St. Francis de Sales Oratory

Welcome to St. Francis de Sales Oratory

St. Francis de Sales Oratory is a Catholic oratory in the Diocese of Lake Charles served by the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. Canon Olivier Meney, Rector, invites the faithful to join in celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in the Extraordinary Form (Traditional Latin Mass). The oratory offers Mass, Confession, the full range of sacraments, Vespers and Benediction, Adoration, Catechism, and a vibrant community of sodalities — all rooted in the traditional liturgy and spirituality of the Institute.

• Clergy: Canon Olivier Meney, Rector; Abbé Gilbert Repunte, Clerical Oblate
• Address: 802 S. Huntington Street, Sulphur, LA 70663
• Diocese: Diocese of Lake Charles
• Served by: Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest
• Exclusive celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass (Extraordinary Form)

Other Sacraments

Canon Meney is available to administer all the sacraments in the Extraordinary Form, including Baptism, Matrimony (Weddings), Extreme Unction (Anointing of the Sick), and Funeral rites. First Holy Communion and Confirmation are scheduled annually (for example, Confirmations were announced for May 2026 in the bulletin). Families should contact the oratory directly to schedule.

• Baptism in the Extraordinary Form
• Matrimony in the Traditional Latin Form
• Extreme Unction (Anointing of the Sick)
• Funeral rites in the Extraordinary Form
• First Holy Communion and Confirmation (annual)

Our Story — From Mission Chapel to Oratory

The building at 802 S. Huntington Street has lived three lives. It began as the second Catholic church of Sulphur — the 1922–1924 Spanish mission-style structure that replaced an 1907 wooden mission chapel and served as Our Lady of Prompt Succor Catholic Church from 1919 onward. In the mid-1980s it was sold and converted into the Sulphur Judicial Center, a civic role it filled for nearly four decades. In early 2020, at the invitation of Bishop Glen John Provost, the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest took possession of the building and began an extensive renovation to return it to sacred use. Despite extensive roof damage caused by Hurricane Laura in August 2020, the inaugural Solemn High Mass was celebrated on Palm Sunday weekend, March 27, 2021. Bishop Provost chose the name St. Francis de Sales to revive a name that had been venerated in Southwest Louisiana since 1858 — when the first Catholic mission in Lake Charles, which would become Immaculate Conception parish, also bore the patronage of the great Doctor of the Church and author of Introduction to the Devout Life.

• 1907: First Catholic mission chapel in Sulphur built by Monsignor Hubert Cramers
• June 29, 1919: Mission elevated to parish of Our Lady of Prompt Succor by Bishop Jules B. Jeanmard; Rev. Joseph LeBerre first pastor
• 1921: LaSalette Missionaries entrusted with the parish
• 1922–1924: Second church built in Spanish mission style; blessed by Bishop Jeanmard October 1924
• Mid-1980s: Building sold and repurposed as the Sulphur Judicial Center
• January 2020: Canon Jean-Marie Moreau arrives as founding rector
• August 2020: Hurricane Laura damages the new roof mid-renovation
• March 27, 2021: Solemn blessing by Bishop Provost; inaugural Solemn High Mass; palms and plumeria blessed and planted
• Baroque reredos installed above the altar (commissioned from monastic builders)
• March 2025: Canon Moreau reassigned to Reno, NV; Canon Olivier Meney succeeds him as rector

Parish Life and Sodalities

Beyond the sanctuary, the oratory is home to a tight-knit community of faithful Catholics who serve one another and the wider Diocese of Lake Charles. Three sodalities in particular define the parish's lay life — Sursum Corda for young adults, Our Lady's Helpers for women, and St. Martha's Helpers for those who assist the priests with meals — alongside an active Pro-Life apostolate.

Clergy and Staff

The oratory is served by members of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, a clerical religious society of apostolic life dedicated to serving the Church and promoting the glory of Christ the King through the sanctification of priests and the faithful. The Institute's leadership is based in Chicago.

• Vicar General and Delegate for the United States: Very Rev. Monsignor Michael Schmitz
• Provincial Superior (U.S.): Reverend Canon Matthew Talarico
• Rector, St. Francis de Sales Oratory: Reverend Canon Olivier Meney
• Clerical Oblate: Abbé Gilbert Repunte

Sacred Music and Liturgy

The Traditional Latin Mass at the oratory is sung using the Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony proper to the Extraordinary Form. The inaugural Mass was celebrated with a choir of seven singers from the Notre Dame Seminary Schola Cantorum under the direction of Mr. Max C. Tenney, Director of Sacred Music at Notre Dame Seminary. This tradition of sacred music continues to enrich the Solemn High Mass celebrated each Sunday at 10:30 AM.

• Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony
• Solemn High Mass on Sundays at 10:30 AM
• Liturgy in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite

Facilities and Future Plans

Beyond the sanctuary and the historic 1924 building, the oratory is developing its grounds to serve the wider parish community. A new 5,000-square-foot, 2½-story Parish Hall Community Center has been planned for the property at 802 S. Huntington Street, to be built on a portion of the existing church property. The hall will provide a large multipurpose gathering space, a parish office, two to three Sunday-school classrooms, a catering kitchen, restrooms, mechanical rooms, and storage. It is intended as a venue for catechism, receptions, conferences, sacred-music concerts, and other stewardship and educational events for the broader community.

• Planned 5,000 sq ft Parish Hall / Community Center
• Multipurpose gathering space, parish office, Sunday-school classrooms, catering kitchen
• Estimated program length: about two years, subject to permitting, fundraising, and market conditions

Stay Connected

Parishioners and visitors are encouraged to keep up with the oratory through its weekly bulletins (posted as PDFs on the official website), its Flocknote text alerts, its Facebook page, and its diocesan listing on the Diocese of Lake Charles website. Texting ORATORY01 to 84576 subscribes to the oratory's Flocknote updates.

• Official website: https://institute-christ-king.org/sulphur-home
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SFDSulphur/
• Weekly bulletins (PDF): https://institute-christ-king.org/images/sulphur/bulletins/
• Flocknote: Text ORATORY01 to 84576
• Diocese listing: http://www.lcdiocese.org/diocesan-parishes/938-st-francis-de-sales-oratory