About St. Mary's Assumption · Cottonport, Louisiana
St. Mary's Assumption Catholic Church is a historic parish in Cottonport, Louisiana, established in 1889 and belonging to the Diocese of Alexandria (Avoyelles Deanery). The parish serves the small Avoyelles Parish community along Bayou Rouge with four Sunday Masses, weekday Masses, a thriving Catholic school (Pre-K3 through 8th grade), and a wide range of devotions including weekly Adoration, the ACTS retreat ministry, and ongoing faith formation for youth and children. The original 1889 church — once fronted by a 110-foot Romanesque-Gothic bell tower — was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989 and now functions as a parish hall, while the modern church continues the parish's mission of worship, formation, and service in central Louisiana.
- Established
- 1889
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary (under her title of the Assumption)
- Rector
- Rev. Charles B. Ray (Fr. Charlie Ray)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Alexandria (Avoyelles Deanery)
Why belong here
St. Mary's Assumption offers the rare combination of a deeply rooted small-town Catholic community and an unusually full sacramental life: four Sunday Masses, daily weekday Masses, Thursday all-day Adoration, a daily-open Day Chapel, Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet devotions, and an active ACTS retreat ministry (Adoration, Community, Theology, Service) for men, women, and teens. Families can raise their children in the faith with on-campus St. Mary's Assumption School (Pre-K3 through 8th), Youth Ministry, Children's Ministry, and Faith Formation, while the historic 1889 church — listed on the National Register of Historic Places — anchors a worship complex that includes a rectory, cemetery, and parish hall.
Mass times at St. Mary's Assumption
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:00 pm – 4:25 pm
- Sunday 6:30 am – 6:55 am
- Sunday 9:00 am – 9:25 am
- Sunday 5:00 pm – 5:25 pm
- Weekdays before Mass beginning at 4:45 pm
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Thursdays 6:00 am – 9:00 pm (Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament)
- Day Chapel & Candle Room open 24/7 — call the church office for the door code
About St. Mary's Assumption Parish
St. Mary's Assumption is a historic Catholic parish in Cottonport, Louisiana, established in 1889 in the Diocese of Alexandria (Avoyelles Deanery). The parish community gathers on Front Street in the heart of Cottonport, where the modern church shares a campus with the 1889 historic church (now a parish hall), the rectory, school buildings, and the parish cemetery. St. Mary's offers a full schedule of daily and Sunday Masses, weekly Adoration, ongoing faith formation for children and youth, and a parish school serving Pre-K3 through eighth grade.
- Established: 1889
- Diocese: Alexandria (Avoyelles Deanery)
- Pastor: Rev. Charles B. Ray
- Location: 820 Front Street, Cottonport, LA 71327
History of the Parish and Buildings
The parish was founded in 1889 to serve the Catholic faithful of Cottonport, a community along Bayou Rouge in Avoyelles Parish. The original church was designed by architect Sam Ducote in a mixed Classical Revival / Romanesque / Gothic style, originally crowned by a 110-foot three-story Romanesque bell tower with a soaring Gothic steeple. Around 1918, parishioners dismantled the tower, enlarged the nave forward, and rebuilt the façade with a denticulated temple-front portico — the Classical Revival exterior recognized when the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.
- 1889 — parish founded; original Classical Revival church built (architect Sam Ducote)
- c. 1918 — 110-foot Romanesque-Gothic bell tower removed; Classical Revival portico added
- 1958 — new modern church built; original building converted to parish hall (altar, tabernacle screen, and statuary removed)
- May 1, 1989 — old St. Mary's added to the National Register of Historic Places (#89000330)
The 1889 Historic Church (Parish Hall)
The old St. Mary's Assumption Church, a one-story frame clapboard Classical Revival structure, is the historic heart of the parish. Its interior was reconfigured in 1958 into a parish hall with a slightly raised stage across the southern end, a small open kitchen in one corner, and a stairway ascending to a choir loft. The complex around it includes a modern church, a separate rectory with a detached three-car garage, storage and mechanical buildings, a small basketball court, and a cemetery with several mausoleums.
- Architectural style: Classical Revival (post-1918 façade); originally mixed Classical/Romanesque/Gothic
- NRHP reference No. 89000330
- Current use: parish hall on the parish complex at Front Street between St. Mary Street and Cottonport Avenue
Devotions
A daily rhythm of traditional Catholic devotions supports the parish's Eucharistic life, centered on the Rosary before weekday and Saturday Masses, the Divine Mercy Chaplet on Mondays, and Stations of the Cross during Lent.
- Rosary: 4:45 pm before weekday Masses; 4:10 pm before Saturday Mass
- Divine Mercy Chaplet: Mondays after Mass
- Stations of the Cross: Fridays 6:00 pm during Lent
- Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament: Thursdays 6:00 am – 9:00 pm
ACTS Retreat Ministry
ACTS (Adoration, Community, Theology, Service) is St. Mary's three-day, three-night Catholic lay retreat presented by fellow parishioners and held at Maryhill. Retreats for men, women, and teenagers are given separately, beginning Thursday evening and ending at Sunday Mass with the parish community. Holy Scripture and the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church guide the retreats, which are administered by an ACTS Core Team with Fr. Charlie Ray as Spiritual Director.
- Format: three-day, three-night Catholic lay retreat
- Hosted at: Maryhill
- Separate retreats for men, women, and teens
- Upcoming Women's Retreat: September 10–13, 2026 (Director: Becky Scott)
- Spiritual Director: Fr. Charlie Ray, Pastor
St. Mary's Assumption School
St. Mary's Assumption School is a Pre-K3 through 8th-grade Catholic school located on the parish campus at 850 Front Street, just down the street from the church. The school shares the parish's mission of faith formation and academic formation, and a weekly School Mass is offered on Wednesday mornings that brings the school community into the parish liturgy.
- Address: 850 Front St., Cottonport, LA 71327
- Phone: 318-876-3651
- Website: www.smsangels.org
- Grades: Pre-K3 through 8th
- Wednesday 8:00 am School Mass is offered each week
Faith Formation & Ministries
The parish supports formation for every age through its Youth Ministry, Children's Ministry, and a Director of Programs coordinating Faith Formation. These ministries work alongside St. Mary's Assumption School and the parish school of religion to catechize children, teens, and adults in the Catholic faith.
- Youth Ministry — Jody Guidry
- Children's Ministry — Jenny Lawson
- Director of Programs — Anne Guillory
- ACTS retreats for teens, men, and women
- Adult faith formation opportunities
Parish Staff & Clergy
St. Mary's is shepherded by Pastor Rev. Charles B. Ray and supported by Transitional Deacon Rev. Mr. Blaine Phillips, along with a team of parish staff handling parish operations, formation, and the parish school.
- Rev. Charles B. Ray — Pastor ([email protected])
- Rev. Mr. Blaine Phillips — Transitional Deacon
- Stephen C. Scott — Parish Manager ([email protected])
- Priscilla Brouillette — Bookkeeper
- Anne Guillory — Director of Programs ([email protected])
- Jody Guidry — Youth Ministry
- Jenny Lawson — Children's Ministry
- Shanna West — Interim Administrator, St. Mary's School
Visit, Contact & Office Hours
Parishioners and visitors are warmly welcomed to the Front Street campus in downtown Cottonport. The parish office is open Monday through Thursday, 8:00 am – 4:00 pm, and closes for lunch from 12:00 to 1:00 pm.
- Address: 820 Front Street, Cottonport, LA 71327
- Phone: 318-876-3681
- Fax: 318-876-3686
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://stmaryscottonport.com/
- Facebook: facebook.com/saintmarysassumption
- Office hours: Monday–Thursday, 8:00 am – 4:00 pm (closed 12:00–1:00 pm)