Bishop Antoine Blanc of New Orleans. For its first four years the flock was tended by Vincentian (C.M.) Fathers commuting from the diocesan seminary at Plattenville, while six mission chapels across the bayou — Brusly St. Vincent, Brusly St. Martin, Brusly St. Landry, Brusly des Olivers, Pierre Part and La Belle Rivere — depended on the new mother church. In 1844 Père A. Andrieu (C.M.) became the parish's first resident pastor. The original wooden structure was destroyed by fire in 1854 and quickly replaced by a larger wooden church.
The La Saichere Era and the Schools (1867–early 1900s)
Father Jean Baptiste La Saichere became pastor in 1867 and immediately set about shaping the parish's educational future. In 1876 he wrote to the Sisters of Mount Carmel in New Orleans inviting them to found a convent and a boarding-and-day school for the girls of Paincourtville; five sisters arrived on May 10, 1876 under Mother Alix Lacroix. The school was oversubscribed within a year, fairs funded a new convent, and the La Saichere family name would also appear across the bayou — Father Marie Ange Lessaichere laid the foundation for the mission chapel of St. Martin of Tours in Bruly St. Martin in 1879. When yellow fever ravaged the parish in 1878, young Sister Valerie walked the countryside nursing the sick from October into December, often alone. Both La Saichere brothers are entombed beneath the Gothic church their families helped inspire.
The 1902 Gothic Church
Architect F. B. Dicharry designed the present brick basilica-plan Gothic church — modeled on the church at Ploubalay, Brittany — and it was dedicated in 1902. The interior features delicate columns, gilt-stenciled wall designs, stained-glass windows (1906–1910), and three semi-hexagonal apses; many of the windows depict the sacraments and contain the faces of early priests. The marble high altar was imported from Italy in 1953. The church's original two magnificent spires were lost in the September 1909 Grand Isle hurricane and have never been rebuilt.
National Register of Historic Places
St. Elizabeth Catholic Church was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on March 24, 1983 (reference #83000486). The NRHP nomination records its brick Gothic basilica plan, twin towers, small transept, three apses, c. 1906–1910 stained glass, and the loss of the original spires in the 1909 hurricane as defining features.
The Heresy Paintings and the Bell 'La Belle Armelise'
Two signature 'artworks' draw the eye. Inside the sanctuary, ten monstrous creatures painted high on the side walls warn the faithful of the great heresies that have assailed the Church across the centuries — these were painted by two Mexican refugees, one of them a priest named Father Gauhl. Outside the building, the 1876 bronze bell 'La Belle Armelise' — given by Armelise Dugas — hangs in the churchyard on a special steel scaffold because it is too large to fit either of the church's two towers.
Clergy Today
- Very Rev. Tomi Thomas, IMS, V.F. — Pastor; Dean of the South Deanery ([email protected])
- Deacon Ehren G. Oschwald — Deacon Assistant ([email protected])
Cluster with St. Jules, Belle Rose (2000)
Since 2000 the ecclesiastical parishes of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Paincourtville, and St. Jules, Belle Rose have been clustered and share a pastor. The Mass schedule alternates between the two churches and assigns daily Masses between them so that both historic interiors remain in regular use.
Devotions and Other Services
- Novena to the Holy Spirit
- Novena in Memory of Pope Francis
- Lenten Bible Study (six-week series; morning session at Mount Carmel Hall in Paincourtville, evening session at Assumption of Mary Hall in Belle Rose)
- Rosary resources posted on the parish website
Faith Formation — PSR, RCIA, Confirmation
The Parish School of Religion (PSR) registers students in grades K through 11 each year, with both online and printable forms available at sesjchurch.com. Adult Confirmation and the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) are likewise promoted through dedicated online forms. High-school youth (9th–11th) are called to choose one of the altar-service ministries — altar server, reader, or usher — with youth ministry training held on the weekend of August 27–28 and additional altar-server training on August 18 and 22; youth in 12th grade and up may add Eucharistic Ministry once confirmed.
St. Elizabeth School (Interparochial)
The parish school is the direct descendant of the boarding-and-day school founded by the Sisters of Mount Carmel in 1876 at Fr. Jean Baptiste La Saichere's invitation. The first lay principal was Mark Bergeron, and in 1964 Bishop Robert E. Tracy, leading the Diocese of Baton Rouge, acquired the property, establishing St. Elizabeth Interparochial School to serve Assumption Parish. In 2005 Father Jason Labbé was instrumental in welcoming Carmelite sisters back into the school community. The parish now maintains a Catholic Education Scholarship fund (minimum $1,000 per scholarship) for St. Elizabeth School and any Catholic high school.
Parish Ministries and Service Groups
- Altar Servers
- Lectors / Readers
- Ushers
- Eucharistic Ministers
- Knights of Columbus (sign-up information on the parish website)
- King's Men
- PSR (Parish School of Religion, K–11)
- RCIA and Adult Confirmation
- Lenten Bible Study
- Catholic Education Scholarship Program
Sacraments and Sacramental Records
- Baptism — registration form via sesjchurch.com
- First Reconciliation / First Communion — through PSR or St. Elizabeth School
- Confirmation — youth ministry formation and Adult Confirmation process
- Matrimony — contact the parish office
- Anointing of the Sick — contact the parish office
- Reconciliation — published schedule plus on-call availability
- Mass Requests / Mass Stipends — request form available on sesjchurch.com
175th Anniversary Celebration
On November 14, 2015 the parish marked 175 years since the 1840 blessing of the first church. Bishop Robert W. Muenez (then Bishop Robert W. Muench) presided at the Eucharistic celebration alongside Pastor Father Andrew Merrick and the faithful. Members of the Sisters of Mount Carmel returned for the occasion, recognizing the lasting impact of their 1876 foundation at the parish.
Contact and Information
- Parish Office Phone: (225) 473-8569
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://sesjchurch.com
- Address: 119 LA Highway 403, Paincourtville, Louisiana 70391
- Pastor email: [email protected]
- Deacon email: [email protected]
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sesjchurch
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. A. Andrieu (Père Andrieux), C.M.1844
First resident pastor; Vincentian previously tended the mission from the Plattenville seminary.
- Fr. Jean Baptiste La Saichere (Lesaichere)from 1867
Wrote to the Sisters of Mount Carmel in 1876 inviting them to found the parish convent and school.
- Fr. Marie Ange Lessaichereserved c. 1879
Brother of Jean Baptiste; oversaw the building of the mission chapel of St. Martin of Tours in Bruly St. Martin.
- Fr. Jason Labbéserving 2005
Instrumental in bringing Carmelite sisters back into St. Elizabeth School.
- Very Rev. Tomi Thomas, IMS, V.F.present
Missionary of Our Lady of La Salette; serves both clustered parishes.