About St. Peter · Elmer, Louisiana
St. Peter Mission is a small Roman Catholic mission church located in the rural community of Elmer, in Rapides Parish, Louisiana. It is a mission of St. Louis Church in Glenmora and falls under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Alexandria. The parish serves a tight-knit, historically Belgian-American farming community that settled the Spring Creek area in the 19th century, and it is anchored on its grounds by a very old Catholic cemetery with many unmarked graves. Worship is offered weekly on Sunday morning and Wednesday evening, with the priest-pastor also serving the parent parish of St. Louis in Glenmora.
- Patron
- St. Peter
- Rector
- Rev. Edwin Rodriguez-Hernandez
- Diocese
- Diocese of Alexandria in Louisiana
Why belong here
St. Peter Mission in Elmer offers a faithful, intimate Catholic community in the heart of rural Rapides Parish, with Sunday and Wednesday Mass celebrated in a small mission church deeply rooted in the area's 19th-century Belgian Catholic heritage. As a mission of St. Louis Church in Glenmora, it is shepherded by a resident priest-pastor who also serves the parent parish, and the mission is known for its family life — including a youth Christmas play highlighted in the diocesan newspaper. The parish welcomes visitors for Sunday Mass at 10:30 a.m., confession before Mass or by appointment, and Lenten Stations of the Cross.
Mass times at St. Peter
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Before each Mass
- By appointment
About St. Peter Mission
St. Peter Mission is a small Roman Catholic mission church serving the community of Elmer in rural Rapides Parish, Louisiana. It is a dependent mission of St. Louis Church in Glenmora and is listed in the Diocese of Alexandria's parish directory under the Avoyelles Deanery. The mission is shepherded by the pastor of St. Louis Church, Glenmora.
- Type: Mission church
- Parent parish: St. Louis Church, Glenmora, LA
- Diocese: Diocese of Alexandria in Louisiana
- Deanery: Avoyelles Deanery
History & Belgian Heritage
St. Peter's roots lie in the late-19th-century Belgian Catholic settlement of the Spring Creek area of Rapides Parish. Beginning in 1835 — when the Peetermans brothers arrived from Miskom, Belgium — and continuing through the rest of the century, families from Flemish Brabant (Miskom, Kessel-Lo, Zichem, Bekkevoort, Rillaar, and others) homesteaded the land around what is now Elmer. By the late 1800s the community was large enough to establish a parish, and St. Peter's Catholic Church was built on land once belonging to Daniel Andries, whose 360-acre homestead surrounded the present-day church and cemetery. Many of the original Belgian families — Peterman/Peetermans, Andries, Vandegaer, Vanderlick, Mertens, Michiels, Thiels, and others — are buried in the adjacent cemetery, where wooden markers have long since weathered away, leaving many graves unmarked. The community itself was known as Spring Creek until a post office named Elmer was established in 1888.
- First Belgian settlers: Peetermans brothers (John Louis and John Joseph), arrived 1835 from Miskom, Belgium
- Original community name: Spring Creek, Louisiana
- Elmer post office established: 1888
- Founding Belgian families represented in the cemetery: Peterman, Andries, Vandegaer, Vanderlick, Mertens, Michiels, Thiels, Vanderhoven, Van Hoof, Jammaer, DeKeyzer, Melder, Vanlangendonck, and others
Mass & Liturgical Schedule
St. Peter Mission celebrates Mass twice each week, with an additional Wednesday devotion during Lent. Confessions are heard before each Mass or by appointment with the pastor.
- Sunday Mass: 10:30 a.m.
- Wednesday Mass: 6:00 p.m.
- Holy Day Mass: as announced
- Stations of the Cross: Wednesdays during Lent at 6:30 p.m.
- Confession: before each Mass or by appointment
Lenten Devotions
During Lent the mission gathers for the Stations of the Cross each Wednesday evening, following the 6:00 p.m. Mass.
- Stations of the Cross — Wednesdays in Lent, 6:30 p.m.
Parish Staff
The mission is cared for by the pastor of the parent parish of St. Louis Church in Glenmora.
- Pastor: Rev. Edwin Rodriguez-Hernandez
Parish Ministries & Parish Life
As a small rural mission, St. Peter's parish life centers on Sunday worship and family-focused activities. The mission's youth group has been active enough to produce a Christmas play that was featured in the Diocese of Alexandria's Church Today newsletter, highlighting the multigenerational involvement of the parish.
- Youth ministry — Christmas play program featured in the diocesan Church Today publication
St. Peter Catholic Cemetery
The cemetery adjoining St. Peter Mission — also known as the Elmer Catholic Cemetery — is one of the oldest burial grounds in Rapides Parish. It holds the graves of many of the Belgian Catholic pioneer families of central Louisiana, with the earliest marked burials dating to the 19th century. Wooden grave markers used in the earliest decades have long since disappeared, leaving many graves unmarked. Directions from Alexandria follow MacArthur Drive (US 71/US 165) and Louisiana Highway 1199.
- Also known as: Elmer Catholic Cemetery
- Location: on Louisiana Highway 1199, Elmer, Rapides Parish, LA
- Many graves unmarked due to loss of original wooden markers
- Buries many founding Belgian-American Catholic families
Visit, Location & Contact
St. Peter Mission is located at the intersection of Louisiana Highway 112 and Highway 1199 in the small community of Elmer, Rapides Parish, Louisiana. Because it is a mission of St. Louis Church in Glenmora, the mailing address, phone, and email listed for inquiries are those of the parent parish and the Diocese of Alexandria.
- Address: Hwy 112 & 1199, Elmer, LA
- Mailing & contact: through St. Louis Church, Glenmora, and the Diocese of Alexandria
- Website: diocesealex.org/church/st-peter-mission-elmer/