About St. Margaret · Estherwood, Louisiana
St. Margaret of Scotland is a Catholic mission chapel in the small village of Estherwood, Acadia Parish, Louisiana, affiliated with the Diocese of Lafayette. It is a mission of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in neighboring Mermentau, sharing a pastor and a combined schedule of Masses and devotions. The chapel at 322 Miller Street serves the Catholic faithful of Estherwood and the surrounding rural rice-country parishes, with Sunday Mass, weekday Masses, Confession, and weekly Eucharistic Adoration.
- Established
- 1910
- Patron
- St. Margaret of Scotland
- Rector
- Rev. Andrew Schumacher
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana
Why belong here
St. Margaret of Scotland is a small, family-style Catholic mission rooted in the rice-farming community of Estherwood, where parishioners know one another by name. It offers the full rhythm of Catholic life — weekday and Sunday Mass, Confession three days a week, weekly Eucharistic Adoration, and CCD faith formation — and is linked with its mother parish of St. John the Evangelist in Mermentau for joint events including ACTS retreats through the JMJ Coalition. For Catholics in Acadia Parish seeking a tight-knit, traditional rural parish where they can easily get involved, it offers a welcoming home.
Mass times at St. Margaret
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 7:30 AM – 8:25 AM
- Tuesday 6:00 AM – 6:30 AM
- Thursday 6:00 AM – 6:30 AM
Adoration times
- Tuesday 7:00 AM – 11:00 AM (Adoration at St. Margaret of Scotland)
St. Margaret of Scotland — Catholic Mission of Estherwood
St. Margaret of Scotland Catholic Church is the Catholic mission chapel serving the village of Estherwood in Acadia Parish, Louisiana. It is administered together with St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Mermentau, sharing one pastor, one parish office, and one combined liturgical schedule under the website stjohnstmargaret.com. The chapel is located at 322 Miller Street and stands as the spiritual heart of the small, rural, rice-farming community.
- Address: 322 Miller St., Estherwood, LA 70534
- Phone: (337) 824-2278 (shared with St. John the Evangelist, Mermentau)
- Website: stjohnstmargaret.com
- Diocese: Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana (West Region)
- Mission of: St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, Mermentau
History of the Mission
Catholic presence in the Estherwood area predates the village itself. Jesuit missionaries from Grand Coteau — Father Abbadie, S.J. (c. 1863) and Father Anthonioz, S.J. (late 1860s) — first brought the Mass to the Mermentau and Coulee Trieve (later Estherwood) settlements during and after the Civil War. Catholic services were held in Estherwood beginning in 1904 in the home of Agricole LeBlanc, and the chapel itself was completed in 1910. It has been served continuously as a mission of St. John the Evangelist Church in Mermentau ever since.
- c. 1863: Fr. Abbadie, S.J. celebrates first Mass in the Mermentau area.
- Late 1860s: Fr. Anthonioz, S.J. ministers to the Coulee Trieve settlement.
- 1904: First Catholic services in Estherwood, held in the home of Agricole LeBlanc.
- 1910: Chapel completed and formally operates as a mission of St. John the Evangelist, Mermentau.
- Today: Shared pastor, website, bulletins, and faith formation with St. John the Evangelist.
Patroness — St. Margaret of Scotland
The chapel is dedicated to St. Margaret of Scotland (c. 1045–1093), a Hungarian-born princess who married King Malcolm III Canmore and became queen of Scotland. Known for her deep piety, charity to the poor, and promotion of the Church, she is one of the patron saints of Scotland. Her feast day is celebrated on November 16.
- Patron: St. Margaret of Scotland
- Feast Day: November 16
- Era: 11th century; wife of King Malcolm III; mother of King David I
Sacraments
St. Margaret of Scotland, in union with St. John the Evangelist, prepares parishioners for and celebrates the seven Catholic sacraments. Confession is offered on a published weekly schedule; Baptisms, Marriages, First Communion, and Confirmation are prepared through the shared parish program. The Anointing of the Sick is available on request through the parish office.
- Baptism — preparation through the parish office
- First Communion & Confirmation — via CCD / religious education
- Marriage — contact the parish office for preparation
- Confession (Reconciliation) — Sun, Tue, Thu (see schedule)
- Anointing of the Sick — on request
Parish Ministries & Faith Formation
As a small mission, St. Margaret relies on the close partnership with St. John the Evangelist in Mermentau to sustain ministries and faith formation. The parishes share CCD classes, sacramental preparation, and a JMJ Coalition ACTS retreat ministry established in 2022 by Father Andrew Schumacher and Father Brent Smith.
- ACTS Retreats (JMJ Coalition, with St. John the Evangelist and St. Joseph, Rayne)
- CCD / Religious Education for children
- Eucharistic Adoration on Tuesday mornings
- Shared parish bulletins and announcements
JMJ Coalition ACTS Retreats
In 2022, Father Andrew Schumacher of St. John the Evangelist / St. Margaret and Father Brent Smith of St. Joseph in Rayne teamed up to form the JMJ Coalition, providing ACTS retreats (Adoration, Community, Theology, Service) to parishioners of all three parishes. The retreats, originally begun in San Antonio in the 1980s, are lay-led with a Spiritual Director and are typically offered twice a year for men and twice a year for women, beginning Thursday evening and concluding in time for Sunday Mass.
- Established: 2022
- Founders: Fr. Andrew Schumacher and Fr. Brent Smith
- Format: Lay-led retreat with Spiritual Director
- Parishes served: St. John the Evangelist (Mermentau), St. Margaret of Scotland (Estherwood), St. Joseph (Rayne)
Parish Staff
The mission shares one pastor with St. John the Evangelist in Mermentau. Father Andrew Schumacher, ordained in 2018, was first a parochial vicar at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Lafayette before being appointed pastor of the Mermentau–Estherwood parishes. He is known for an approachable, evangelical style and is active in youth ministry, faith formation, and the school community at Cathedral-Carmel School.
- Pastor: Rev. Andrew Schumacher
- Prior assignment: Parochial vicar, Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Lafayette
- Parishes served: St. John the Evangelist (Mermentau) & St. Margaret of Scotland (Estherwood)
Visiting & Practical Information
Estherwood is a small village (population about 889 at the 2010 census) about six miles west of Crowley in the heart of Acadia Parish. The chapel sits in the residential core of the village on Miller Street, with on-site parking. There is no public transit; visitors travel by car. Mass times, Confession, and Adoration are published on the shared parish website stjohnstmargaret.com.
- Address: 322 Miller St., Estherwood, LA 70534
- Phone: (337) 824-2278
- Office shared with St. John the Evangelist, 707 Orange St., Mermentau, LA 70556
- Parking: on-site at the chapel
- Diocese: Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana (West Region)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Abbadie, S.J.c. 1863
Jesuit missionary from Grand Coteau; celebrated the first Mass in the Mermentau area around 1863.
- Fr. Anthonioz, S.J.late 1860s
Jesuit who continued the missionary work and gave special attention to the settlement of Coulee Trieve (later Estherwood).
- Rev. Andrew Schumacher2021–present (as pastor)
Ordained 2018; first served as parochial vicar at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Lafayette. Appointed pastor of St. John the Evangelist, Mermentau and its mission St. Margaret of Scotland, Estherwood. Profiled in The Daily Iberian in 2022.