About St. Peter · Pine Prairie, Louisiana
St. Peter Catholic Church is a small, historic Roman-Latin rite parish in Pine Prairie, Louisiana, established in 1924 and part of the Diocese of Lafayette. Tucked into Northern Evangeline Parish and serving as the mother church to the mission of St. Theresa of the Child Jesus in nearby St. Landry, St. Peter's provides daily and weekend Masses, Eucharistic Adoration, confessions, weddings, baptisms, funerals, faith formation for children and adults, and direct outreach to neighbors in need through its parish food pantry and thrift shop.
- Established
- 1924
- Patron
- St. Peter (the Apostle)
- Rector
- Rev. Casey Dugas
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana
Why belong here
St. Peter's offers the full Catholic life in a small, personal setting: weekday and weekend Mass in English with a separate Day Chapel for daily celebrations, weekly Eucharistic Adoration, Saturday confessions, a CCD program for children, an OCIA process for adults seeking Baptism or completion of sacraments, and the parish-wide men's group 'Raising the Bar' and women's group 'Women at the Well.' Add to that a working food pantry (the Lord's Pantry, first Wednesday of the month) and a thrift shop (Wednesdays, 9am–3pm), and you have a parish where neighbors actively care for neighbors — exactly the kind of community newcomers are looking for in Northern Evangeline Parish.
Mass times at St. Peter
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:30 PM – 4:00 PM (or by appointment)
Adoration times
- Friday 8:00 AM – 9:20 AM (preceding 9:30 AM Mass)
- Friday 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM (Adoration after Mass, reported by Discover Mass)
About St. Peter Catholic Church
St. Peter is a small, historic Catholic parish in Pine Prairie, Louisiana, that has served Northern Evangeline Parish since 1924. It ministers together with its dependent mission, St. Theresa of the Child Jesus in St. Landry, giving Catholic families throughout the rural area a single pastor and a single set of programs. The parish is a Roman-Latin rite community in the Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana and offers the full sacramental life alongside works of charity for those in need.
Parish History
Established in 1924, St. Peter has 'striven to sow the seeds of the Catholic faith in Northern Evangeline Parish' for a century. From its founding it has been paired with the mission of St. Theresa in St. Landry. The parish today still maintains its own cemetery (St. Peter Roman Catholic Cemetery on Hampton-Dupre Road), and continues the rhythms of daily Mass, Friday Adoration, and sacramental catechesis that Catholic communities in Acadiana have kept for generations.
- Founded 1924
- Paired from the start with mission St. Theresa, St. Landry
- St. Peter Roman Catholic Cemetery, Hampton-Dupre Road
Pastoral Staff
The parish is led by a single pastor who serves both Pine Prairie and the St. Landry mission, supported by a small staff of bookkeeper and secretary and two elected parish trustees.
- Pastor: Rev. Casey Dugas
- Bookkeeper: Marianne Fontenot
- Secretary: Melissa Fontenot
- Parish Trustee: Michael Penny
- Parish Trustee: Kenneth Schmidt
Office Hours and Contact
The parish office is open four mornings a week; Fridays are closed. An emergency phone line is reserved strictly for sick calls and visits to the dying.
- Monday & Wednesday: 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
- Tuesday & Thursday: 9:00 AM – Noon
- Friday: closed
- Parish Phone: (337) 599-2224
- Emergency Phone Line (sick calls / visits to the dying only): (337) 247-7093
Sacraments and Funerals
Weddings, baptisms, and funerals are scheduled through the Parish Office. Advance notice gives the parish adequate time for paper work and preparation.
- Weddings — preparation must begin a minimum of 6 months before the proposed wedding date
- Baptisms — must be scheduled at least 2 weeks in advance through the Parish Office
- Funerals — scheduled through the Parish Office
Faith Formation for Children and Youth (CCD)
Children and teens prepare for First Communion, Confirmation, and ongoing religious education through the parish CCD program. Registration and questions go through the Parish Office.
- CCD/Youth Religious Education (Sunday morning program)
- Confirmation preparation
- Contact the Parish Office to enroll
Adult Faith Formation and OCIA
Adults seeking Baptism, Confirmation, or full communion with the Catholic Church go through the parish OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) process with Father Dugas. The parish also stresses that catechesis is a lifelong endeavor, and offers 'Continuing Catechesis and Education in the Faith' for adults who want to keep growing.
- OCIA — meeting with Father Dugas for adults needing sacraments or seeking to become Catholic
- Continuing Catechesis and Education in the Faith (adults)
Parish Fellowship and Small Groups
Two lay-led monthly gatherings give the parish men and women a regular space outside of Mass for formation, encouragement, and friendship — both held in the Church Hall.
- Raising the Bar — Men's Monthly Meeting, 6:30 PM, first Tuesday of the month
- Women at the Well — Women's Monthly Meeting, 6:30 PM, last Tuesday of the month
Liturgical Ministries (Ways to Serve at Mass)
The parish actively recruits lay men, women, and young people for the roles called for by Vatican II's 'full, conscious, and active participation' in the Mass.
- Lector
- Sacristan
- Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion
- Altar Server
Outreach and Charitable Works
The parish operates two concrete works of mercy that anyone in Pine Prairie or the surrounding area can use or support — a food pantry on the first Wednesday of each month, and a thrift shop every Wednesday morning through early afternoon.
- The Lord's Pantry — open on the first Wednesday of the month
- Parish Thrift Shop — Wednesdays, 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Getting to St. Peter
The church sits on a corner lot right off Veterans Memorial Highway, the main road through Pine Prairie, with easy access from anywhere in Northern Evangeline Parish.
- Address: 1309 First Street, Pine Prairie, LA 70576
- Corner of First Street and Magnolia Street
- Two blocks from Veterans Memorial Highway
- Mailing: Post Office Box 709, Pine Prairie, LA 70576
St. Peter Catholic Cemetery
Adjacent to the parish's ministry of funerals is St. Peter Roman Catholic Cemetery on Hampton-Dupre Road in Pine Prairie, where generations of parishioners have been buried under the pastor's care.
- St. Peter Roman Catholic Cemetery, Hampton-Dupre Road, Pine Prairie, LA 70576
- Contact: (337) 599-2224, Rev. Casey Dugas
Mission: St. Theresa of the Child Jesus, St. Landry
The mission of St. Theresa is the dependent church of St. Peter, sharing the same pastor and forming one Catholic family across Pine Prairie and St. Landry.
- Sunday Mass — 9:00 AM
- St. Theresa Mission Church Cemetery, 2117 St. Landry Hwy., St. Landry, LA 71367