About St. Mary of the Lake · Lake Charles, Louisiana
St. Mary of the Lake Catholic Church is a rural Roman Catholic parish in the Big Lake community of Cameron Parish, Louisiana, with a Lake Charles mailing address. It belongs to the Diocese of Lake Charles and serves roughly 400 families across the marshlands and bayou country of southwest Louisiana, including the Sweetlake area through its mission chapel of St. Patrick. The parish was established in 1938 when the missions of Grand Lake and Sweetlake were carved out of the older Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Creole and given their own resident pastor. Today the parish is led by Rev. Jerish George, M.O.C., who also serves as pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus in Creole, and offers weekend and weekday Mass, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, First Friday Adoration, and a stable of traditional lay ministries such as the Altar Society, Knights of Columbus, and St. Vincent de Paul.
- Established
- 1938
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary (under the title 'St. Mary of the Lake')
- Rector
- Reverend Jerish George, M.O.C.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lake Charles (established January 29, 1980; current bishop: Most Reverend Glen John Provost)
Why belong here
St. Mary of the Lake offers a faithful, family-sized Catholic community in the marshland heart of Cameron Parish, with two Sunday Masses, a Saturday Vigil, weekday Masses four days a week, and a vibrant devotional life centered on the Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet, and First Friday Adoration. Its ministries — including PREP, Youth Ministry, RCIA, Choirs, Knights of Columbus, Altar Society, St. Vincent de Paul, Faith Renewal, Come Lord Jesus, and Vacation Bible School — give every age and stage a place to belong and serve. With its Sweetlake mission chapel of St. Patrick still in operation after Hurricane Rita, the parish remains a steady spiritual anchor for Big Lake, Sweetlake, and the wider Cameron countryside.
Mass times at St. Mary of the Lake
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Before all Masses
- Saturday: 3:30–4:15 p.m.
- By appointment
Adoration times
- First Friday Adoration: 4:30 p.m. before Mass
Parish Overview
St. Mary of the Lake Catholic Church serves roughly 400 families in the Big Lake community of Cameron Parish, southwestern Louisiana. While its mailing address is in Lake Charles (ZIP 70607), the church sits in the rural marshlands and bayou country served by the Diocese of Lake Charles. The parish operates its main church building at 11054 Highway 384 (Big Lake) and also maintains St. Patrick Chapel in nearby Sweetlake as a mission chapel.
- Mailing address: 11054 Highway 384 (Big Lake), Lake Charles, LA 70607
- Phone: (337) 598-3101 — Fax: (337) 598-4298
- Email: [email protected]
- Web: stmaryofthelakeparish.org
- Civil Parish: Cameron (South Central Deanery, Diocese of Lake Charles)
- Approximately 400 registered families
History
The parish traces its roots to the long Catholic missionary history of Cameron Parish, which began with visits from Galveston priests in the 1850s and was formally established as a parish (Sacred Heart of Jesus, Creole) in 1890. In 1938 the missions of Grand Lake and Sweetlake were detached from Sacred Heart and erected as the new Parish of St. Mary of the Lake with its own resident pastor. The parish has weathered repeated hurricanes — Audrey (1957) and Rita (2005) most memorably — and rebuilt each time.
- 1890: Cameron Civil Parish established as a Catholic parish under Rev. John Engberink, a Dutch missionary priest
- 1930: Rev. Francis I. Bischof arrives, becomes known as 'The Missionary of the Marshes'
- 1938: Parish of St. Mary of the Lake is erected from the missions of Grand Lake and Sweetlake
- 1945–1948: Rev. Theo Hassink serves as pastor
- 1948: The Missionaries of LaSalette assume administration of the parish
- 1957: Hurricane Audrey devastates Cameron Parish
- Sept. 24, 2005: Hurricane Rita inundates the church with nearly two feet of floodwaters
- Post-2005: St. Patrick Chapel in Sweetlake serves as hub for lower Cameron parishioners; church building is rebuilt
Clergy & Staff
The parish is currently served by Rev. Jerish George, M.O.C. (Missionary of Compassion), who was assigned as pastor effective July 1, 2025 by Bishop Glen John Provost and who also continues as pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus in Creole. The Diocese has announced that, effective July 1, 2026, Rev. Sam Anthony 'Trey' Ange will succeed him as pastor of both parishes for a six-year term. Lay staff includes a secretary/bookkeeper, coordinator of religious education (also serving as Youth Minister and Safe Environment Coordinator), and maintenance and custodial staff.
- Pastor: Rev. Jerish George, M.O.C.
- Pastor-designate (eff. July 1, 2026): Rev. Sam Anthony 'Trey' Ange
- Secretary/Bookkeeper: Debbie Theriot
- Coordinator of Religious Education (Youth Minister; Safe Environment Coordinator): C'Rissa Morales
- Maintenance: Damien Quinn
- Custodian: Donna Kay Quinn
Sacraments
Baptisms and marriages are scheduled by appointment, providing a personal approach for these once-in-a-lifetime moments in the life of a Catholic family. The Sacrament of Penance is offered before every Mass as well as during the dedicated Saturday slot. Anointing of the Sick and other pastoral sacraments are available on request.
- Baptism — by appointment
- Marriage — by appointment
- Penance (Reconciliation) — before all Masses; Saturday 3:30–4:15 p.m.; by appointment
- Anointing of the Sick — by appointment
- Holy Days of Obligation — schedule announced as they approach
Parish Ministries & Groups
St. Mary of the Lake maintains a broad slate of lay ministries covering faith formation, youth, music, service to the poor, men's fellowship, women's fellowship, and parish renewal — typical of a vibrant small-town Catholic parish.
- PREP (Parish Religious Education Program) — children's catechesis
- Youth Ministry — elementary and high school (C'Rissa Morales)
- RCIA — Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults
- Choirs — liturgical music
- Knights of Columbus — men's service fraternity
- Altar Society — care of sanctuary and linens
- St. Vincent de Paul — outreach to the poor
- Faith Renewal — adult spiritual enrichment
- Come Lord Jesus — prayer group
- Vacation Bible School — summer faith formation for children
The Diocese of Lake Charles
St. Mary of the Lake is one of the parishes of the Diocese of Lake Charles, the sixth Catholic diocese in Louisiana. It was established by Pope John Paul II on January 29, 1980, with the Most Reverend Jude Speyrer as its first bishop. The current bishop, the Most Reverend Glen John Provost — a priest of the Diocese of Lafayette ordained by Pope Paul VI in 1975 — was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI on March 6, 2007, and installed on April 23, 2007, in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. The diocese covers five civil parishes in southwest Louisiana.
- Diocese established: January 29, 1980
- First Bishop: Most Reverend Jude Speyrer (installed April 25, 1980; retired December 12, 2000)
- Second Bishop: Most Reverend Edward K. Braxton
- Third (Current) Bishop: Most Reverend Glen John Provost (installed April 23, 2007)
- Patron saint of the Diocese: St. Peter Claver (feast observed the Sunday nearest September 9)
- Parish deanery: South Central Deanery
Hurricane Rita & Rebuilding
The defining modern event in the parish's history was Hurricane Rita on September 24, 2005. A Category 3 storm with 100+ mph winds and a more than 15-foot storm surge, Rita devastated lower Cameron Parish. St. Mary of the Lake in Big Lake was inundated with nearly two feet of floodwater, and several mission chapels in the broader deanery were destroyed. In the aftermath, St. Patrick Chapel in Sweetlake — a mission of St. Mary of the Lake — became the central hub for the three parishes of lower Cameron. The parish's main church building has since been rebuilt through diocesan and Catholic Charities USA efforts.
- Sept. 24, 2005: Hurricane Rita makes landfall near the Texas–Louisiana line
- St. Mary of the Lake inundated with nearly 2 feet of floodwater
- Mission chapels of Holy Trinity (Holly Beach), Immaculate Conception (Grand Chenier), and St. Rose of Lima (Creole) destroyed
- St. Patrick Chapel, Sweetlake, becomes the hub for lower Cameron parishioners
- Parish church building subsequently completed; repairs coordinated with Catholic Charities USA
Pastors & rectors through the years
- First resident pastor of the newly erected Parish of St. Mary of the Lake (1938)1938
Named when Grand Lake and Sweetlake missions were detached from Sacred Heart of Jesus, Creole.
- Rev. Theo Hassink1945–1948
Took over duties from Rev. Francis I. Bischof; remained until the Missionaries of LaSalette assumed the parish in 1948.
- Missionaries of LaSalette1948–
Religious order that took over administration of St. Mary of the Lake in 1948.
- Reverend Monsignor James M. Gaddythrough c. 2024–2025
Listed as pastor in the Diocese of Lake Charles 2024–2025 Directory.
- Rev. Jerish George, M.O.C.Effective July 1, 2025
Assigned as pastor by Bishop Glen John Provost; also serves as remaining pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus, Creole.
- Rev. Sam Anthony 'Trey' AngeEffective July 1, 2026
Announced by Bishop Provost on June 3, 2026, as incoming pastor of both Sacred Heart of Jesus, Creole, and St. Mary of the Lake, Big Lake, for a six-year term.