About St. John the Baptist · Zachary, Louisiana
St. John the Baptist Catholic Church is a Latin-Rite Roman Catholic parish in Zachary, Louisiana, belonging to the Diocese of Baton Rouge. It serves the community together with its mission church, Our Lady of the Assumption, in nearby Clinton. The parish grew out of an Acadian-Cajun Catholic community founded by Nova Scotia exiles in 1785 and is today known for a striking 18,000-square-foot worship space that incorporates salvaged artifacts from the 1891 Holy Trinity Church in Syracuse, NY, along with relics of St. John Paul II, St. Teresa of Calcutta, and St. Marianne Cope. Worship is offered in English, with daily and Sunday Mass, Perpetual Help and Divine Mercy devotions, Perpetual Adoration, a full sacramental life, and a robust Religious Education and Youth Ministry program for parish families.
- Established
- 1964
- Patron
- St. John the Baptist
- Rector
- Father Lamar Partin
- Diocese
- Diocese of Baton Rouge
Why belong here
St. John the Baptist offers a deeply rooted, multi-generational Catholic community in the Baton Rouge region, with both weekend Vigil and Sunday Masses, daily Mass, weekday Confession, and a Perpetual Adoration Chapel open seven days a week. Families are supported by Parish Religious Education, Youth Ministry, OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults), Confirmation preparation, sacramental retreats, and ministries such as the Altar Society and Men's Club. It is also a parish where newcomers are visibly welcomed by name — a place that takes its Acadian Catholic heritage seriously and pours it into today's worship, formation, and service.
Mass times at St. John the Baptist
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM (SJB)
- Wednesday 7:45 AM – 7:55 AM (SJB)
- Thursday 7:45 AM – 7:55 AM (SJB)
- Friday 7:45 AM – 7:55 AM (SJB)
- Tuesday 5:30 PM – 6:00 PM (Our Lady of the Assumption, Clinton)
Adoration times
- Perpetual Adoration in the SJB Adoration Chapel: 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM, seven days a week
Pastor's Welcome and Parish Mission
Father Lamar Partin extends a written welcome to the website, inviting visitors to journey with St. John the Baptist in Zachary and its mission church, Our Lady of the Assumption in Clinton. The parish mission is to 'provide a unified Catholic community striving to maintain, promote, and continue the legacy of faith begun by our forefathers.' Father Partin frames the parish's current church as a place built 'to remind ourselves of our rich Catholic heritage' for the next 100 years and signs his welcome 'In the Redeemer.'
- Welcome from Fr. Lamar Partin, current pastor
- Parish Mission: maintain, promote, and continue the legacy of faith begun by our forefathers
- Site intends to help parishioners 'live our baptismal commitment, of loving God, loving our neighbor and loving ourselves'
Our Church History
The parish traces its Catholic roots to 1785, when Nova Scotia–exiled ancestors settled the Baton Rouge area and Port Hudson and worshipped at a chapel named St. John's. The chapel moved in 1870 between Shaffett Lane and Pope Road, then to a site on East Main Street donated by Mrs. John McHugh, before the present property was acquired in 1924. Zachary was incorporated in 1889. Bishop Tracy erected St. John the Baptist as a parish in 1964 with Our Lady of the Assumption in Clinton as a Mission, appointing Monsignor Thomas Cage Gordon as first pastor.
- 1785 – Acadian ancestors from Nova Scotia settle Port Hudson; chapel named St. John's
- 1870 – Chapel relocated between Shaffett Lane and Pope Road
- 1889 – Zachary incorporated as a town
- Third chapel on East Main Street at Old Weis Road, donated by Mrs. John McHugh
- 1924 – Present parish site purchased
- 1964 – St. John the Baptist established as a parish by Bishop Tracy; OLA becomes a mission; Msgr. Thomas Cage Gordon is first pastor
Building the 2017 Church — Heritage from Holy Trinity, Syracuse
Ground was broken on the 18,000-square-foot church in September 2015, and the first Mass and dedication was held on April 30, 2017. Then-pastor Father Jeff Bayhi, hearing on a Rome retreat that Holy Trinity Church in Syracuse, NY (built in 1891 by German immigrants) had been closed, led negotiations with the Diocese of Syracuse to acquire its furnishings. Local preservation rules in Syracuse kept the stained-glass windows from being moved; everything else made the trip south.
- Groundbreaking: September 2015
- First Mass and dedication: April 30, 2017
- 18,000 sq ft; seats 800+; serves a 1,400-family parish
- 27-foot High Altar, 18-foot Crucifix (150+ years old), 200-year-old statue of Mary, baptismal font, and Stations of the Cross — all from Holy Trinity
- Relics of St. Pope John Paul II, St. Teresa of Calcutta, and St. Marianne Cope
- Pastoral history compiled by Mrs. Janet Cavin
Devotions
Beyond daily Mass and Confession, the parish gathers for the Perpetual Help Novena (Tuesday evenings at Our Lady of the Assumption before Mass, and Wednesday mornings after Mass at SJB) and the Divine Mercy Chaplet following Friday morning Mass.
- Perpetual Help Novena — Tuesday 5:30 PM at OLA (before 6:00 PM Mass)
- Perpetual Help Novena — Wednesday after 8:00 AM Mass at SJB
- Divine Mercy Chaplet — Friday after 8:00 AM Mass at SJB
Religious Education and Family Faith Formation
The parish's faith-formation program follows standards set by the Diocese of Baton Rouge and emphasizes the parents' primary responsibility for the religious education of their children, with catechists supporting and supplementing that work. The published Handbook covers mission, criteria for an effective program, mandatory annual Child Protection lessons for all K–11 students, safety procedures (name tags, fire/lockdown/weather drills on the St. John campus), attendance, behavior expectations, and a dress code of modesty for Church activities.
- Parish Religious Education (CCD) for children
- Family Faith Formation
- Faith & Bible Studies for adults
- Parent Resources page
- K–11 Child Protection lessons (Diocesan mandate)
- Safety: name tags, fire/lockdown/severe-weather drills on campus
Youth Ministry and OCIA (Adult Initiation)
The parish maintains a dedicated Youth Ministry for teens alongside its Religious Education program, and offers the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) for adults seeking full communion with the Catholic Church. The Faith Formation landing page links to OCIA, SJB Youth Ministry, parish Religious Ed, and Parent Resources.
- OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults)
- SJB Youth Ministry
- Parent Resources
Organizations and Ministries
Parish life is shaped by a constellation of lay-led organizations covering liturgical service, fellowship, men's fellowship, and stewardship of parish grounds and schedules. Ministry Schedules let parishioners sign up to serve at Mass.
- Liturgical Ministries
- Altar Society
- Men's Club
- Ministry Schedules (online sign-ups)
Our Lady of the Assumption — Mission Church in Clinton
Our Lady of the Assumption in Clinton, Louisiana, has been a mission of St. John the Baptist since the parish was erected in 1964. It hosts a Sunday Mass at 9:00 AM, the Tuesday evening 6:00 PM Mass (with the Perpetual Help Novena beforehand at 5:30 PM), and Confessions on Tuesday from 5:30 to 6:00 PM. First Communion preparation is celebrated at the OLA 9:00 AM Mass.
- Sunday Mass 9:00 AM at OLA
- Tuesday 6:00 PM Mass with Perpetual Help Novena at 5:30 PM
- Tuesday Confessions 5:30–6:00 PM
- Assumption Hall (Clinton) — built in 1974 under Fr. Faschan's tenure
Visit, Contact, and Pastoral Staff
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish office by phone at (225) 654-5778, by email at [email protected], or in person at 4727 McHugh Drive, Zachary, LA 70791 (street address 4826 Main Street). The current pastor is Father Lamar Partin; the parish and its mission are part of the Diocese of Baton Rouge.
- Phone: (225) 654-5778
- Email: [email protected]
- Address: 4727 McHugh Drive (mailing) / 4826 Main Street, Zachary, LA 70791
- Website: https://sjb-ola.org/
- Religious Education email: [email protected]
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Monsignor Thomas Cage Gordon1964–~1967
First pastor; erected as parish by Bishop Tracy with Our Lady of the Assumption as a mission. Built a new church in Clinton and a rectory in Zachary.
- Father Matthew Faschan~1967–1970+
Built the 1974 St. John the Baptist Church, Parish Hall, and classrooms, plus Assumption Hall in Clinton; 1977 rectory addition for parish offices.
- Father Robert Stine
Listed among the parish's memorable pastors.
- Father Henry Vavasseur
Listed among the parish's memorable pastors.
- Father Tom Duhé
Listed among the parish's memorable pastors.
- Father Louis Oubre
Listed among the parish's memorable pastors.
- Father Kenneth Laird
Listed among the parish's memorable pastors.
- Father Victor Messina
Listed among the parish's memorable pastors.
- Father Christopher Roussell
Listed among the parish's memorable pastors.
- Monsignor Gerald LeFebvre
Listed among the parish's memorable pastors.
- Father M. Jeffery Bayhi
Led the construction and 2017 dedication of the current church, including the acquisition of Holy Trinity's salvaged artifacts.
- Father Lamar Partinpresent
Current pastor.