About St. Lawrence · Jennings, Louisiana
St. Lawrence Catholic Church is a rural parish in the Diocese of Lake Charles, physically located in the unincorporated community of Raymond, Louisiana, but served from a Jennings mailing address on the Pine Island Highway (5505 Pine Island Hwy, Jennings, LA 70546). Pastored by Rev. William Miller with the assistance of Deacon Michael Tramel, it serves around 380 families across a 64-square-mile area of Jefferson Davis Civil Parish that remains largely agricultural (farming, ranching, and oil production). The parish traces its roots to 1951 and is best known locally for its annual parish bazaar each September.
- Established
- 1951
- Patron
- St. Lawrence
- Rector
- Reverend William Miller
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lake Charles (East Deanery; transferred here from the Diocese of Lafayette in April 1980)
Why belong here
St. Lawrence is a small, tight-knit rural Catholic community where the same families that helped build the original chapel still volunteer in every corner of parish life. Members gather for the annual September bazaar (the parish's signature tradition since the 1940s), a February Faith Renewal, weekly CCD religious education, Thursday Holy Hour before Mass, and active service in the Knights of Columbus (Council 4787) and Catholic Daughters (Our Lady of Grace Court 1964). With about 380 families across farming, ranching, and oil country in Jefferson Davis Parish, parishioners find a faithful, hard-working church that is easy to plug into and easy to call home.
Mass times at St. Lawrence
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 4:30 p.m. (and after Mass on request)
- Sunday: 6:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.
- Weekdays: 20 minutes before Mass
Adoration times
- Thursday: One hour of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, followed by Mass (per parish history)
- First Saturday Mass mentioned in some parish-source listings (confirmation limited)
Parish History
Catholic life in this stretch of Jefferson Davis Parish long predates the formal parish. A small chapel was first built in Hathaway in 1940 through the fundraising of laymen like Joe B. Landry, and a second chapel — and later a parish hall built from an abandoned cotton gin — rose at Pine Island. Both communities supported St. Lawrence until a 1949 tornado destroyed the Hathaway chapel, prompting the young assistant pastor Rev. Henry J. ('Harry') Pelous to organize a volunteer rebuild completed in 1950 for $19,000. On June 16, 1951, Bishop Jules B. Jeanmard of Lafayette formally chartered St. Lawrence as a parish, with Father Pelous as founding pastor and Landry and Raoul Hebert as charter trustees. Over the following decades, the two small worship sites were consolidated onto a single site: in 1972 Fr. John A. Poerio arrived and, after Louise Hebert donated land at the Raymond crossroads, the present 400-seat church was built for $215,000 and dedicated with Mass on September 25, 1976. The mortgage was burned in 1978, the rectory added in 1980, and the parish moved into the new Diocese of Lake Charles the same year. A cemetery followed in 1987, and a 36-crypt mausoleum has served the rural community ever since.
- First chapel built in Hathaway (1940) by lay fundraising led by Joe B. Landry.
- Tornado destroys Hathaway chapel, July 21, 1949 — rebuilt by Fr. Pelous for $19,000 and rededicated August 6, 1950.
- Parish formally chartered June 16, 1951, by Bishop Jules B. Jeanmard of the Diocese of Lafayette.
- Consolidated onto the Raymond site in 1976; mortgage burned October 23, 1978; rectory completed August 1980.
- Transferred from the Diocese of Lafayette into the new Diocese of Lake Charles in April 1980.
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Religious education is led on the parish side by Deacon Michael Tramel and meets weekly. The parish also conducts an annual Faith Renewal program each February that draws members into deeper spiritual reflection over several weeks.
- Coordinator of Religious Education: Deacon Michael Tramel
- Weekly CCD / religious education classes
- Annual Faith Renewal each February
Parish Ministries and Organizations
Two long-standing lay organizations anchor parish life at St. Lawrence. Our Lady of Grace Court 1964 of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas, chartered in the parish's early years, and St. Lawrence Council 4787 of the Knights of Columbus both continue to support the parish financially and spiritually. Other ministries include the Parish Pastoral Council, lay ministers of Holy Communion (first commissioned in 1975), an altar-society tradition rooted in the early mission chapels, and the committee that runs the annual parish bazaar.
- Catholic Daughters of the Americas — Our Lady of Grace Court 1964
- Knights of Columbus — St. Lawrence Council 4787
- Parish Pastoral Council
- Lay Ministers of Holy Communion
- Altar Society / sacristan volunteers
- Annual Parish Bazaar committee (last weekend of September)
Building, Cemetery, and Grounds
The parish sits on a 12-acre site at the Raymond crossroads that is home to a 400-seat church, a parish hall, a rectory, a paved parking lot, a cemetery, and a 36-crypt mausoleum. The complex took shape in distinct phases between 1976 and 1987 and remains the center of Catholic life in this stretch of Jefferson Davis Parish.
- 12-acre site at Raymond, donated by Ms. Louise Hebert
- Current church: 10,000 sq ft, double-brick, steel-span, 400 seats — first Mass September 25, 1976
- Adjoining parish hall (built with the 1976 church)
- Rectory completed 1980
- Cemetery opened 1987
- 36-crypt mausoleum (built after 1987)
Sacraments
Standard sacraments are available at St. Lawrence. Confession is offered before every Mass and on request. Baptisms and marriages are scheduled by appointment through the parish office, with the customary expectation that marriage preparation begin well in advance. Sacramental preparation for First Communion and Confirmation is coordinated through the parish's CCD program.
- Confession: Saturday 4:30 p.m., Sunday 6:30 & 9:00 a.m., weekdays 20 min before Mass, and after Mass on request
- Baptisms: by appointment through the parish office
- Marriages: by appointment through the parish office (contact well in advance)
- First Communion & Confirmation preparation via the CCD program
Annual Parish Bazaar
The parish bazaar — held the last weekend of September — is the social and fundraising centerpiece of the year at St. Lawrence. The tradition goes back to the first Hathaway chapel in 1940, when Joe B. Landry chaired the very first bazaar to raise funds for a church. The bazaar at Raymond has been deliberately tied to major parish milestones more than once: the first Mass in the new church in 1976 was celebrated on bazaar day, and the mortgage-burning Mass of thanksgiving in 1978 was also tied to the bazaar tradition.
- Held the last weekend of September each year.
- Dating back to the first Hathaway chapel fundraising in 1940.
- Tied to the September 25, 1976 dedication of the present Raymond church.
Devotions and Prayer Life
In addition to its daily and Sunday Mass schedule, St. Lawrence hosts a weekly hour of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on Thursdays, immediately followed by the evening Mass. The parish also makes the Sacrament of Confession widely available, including after Mass on request, reflecting its rural-community pastoral approach.
- Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament — one hour each Thursday, followed by Mass
- Confession available before each Mass and upon request
- Annual Faith Renewal in February
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Henry J. (Harry) Pelous1951–1952
Founding pastor; built the post-tornado Hathaway church (1949–50) and received the parish charter in 1951. Transferred July 1952.
- Rev. Jules C. Speyrer1952–1956
Built the parish rectory in Hathaway (1953).
- Rev. August Cyr1956–1962
Served during the post-Hurricane Audrey era (June 1957).
- Rev. Wilfred Sylvester1962–1966
- Rev. Joseph Bourque1966–1972
Sanctioned a 1966 committee to canvas members about a new sanctuary.
- Rev. John A. Poerio1972–1985
Consolidated the parish onto the new Raymond site, oversaw construction of the 400-seat, $215,000 church (first Mass Sept. 25, 1976), burned the mortgage in 1978, and built the new rectory in 1980.
- Rev. Charles Soileau1985–1986
- Rev. Fred Russi1986–1997
Helped develop the parish alongside Fr. Poerio's tenure; transferred to Sacred Heart of Jesus, Oakdale in 1997.
- Rev. Eappen Joseph1997–
Native of Kerala, India; ordained 1977 for the Diocese of Aurangabad; appointed administrator by Bishop Jude Speyrer after Fr. Russi's transfer.