About St. Jude · Olivier, Louisiana
St. Jude Chapel is a small mission chapel in the unincorporated community of Olivier, Louisiana, in Iberia Parish, and is served by St. Edward Catholic Church in nearby New Iberia. It belongs to the Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana and is dedicated to St. Jude Thaddeus, the apostle often invoked as the patron of difficult or hopeless causes. The chapel was built in 1957 thanks to a $20,000 gift from Miss Elizabeth Frey Raspberry of Iowa, given in memory of her son, and traces its roots back to a 1936 visit by Father J. P. Lonergan of St. Edward who first proposed establishing a Catholic mission in Olivier. Today Sunday Mass is celebrated there at 9:00 a.m. and it is a beloved focal point for surrounding rural Catholic families, including several local families who treat it as their own family church.
- Established
- 1957
- Patron
- St. Jude Thaddeus
- Rector
- Father Donald Bernard
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana
Why belong here
St. Jude Chapel gives Catholic families in the rural Olivier community a beautiful, intimate place to worship close to home rather than driving into New Iberia or Jeanerette every Sunday. It is a true mission chapel with deep local roots — founded through the sacrifice of a local benevolent society and the generosity of a donor from Iowa, and now sustained by families who consider it their family's church. As part of St. Edward Parish, St. Jude's also connects its worshippers to a wider African-American Catholic heritage in the Diocese of Lafayette, with access to the parish school, the St. Katharine Drexel Family Life Center, and ministries for youth, music, and faith formation across the combined parish.
Mass times at St. Jude
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 8:30 a.m. – 8:55 a.m. (before the 9:00 a.m. Mass)
History of St. Jude Chapel
The mission traces its origin to 1936, when Father J. P. Lonergan of St. Edward Parish proposed bringing a Catholic mission to rural Olivier. The local St. Joseph Society sold its community hall and surrounding land to the mission for $1,000, and the hall was dismantled and rebuilt in Olivier as a temporary church. Sisters began catechetical instruction there on June 17, 1944, and First Communion was received in the temporary structure. The breakthrough that made a permanent chapel possible was a $20,000 gift from Miss Elizabeth Frey Raspberry of Iowa, given in memory of her son. With her benevolence the new mission chapel dedicated to Saint Jude was built; GCatholic dates the present building to 1957. The St. Joseph Society, whose sale of property had launched the project, continued its ministry of mutual aid until the early 1970s.
- 1936 — Father J. P. Lonergan proposes a mission in Olivier.
- St. Joseph Society sells its hall and property to the mission for $1,000; the hall is dismantled and rebuilt as a temporary church.
- June 17, 1944 — Sisters begin teaching catechism in Olivier.
- First Communion is celebrated in the temporary church.
- Miss Elizabeth Frey Raspberry of Iowa donates $20,000 in memory of her son.
- The new mission chapel dedicated to St. Jude is built (1957 per GCatholic).
- The St. Joseph Society continues in Olivier until the early 1970s.
Connection to St. Edward Catholic Church, New Iberia
St. Jude Chapel is a mission of St. Edward Catholic Church, located at 201 Ambassador W. Lemelle Drive in New Iberia, Louisiana. St. Edward is a historic National Parish for African-American Catholics, founded under Monsignor Langlois and long supported by the Holy Ghost Fathers and Mother St. Katharine Drexel and her Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. The combined parish is known by the motto 'Welcoming You Home' and shares clergy, school, ministries, and facilities between the main church in New Iberia and the St. Jude mission in Olivier.
- St. Edward is a National Parish for African-American Catholics in the Diocese of Lafayette.
- Initial gift of $10,000 came from Mother Katharine Drexel (now St. Katharine Drexel).
- The Holy Ghost Fathers accepted the original invitation to staff the parish.
- St. Edward School, originally founded as an all-black school, remains part of the parish mission.
Clergy and Pastoral Staff
St. Jude Chapel is served by the priests, deacons, and staff of St. Edward Parish. Father Donald Bernard was installed as pastor on July 31, 2022, and is assisted by Father John Okebule as Associate Pastor and by visiting and retired deacons who help with liturgical and pastoral ministry.
- Father Donald Bernard — Pastor
- Father John Okebule — Associate Pastor
- Rev. Mr. Roland Jeanlouis — Visiting Deacon
- Rev. Mr. Steve Rogers — Deacon and Pastoral Assistant (Retired)
- Rev. Mr. Raymond Derouen — Deacon (Retired)
Music and Liturgical Ministry
Music is coordinated across the combined St. Edward / St. Jude parish. Stephen Rochelle directs music at the Sunday 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. liturgies, Dr. Kenel Williams directs music for the Saturday 4 p.m. and Sunday 7 a.m. liturgies, and Carrol Brooks serves as a Music Ministry leader. These cantors and musicians help support worship at both St. Edward Church and the St. Jude Chapel mission.
- Stephen Rochelle — Sunday 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Music Ministry
- Dr. Kenel Williams — Saturday 4 p.m. and Sunday 7 a.m. Music Ministry
- Carrol Brooks — Music Ministry
Youth and Community Life
The combined parish places a strong emphasis on its young people. Youth Minister Sean Moore and Father Donald Bernard organize back-to-school activities, Fun Days at St. Jude Chapel with water slides and fun jumps for parish and community children, and other gatherings hosted at the St. Katharine Drexel Family Life Center. The chapel is also used as a gathering point for multigenerational events such as the 2022 Rochon Family Reunion, which began with a memorial banquet at the Family Life Center and a Sunday Mass at St. Jude.
- Youth Ministry led by Sean Moore with Fr. Donald Bernard
- Back-to-school events at St. Edward School
- Fun Days at St. Jude Chapel for parish and community children
- St. Katharine Drexel Family Life Center used for parish receptions and family reunions
Faith Formation and the School
The story of catechesis in Olivier goes back to June 17, 1944, when religious sisters first began teaching the faith in the community. Today that catechetical mission continues through St. Edward School, the parish school associated with St. Edward / St. Jude, founded as an all-Black school with the help of St. Katharine Drexel and her Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament.
- First Communion first celebrated in Olivier in the temporary mission church.
- St. Edward School — originally founded as an all-Black Catholic school with the help of St. Katharine Drexel.
Parish Staff and Operations
Beyond clergy, the combined parish is supported by a secretary, communications and Family Life Center coordinator, finance, maintenance, housekeeping, and a cemeterian — the parish also operates the St. Jude Cemetery on LaSalle Street, which is currently available for purchase and can be subdivided.
- Michelle Vital — Secretary
- Debra S. Mitchell — Communications & Family Life Center
- Bonnie Davis — Finance
- Michael Collins — Maintenance
- Sharon Berard — Housekeeping
- Lydia Jacobs — Cemeterian
- Mary Mouton — Trustee
- Carrol Brooks — Trustee
- St. Jude Cemetery (LaSalle Street) currently for sale; parcels may be subdivided.
Visiting St. Jude Chapel
St. Jude Chapel sits at 4406 Old Jeanerette Road in the rural community of Olivier, Louisiana (zip 70563), in the heart of Acadiana's Iberia Parish. Visitors are most likely to encounter the chapel open on Sunday mornings before 8:30 a.m., when confessions begin ahead of the 9:00 a.m. Mass. As a small mission chapel, it offers a peaceful, intimate worship experience that draws families from Olivier and the surrounding countryside.
- Address: 4406 Old Jeanerette Road, Olivier, LA 70563 (some sources list 4408 Old Jeanerette Rd.).
- Best time to visit: Sunday morning, before and during the 9:00 a.m. Mass.
- Part of the Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana.
- Served by St. Edward Catholic Church, New Iberia.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. J. P. LonerganArrived 1936
Credited with introducing the idea of a Catholic mission in Olivier while serving St. Edward Parish.
- Monsignor Langlois
Under his pastorate St. Edward was established as a National Parish for African-American Catholics in New Iberia.
- Father Donald BernardInstalled July 31, 2022
Current pastor of St. Edward / St. Jude; installation Mass was followed by a reception at the St. Katharine Drexel Family Life Center.