About St. Joan of Arc · Louisville, Georgia
St. Joan of Arc is a small Catholic parish located at 2604 US Highway 1 North in Louisville, the seat of Jefferson County, Georgia. It belongs to the Diocese of Savannah (Augusta Deanery) and is one of the few Catholic communities serving the rural Louisville area, with Mass offered in both English and Spanish to serve a diverse congregation. The parish began as a handful of Catholic families gathering for Sunday Mass in private homes and has been shepherded over the decades by the Glenmary Home Mission Society and then the Missionary Society of St. Paul (Missionaries of St. Paul, M.S.P.). Today it continues as a mission-minded parish rooted in a history of religious-order pastoral care.
- Patron
- St. Joan of Arc
- Rector
- Father Patrick Otor, MSP
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah
Why belong here
St. Joan of Arc is a small, mission-rooted Catholic community in rural Jefferson County with weekly Mass in both English (Sunday morning) and Spanish (Saturday evening), making it a welcoming spiritual home for the area's bilingual Catholic families. Its history of being served by mission societies — first the Glenmary Home Mission Society and then the Missionaries of St. Paul — gives the parish a deeply missionary identity, and as of 2022 it was brought under direct diocesan pastoral care. Visitors and parishioners who value an intimate parish family, a mission heritage, and bilingual liturgy will find a warm home here.
Mass times at St. Joan of Arc
Weekly Mass schedule
Parish History
St. Joan of Arc began with a handful of Catholic families coming together for Sunday Mass in homes in Louisville, under the pastoral leadership of priests of the Glenmary Home Mission Society. The Glenmary priests cared for the parish for many years, assisted by the generous support of Mr. and Mrs. Herman Heidrich. When the Glenmary Society suffered a decline in vocations, they withdrew from the parish, and for some years there was no resident priest — clergy from nearby towns traveled in to celebrate Mass for parishioners. The Bishop of Savannah then invited the Missionary Society of St. Paul (Missionaries of St. Paul, M.S.P.) to assume pastoral leadership, and they shepherded the parish faithfully for decades. In 2022, the parish welcomed its first diocesan priest from the Diocese of Savannah as pastor.
- Founded from Catholic families gathering for Mass in private homes in Louisville.
- Pastored initially by the Glenmary Home Mission Society.
- Supported by Mr. and Mrs. Herman Heidrich during the Glenmary years.
- Later pastored for decades by the Missionaries of St. Paul (M.S.P.).
- In 2022, received its first diocesan priest from the Diocese of Savannah.
Pastoral Leadership & Clergy
The parish's official website lists Father Patrick Otor, MSP as pastor. (Note: the Diocese of Savannah's July 2022 clergy appointments record reassigned Fr. Patrick Otor from the Louisville/Waynesboro cluster to St. Benedict the Moor in Columbus; the parish's own site still lists him as pastor and has not been confirmed updated since.) The parish has historically been served by religious-order clergy — first the Glenmary Home Mission Society and then the Missionaries of St. Paul — before transitioning to direct diocesan pastoral care in 2022.
- Father Patrick Otor, MSP — Pastor (per parish website).
- Past pastoral care by the Glenmary Home Mission Society (decades).
- Past pastoral care by the Missionaries of St. Paul (decades).
- Interregnum period served by visiting priests from nearby towns.
Visit & Contact Information
St. Joan of Arc is located on US Highway 1 North in Louisville, the county seat of Jefferson County, Georgia. The parish can be reached by phone during parish hours, and correspondence with the pastor can be directed to the email address listed on the parish's official website.
- Address: 2604 US Hwy 1 North, Louisville, GA 30434.
- Parish phone: (478) 625-3433.
- Pastor's email: [email protected].
- Website: http://stjoansjc.wixsite.com/stjoanslouisvillega.
- Located in Jefferson County, Georgia, within the Diocese of Savannah's Augusta Deanery.
Diocese of Savannah
St. Joan of Arc is one of the parishes of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah, the Latin Catholic diocese covering the southern portion of the state of Georgia. It belongs to the diocese's Augusta Deanery. The parish is featured in the diocese's online parish directory, which publishes its contact details, Mass schedule, and a brief parish history.
- Diocese: Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah.
- Deanery: Augusta.
- Diocese parish directory listing includes address, phone, and Mass times.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Glenmary Home Mission Society priestsmany years (decades)
First pastoral leaders of the parish; supported by Mr. and Mrs. Herman Heidrich. Eventually withdrew due to declining Glenmary vocations.
- Priests from nearby towns (no resident priest)some years after Glenmary withdrawal
Traveled in to celebrate Mass for parishioners during an interregnum without a resident pastor.
- Missionary Society of St. Paul (Missionaries of St. Paul, M.S.P.)decades until 2022
Took over pastoral leadership after the Bishop of Savannah asked them; shepherded the parish for decades.
- Father Patrick Otor, MSPfrom 2022 (per parish website listing)
Listed as pastor on the parish's official website. In July 2022 diocesan appointment listings he was reassigned from Louisville/Waynesboro to St. Benedict the Moor, Columbus, so the parish's own website may not yet reflect a subsequent change.