About St. Joseph · Le Bleu, Louisiana
St. Joseph Catholic Mission is a small rural mission chapel in the historic LeBleu Settlement of southwest Louisiana, listed by the Diocese of Lake Charles as a diocesan mission parish. It serves as the dependent mission chapel of Saint Raphael Catholic Church in nearby Iowa, Louisiana, sharing the same pastor, mailing address, office phone, and Sunday worship schedule. Sunday Mass is celebrated at 8:30 a.m. at the mission chapel on Claude Hebert Road, and the chapel is otherwise administered through Saint Raphael's parish office on South Thomson Avenue in Iowa.
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Rector
- Reverend Anthony Fontenot
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lake Charles
Why belong here
St. Joseph Catholic Mission offers a quiet, traditional Sunday Mass in one of the oldest settled communities in southwest Louisiana. As a mission chapel of Saint Raphael Parish in Iowa, it brings the Eucharist to the rural LeBleu Settlement on Claude Hebert Road — a small, country Catholic community where members can know their neighbors and be known. Visitors and parishioners are cared for through the Saint Raphael parish office, which keeps regular weekday hours and shares the same phone, mailing address, and pastoral team.
Mass times at St. Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 30 minutes before Mass (per Saint Raphael Parish schedule, which the mission shares)
St. Joseph Catholic Mission at a Glance
St. Joseph is a mission chapel under Saint Raphael Parish in Iowa, Louisiana, situated in the historic LeBleu Settlement of Calcasieu Parish. The Diocese of Lake Charles lists it as a diocesan mission with one Sunday Mass per week at 8:30 a.m. All administration — including mail, telephone, and sacramental coordination — flows through the Saint Raphael Catholic Church parish office.
- Type: Catholic Mission
- Diocese: Lake Charles
- Parent parish: Saint Raphael, Iowa, Louisiana
- Sunday Mass: 8:30 a.m.
- Phone (via St. Raphael office): (337) 582-3503
History & Heritage of the LeBleu Settlement
The mission sits in one of the oldest European-settled areas in southwest Louisiana. The LeBleu family — originally from Bordeaux, France — settled along English Bayou east of present-day Lake Charles around 1781 after crossing the Calcasieu River from the east. Their son Arsene LeBleu, the first white man born in the Calcasieu area (Oct. 30, 1789), established his homestead at the crossroads of the Calcasieu River, the Opelousas Trail, and the Old Spanish Trail. Arsene organized the first police jury of Imperial Calcasieu Parish at his home on August 24, 1840. The unincorporated area that bears the family name — LeBleu Settlement — has remained a small, rural community in present-day Calcasieu Parish, and St. Joseph Mission continues the Catholic presence on Claude Hebert Road that serves that historic settlement.
- Bartheleme Blaise LeBleu: first permanent European settler of the Calcasieu region (ca. 1781).
- Family origin: Bordeaux, France (Louis LeBleu and Marie Gentils).
- Arsene LeBleu: first white man born in Calcasieu area; organized first Calcasieu police jury in 1840.
- Arsene's friend Resin Bowie was godfather ('Parain') to Arsene's son; brother James Bowie became the famous knife-fighter.
- Jean Laffite is recorded visiting Arsene's household on Lake Charles, docking near the shell mounds.
Clergy & Pastoral Leadership
St. Joseph Mission does not have its own resident priest. Pastoral care is provided through Saint Raphael Parish in Iowa, Louisiana, whose pastor also serves the mission chapel. The Diocese of Lake Charles' decree of June 27, 2020 announced that The Very Reverend Anthony Fontenot had been assigned Pastor of Saint Raphael Parish and its mission, Saint Joseph in LeBleu Settlement, effective July 1, 2020.
- Pastor: Reverend Anthony Fontenot (since July 1, 2020)
- Decree source: Diocese of Lake Charles, Pastoral Assignments 6/27/2020
Sacraments & Devotions
Reconciliation, weddings, baptisms, and other sacraments are coordinated through the Saint Raphael Parish office in Iowa. Confession is offered 30 minutes before each Mass per the Saint Raphael schedule. Perpetual Adoration (24-hour chapel) is available at Saint Raphael in Iowa — call the church office for access details.
- Confession: 30 minutes before Mass (per Saint Raphael schedule).
- 24-hour Adoration Chapel: available at Saint Raphael Parish (call (337) 582-3503 for code/access).
- Baptism/Marriage/Anointing: arranged through the St. Raphael parish office.
- Office hours: Mon–Fri, 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Visiting the Mission Chapel
St. Joseph Mission is at 2110 Claude Hebert Road, Lake Charles, LA 70615 in the LeBleu Settlement area of Calcasieu Parish. Because it is a small rural mission (not an independent parish), there is no separate on-site office; visitors should direct calls, mail, and sacramental requests to the Saint Raphael parish office.
- Chapel address: 2110 Claude Hebert Rd., Lake Charles, LA 70615
- Mailing address: P.O. Box 849, Iowa, LA 70647
- Phone: (337) 582-3503
- Fax: (337) 582-6326
- Office email: [email protected]
- Parent parish office: 213 S. Thomson Ave., Iowa, LA 70647
Governance & Diocesan Status
The mission is officially listed as a diocesan mission under the Diocese of Lake Charles. It is not an independent parish; the bishop of Lake Charles assigns its pastor through Saint Raphael Parish, and the mission chapel's records, finances, and reporting are managed together with Saint Raphael's.
- Diocese: Lake Charles, Louisiana.
- Parish class: Catholic Mission (dependent on St. Raphael, Iowa).
- Diocese directory ID: '830' (St. Joseph Catholic Mission – LeBleu Settlement).
- Most Reverend Glen John Provost was Bishop of Lake Charles at the time of the 2020 pastoral-assignment decree.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are common questions for visitors and parishioners. Everything here is drawn from the Diocese of Lake Charles parish directory, the Saint Raphael Catholic Church website, and the 2020 diocesan pastoral-assignment decree.
- Mass time: Sunday at 8:30 a.m.
- Where: 2110 Claude Hebert Rd., Lake Charles, LA 70615 (LeBleu Settlement).
- How to contact the mission: Call the Saint Raphael parish office at (337) 582-3503, Mon–Fri 9 a.m.–Noon.
- Mailing address: P.O. Box 849, Iowa, LA 70647.
- Pastor: Reverend Anthony Fontenot (Pastor of St. Raphael Parish and St. Joseph Mission since July 1, 2020).
- Diocese: Diocese of Lake Charles.
- Confession: 30 minutes before Mass (per Saint Raphael).
- Adoration: 24-hour Adoration Chapel at Saint Raphael in Iowa; call the office for access.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Reverend Anthony Fontenot2020–present
Named pastor of Saint Raphael Parish in Iowa and its mission, Saint Joseph in LeBleu Settlement, effective July 1, 2020 per Diocese of Lake Charles pastoral-assignment decree of 6/27/2020.