About St. Maria Goretti · New Orleans, Louisiana
St. Maria Goretti is a Roman Catholic parish in the Archdiocese of New Orleans serving the New Orleans East neighborhood from its campus at 7300 Crowder Boulevard. The community was first established as a mission in 1920 and was elevated to parish status in 1965, with the present church completed in 1975. Today the parish is pastored by Rev. Daniel H. Green and offers weekend and daily Mass, confession, Eucharistic adoration, faith formation for children, a youth ministry, and a music ministry. The parish grew through several mergers following Hurricane Katrina (2005), absorbing the faithful of Immaculate Heart of Mary and St. Simon Peter parishes.
- Established
- 1920
- Patron
- St. Maria Goretti
- Rector
- Rev. Daniel H. Green
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of New Orleans
Why belong here
St. Maria Goretti offers a stable, family-centered Catholic community in New Orleans East with multiple daily and weekend Masses, regular confession on Saturdays, and Eucharistic adoration. The parish invests in the next generation through its Parish School of Religion (Saturday and Tuesday sessions) and its high-school youth ministry, and it supports worship with a full Music Ministry currently seeking a new Director of Music and Worship. Pastors and parishioners alike have positioned the church as an anchor for the recovering neighborhood — a place to reconnect, serve, and grow in faith.
Mass times at St. Maria Goretti
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 PM – 3:50 PM
- Always available by appointment
Mass & Worship Schedule
St. Maria Goretti celebrates the Eucharist in English throughout the week. Weekend Masses are Saturday Vigil at 4:00 PM and Sunday at 8:30 AM and 10:30 AM. Weekday Mass is offered Monday through Friday at 8:30 AM (in the Chapel, moving to the Church during Lent); on Fridays during Lent a 6:00 PM Mass with Stations of the Cross is added. A first-Saturday morning Mass is celebrated at 8:30 AM in the Chapel.
- Saturday Vigil: 4:00 PM
- Sunday: 8:30 AM, 10:30 AM
- Mon–Fri: 8:30 AM (Chapel)
- 1st Saturday: 8:30 AM (Chapel)
- Friday in Lent: 6:00 PM Mass & Stations (Church)
Parish History & Katrina Recovery
Begun as a mission in 1920 and elevated to parish status in 1965, St. Maria Goretti built its present church in 1975 and grew into one of the anchor institutions of New Orleans East. When Hurricane Katrina's floodwaters devastated the area in 2005, the parish was among the very first buildings to become functional again, holding its first post-storm Mass in the converted parish hall in early November 2005. The community then absorbed the closed parishes of Immaculate Heart of Mary and St. Simon Peter in 2008, and continues today as a multi-generational Catholic presence in eastern New Orleans.
- Founded as a mission, 1920
- Became a parish, 1965
- Present church completed, 1975
- 3,400 families served before Katrina
- First post-Katrina Mass, November 2005
- Merged with Immaculate Heart of Mary and St. Simon Peter parishes, 2008
Leadership & Clergy
Rev. Daniel H. Green serves as Pastor of St. Maria Goretti, having been appointed in 2021 and re-appointed for a further term. Fr. Daniel also serves the Archdiocese of New Orleans as Director of the Office of Black Catholic Ministry. He is assisted by Fr. Raphael Kasele, FMH — a member of the Franciscan Missionaries of Hope religious community, founded in Kenya — who joined the parish in July 2021. The Director of Religious Education is Mrs. Alena Boucree.
- Rev. Daniel H. Green — Pastor (since 2021)
- Fr. Raphael Kasele, FMH — Parochial Vicar (since 2021)
- Mrs. Alena Boucree — Director of Religious Education
Parish School of Religion (Faith Formation)
St. Maria Goretti's Parish School of Religion provides family-based faith formation for school-aged children who attend non-Catholic schools. Parents are recognized as the first formators of their children; the parish supports them with monthly in-person sessions on parish grounds, additional at-home lessons, and a catechist team led by DRE Mrs. Alena Boucree and Pastor Fr. Daniel Green. Registration for the 2024–2025 year opened on September 17 with a $30 fee (waivers available).
- Saturday sessions: 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM
- Tuesday sessions: 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
- Director: Mrs. Alena Boucree, DRE
- 2024–2025 Orientation: Aug 24 and Aug 25 in the Msgr. Gauthreaux Center
Youth Ministry (High School)
The parish extends formation to its high-school youth, inviting them to be formed in faith, leadership, and service. Specific gathering details are announced in the parish bulletin and on the smg-nola.com announcements page.
- High school youth invited to formation in faith, leadership, and service
Music Ministry
Music at St. Maria Goretti is led by a Director of Music and Worship who supports the parish's liturgical life. The parish recently inaugurated a search process for its next Director of Music and Worship; the finalized job description and application materials have been published on the parish website.
- Director of Music & Worship (position open)
- Supports all weekend and daily Masses
Archdiocese & Wider Catholic Community
St. Maria Goretti is one of the parishes of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of New Orleans. It appears in the official Archdiocese parish directory under the leadership of Rev. Daniel H. Green, with the listed Sunday schedule of Saturday Vigil 4:00 PM and Sunday 8:30 AM and 10:30 AM. The parish's New Orleans East location places it among the eastern-decade Catholic communities that have rebuilt significantly since Hurricane Katrina.
- Listed in the Archdiocese of New Orleans parish directory
- Part of the post-Katrina rebuild of Catholic life in New Orleans East
Visit, Contact & Getting Involved
Parishioners and visitors can reach St. Maria Goretti at 7300 Crowder Blvd., New Orleans, LA 70127, by phone at (504) 242-7554. School of Religion correspondence goes to [email protected]. Forms and fees for faith formation may be mailed, emailed, hand-delivered to the parish office Monday–Friday from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM, or returned at one of the parent-orientation sessions. Those wishing to get involved can join the catechist team, the Music Ministry search process, or the high-school youth ministry advertised on the home page.
- Address: 7300 Crowder Blvd., New Orleans, LA 70127
- Phone: (504) 242-7554
- Office hours: Mon–Fri 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM
- School of Religion email: [email protected]
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Msgr. Earl Gauthreaux1960s–2000s (38+ years)
Long-tenured pastor who led the parish for more than 38 years and guided the community through Hurricane Katrina recovery; the parish's Msgr. Gauthreaux Center is named for him.
- Rev. Daniel H. Green2021–present
Previously Pastor of Blessed Trinity Parish and Director of the Office of Black Catholic Ministry for the Archdiocese of New Orleans; re-appointed to a new term as pastor of St. Maria Goretti.