About St. Frances of Rome · Elizabeth, Louisiana
St. Frances of Rome Catholic Church is a small mission parish located at 204 Poplar Street in the historic sawmill village of Elizabeth, Louisiana, in Allen Parish. It is administered as a mission of Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church in nearby Oakdale, within the Diocese of Lake Charles. Weekly Sunday Mass is celebrated at 8:00 a.m. in this tight-knit rural community that grew up around the Industrial Lumber Company's long-leaf pine operation in the early 20th century. The parish is currently served by Reverend Vijaya Prakash Peddoju, H.G.N., a member of the Heralds of Good News missionary society.
- Patron
- St. Frances of Rome
- Rector
- Reverend Vijaya Prakash Peddoju, H.G.N.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lake Charles
Why belong here
St. Frances of Rome is a welcoming rural mission where the small Catholic community of Elizabeth gathers each Sunday for Mass and continues a Catholic tradition that goes back to the earliest days of the lumber-company town. Because it is paired with Sacred Heart of Jesus in Oakdale, parishioners benefit from a full parish office, religious education program, and sacramental support, while still enjoying the close-knit feel of a village chapel. It is an ideal place for Catholics in western Allen Parish to worship close to home and to participate in the wider life of the Diocese of Lake Charles.
Mass times at St. Frances of Rome
Weekly Mass schedule
Parish Identity & Location
St. Frances of Rome Catholic Church sits at 204 Poplar Street in the village of Elizabeth, Allen Parish, Louisiana, ZIP 70638. Although it is a small mission rather than a standalone parish, it is a fully listed Catholic community within the Diocese of Lake Charles and is given its own page on the diocesan directory. Visitors and parishioners typically reach the parish office through Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church in Oakdale (telephone 318-335-3780, fax 318-335-0708), which provides pastoral, secretarial, and sacramental support.
- Address: 204 Poplar Street, Elizabeth, LA 70638
- Phone: 318-335-3780
- Fax: 318-335-0708
- Parent parish: Sacred Heart of Jesus, Oakdale
- Diocese: Lake Charles
A Mission of Sacred Heart of Jesus, Oakdale
St. Frances of Rome is listed in the Diocese of Lake Charles 2024–2025 Directory as the mission of Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church in Oakdale. Sacred Heart was established in 1948 and is part of the East Deanery; it shares its pastor, office staff, religious education program, and telephone numbers with the Elizabeth mission. Parishioners of St. Frances of Rome participate in diocesan-wide events and sacramental preparation through Sacred Heart's office in Oakdale (1208 East Seventh Avenue, P.O. Box 926, Oakdale, LA 71463).
- Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish founded 1948 (East Deanery)
- Number of families in Sacred Heart Parish: 201
- Sacred Heart Office Hours: Monday–Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
- Sacred Heart email: [email protected]; pastor email: [email protected]
Pastor and Staff
The parish is served by Reverend Vijaya Prakash Peddoju, H.G.N., a priest of the Heralds of Good News missionary society. According to the Heralds of Good News directory, Father Peddoju (born May 15, 1985) made his First Profession of Vows on June 3, 2006, was ordained a deacon on May 7, 2009, and ordained a priest on April 19, 2010. He is also a member of the Presbyteral Council of the Diocese of Lake Charles. Sacred Heart's lay staff — Secretary Guy Arnold, Bookkeeper Megan Soileau, and Coordinator of Religious Education/Safe Environment Coordinator Phyllis Crawford — also serve the Elizabeth mission.
- Pastor: Rev. Vijaya Prakash Peddoju, H.G.N.
- Secretary: Guy Arnold
- Bookkeeper: Megan Soileau
- Coordinator of Religious Education / Safe Environment: Phyllis Crawford
Sacraments
As a mission of Sacred Heart of Jesus, St. Frances of Rome offers baptisms and marriages by appointment, coordinated through the Oakdale parish office. Couples preparing for marriage and families preparing for infant baptism should contact the parish secretary at 318-335-3780 in advance so that required preparation and paperwork can be arranged. Funerals and other sacramental needs are likewise cared for by Father Peddoju and the Sacred Heart staff.
- Baptism: by appointment through Sacred Heart of Jesus, Oakdale
- Marriage: by appointment through Sacred Heart of Jesus, Oakdale
History of the Village of Elizabeth
The Catholic community of Elizabeth grew up alongside the town itself. The Industrial Lumber Company acquired roughly 70,000 acres of long-leaf yellow pine in 1905, platted the town of Elizabeth in 1906–1907, and began operating its enormous sawmill in 1909. The company built workers' cottages, a hotel, a commissary, and a hospital (the latter, built c. 1924, is now on the National Register of Historic Places as the Elizabeth Hospital Building). Elizabeth was named for the daughter of Sam Parks, one of the company's founders. The company's mill operated until 1942; the town was later home to the Calcasieu Paper Company and Jacksonville Paper Company. The 1985 National Register nomination for the hospital building described the surviving community as including 'the company-built Methodist church, and "a Catholic church which may or may not have been built by Industrial."' This is the building now known as St. Frances of Rome. Elizabeth was incorporated in 1964 (the fifth town in Allen Parish) and continues to market itself as 'The Front Porch Community.'
- Town founded 1906–1907 by Industrial Lumber Company
- Sawmill began operation 1909
- Industrial Lumber Company ceased mill operations 1942
- Elizabeth incorporated January 23, 1964
- Elizabeth Hospital Building listed on the NRHP January 18, 1985 (reference 85000092)
The Patron: St. Frances of Rome
The parish's patroness is St. Frances of Rome (Francesca Bussa de' Leoni, 1384–1440), an Italian Catholic mystic and Benedictine oblate. A married noblewoman, she founded the Olivetan Oblates of Mary on the feast of the Assumption in 1425 and established the Monastery of Tor de' Specchi in Rome in 1433, a community of women oblates who combined prayer with service to the sick and poor without taking formal vows. After her husband's death in 1436 she became superior of the community; she died on March 9, 1440. She was canonized by Pope Paul V on May 9, 1608. Her feast day is celebrated on March 9. In 1925 Pope Pius XI declared her patron saint of automobile drivers because of a legend that an angel lit her path with a lantern when she traveled at night. She is also patron of Benedictine oblates and of widows.
- Born 1384 in Rome
- Died March 9, 1440 in Rome
- Feast day: March 9
- Canonized May 9, 1608 by Pope Paul V
- Founder of the Oblate Congregation of Tor de' Specchi (1433)
- Patron of automobile drivers, Benedictine oblates, and widows
Diocese of Lake Charles
St. Frances of Rome belongs to the Diocese of Lake Charles, led by Bishop Glen John Provost, D.D., M.A. The diocese is divided into geographic deaneries; Sacred Heart of Jesus in Oakdale — and therefore its mission St. Frances of Rome — is part of the East Deanery. The diocese's central offices are located in Lake Charles and oversee 38 parishes and missions across the civil parishes of Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Jefferson Davis, and Vernon.
- Diocese: Lake Charles
- Bishop: Most Reverend Glen John Provost, D.D., M.A.
- Deanery: East Deanery
- Parent parish: Sacred Heart of Jesus, Oakdale (East Deanery, est. 1948)