About St. Rita Catholic Church · Saint Martinville, Louisiana
St. Rita Catholic Church is a small Cajun-Catholic parish located in Catahoula, a community within the St. Martin Parish near Saint Martinville, Louisiana, nestled near the calm waters of Lake Catahoula and the Atchafalaya Basin. The parish was established on May 29, 1952 by Bishop Jules Jeanmard of the Diocese of Lafayette and traces its roots back to the early 1920s when Acadian families of the basin first received pastoral care from St. Martin de Tours Church. It is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette and today serves its rural community with regular weekend and weekday Masses, devotions, a parish hall (Dion Hall), and the adjoining Our Lady of Lake Cemetery.
- Established
- 1952
- Patron
- St. Rita of Cascia
- Rector
- Rev. Bill John Melancon
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana
Why belong here
St. Rita Catholic Church offers a faithful, deeply rooted Cajun Catholic community with a long tradition of devotions and sacramental life. The parish keeps an accessible weekly rhythm — daily Mass (Tuesday through Friday), Saturday vigil and Sunday morning Mass, Eucharistic Adoration and the Sacred Heart Novena on First Fridays, a Saturday Healing Service on First Saturdays, and Our Mother of Perpetual Help Devotions following Tuesday Mass — so parishioners can build a genuine prayer life around the Church's traditional rhythms. Lay apostolates such as the Legion of Mary, the Altar Society, the Knights of Columbus Council, the parish youth group, and the parish Religion Program give every age a real way to belong, serve, and grow in faith.
Mass times at St. Rita Catholic Church
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- 30 minutes before all Masses
- By appointment
Adoration times
- First Friday: 6:00 AM — Angelus, Exposition, Adoration, Sacred Heart Novena (followed by 7:00 AM Mass)
History of St. Rita Parish
The community that became St. Rita Parish grew out of an Acadian settlement near Lake Catahoula. Through the 1920s the faithful were served from St. Martin de Tours Church by Fr. Joseph Peeters, with Mass said in homes, the public school, and even the storage room of Aurelien Doucet's grocery store. After a modest chapel was moved to the present site and parish property was enlarged through gifts from Gaston Rousseau (1927) and Joseph Dauphinet, Sr. and Isabella Bourque (1948), Bishop Jules Jeanmard established the new parish of St. Rita on May 29, 1952.
- Early 1920s: First pastoral care from St. Martin de Tours under Fr. Joseph Peeters
- October 1927: Gaston Rousseau donates property to enlarge the grounds
- May 1948: Joseph Dauphinet, Sr. and Isabella Bourque add land, completing the triangular property
- Late 1951: Old chapel replaced by the church building
- May 29, 1952: Parish formally established by Bishop Jules Jeanmard
St. Rita of Cascia — The Patroness
St. Rita of Cascia was born in Spoleto, Italy, in 1381. Despite an arranged marriage to a violent husband and the early deaths of her two sons, her patient prayers led her husband to repentance before his death. In 1417 she was admitted to the Augustinian convent at Cascia, where she lived a life of prayer, penance, and charity, marked by a deep devotion to the Passion of Christ — a thorn from the crucifix striking her forehead and leaving a wound she carried for the rest of her life. She died on May 22, 1457, and her body has remained miraculously incorrupt for over 500 years; she is venerated as the patron saint of impossible causes, the sick, the abused, widows, and those suffering from difficult marriages or infertility. Her Memorial is celebrated on May 22.
- Born Spoleto, Italy — 1381
- Entered Augustinian convent at Cascia — 1417
- Died May 22, 1457
- Memorial: May 22
- Patronage: impossible causes, the sick, the abused, widows, difficult marriages, sterility and infertility
Parish Ministries & Organizations
St. Rita's lay life spans the traditional Catholic organizations you'd expect in a Cajun parish — the Ladies Altar Society, the Legion of Mary, the Knights of Columbus, and a youth group — alongside a parish Religion Program for catechesis and the liturgical ministries of lectors and Eucharistic ministers. These groups give every age a place to belong and to serve.
- St. Rita Altar Society
- Legion of Mary
- Knights of Columbus Council
- Youth Group
- Religion Program (religious education)
- Lectors and Eucharistic Ministers
Parish Facilities
The parish campus includes the church itself, the rectory (rebuilt under Fr. Donald Pelous), Dion Hall (formerly Madonna Hall — the parish hall used for gatherings and funeral visitations), a Sacred Heart of Jesus statue on the grounds, and Our Lady of the Lake Cemetery with its two mausoleums adjoining the property.
- Church with stained-glass windows and enlarged canopy
- Rectory (newly built under Fr. Donald Pelous, 1998–2009)
- Dion Hall (parish hall, formerly Madonna Hall)
- Sacred Heart of Jesus statue on the church grounds
- Our Lady of the Lake Cemetery with two mausoleums
Our Lady of the Lake Cemetery
Organized under Fr. François Bussieres in the 1960s, Our Lady of the Lake Cemetery is the parish's resting place and contains two mausoleums — the first built under Fr. Bussieres and the second added under Fr. Allen Breaux. Two former pastors, Fr. Bussieres and Fr. Columban Lesquivit, are buried there. The cemetery adjoins the church property and continues to serve the families of Catahoula and the surrounding community.
- Organized under Fr. François Bussieres (1961–1971)
- First mausoleum built under Fr. Bussieres
- Second mausoleum added under Fr. Allen Breaux (1989–1998)
- Fr. Bussieres and Fr. Columban Lesquivit buried on site
Partnership with St. Elizabeth Church, Coteau Holmes
Since 2019, St. Rita has shared its pastor with the neighboring St. Elizabeth Church in Coteau Holmes, and the parish website carries a dedicated page linking the two communities under Fr. Bill John Melancon's pastoral care.
- St. Elizabeth Church — 1006 St. Elizabeth Street, Saint Martinville, LA 70582
- Phone: 337-394-6684
- Shared pastor: Rev. Bill John Melancon
Visit, Contact & Directions
St. Rita Catholic Church is located at 1006 St. Rita Highway in Catahoula, just outside Saint Martinville in St. Martin Parish. The parish office can be reached at 337-394-4679 or by email at [email protected], and the parish website (stritacatahoula.com) carries current Mass, confession, and devotion schedules.
- Address: 1006 St. Rita Hwy, Saint Martinville, LA 70582
- Phone: 337-394-4679
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://stritacatahoula.com/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Marcel Dion1952-1961
First pastor; built the rectory and placed a donated Sacred Heart of Jesus statue on the grounds.
- Fr. François Bussieres1961-1971
Second pastor; enlarged the rectory, built the parish hall, organized Our Lady of the Lake Cemetery, built a mausoleum, and purchased land for a religious education center. Buried in Our Lady of the Lake Cemetery.
- Fr. John Spekschate1971-1974
Third pastor; renovated church and rectory interiors, prepared the parking lot, and formed a chapter of the Legion of Mary. Retired to his native Holland.
- Fr. Columban Lesquivit1974-1989
Fourth pastor; installed stained glass windows, published a pictorial directory, expanded the parish hall, and documented the parish's history. Buried in Our Lady of the Lake Cemetery.
- Fr. Allen Breaux1989-1998
Fifth pastor; renovated the sanctuary, built a second mausoleum, expanded the parish hall, formed a youth group, and established a Knights of Columbus Council.
- Fr. Donald Pelous1998-2009
Sixth pastor; built a new rectory, renovated the parish hall, published a pictorial directory, and enlarged the church's canopy.
- Fr. Richard Fabre2009-2019
Seventh pastor; appointed by Bishop Michael Jarrell.
- Rev. Bill John Melancon2019-present
Current pastor; also serves as pastor of St. Elizabeth Church in Coteau Holmes.