About St. Theresa of Avila · New Orleans, Louisiana
St. Theresa of Avila was a historic Catholic parish in New Orleans' Lower Garden District, founded in 1848 by the Sisters of Charity on land donated from the estate of Mrs. Theresa Perie Saulet. It stood at 1404 Erato Street (corner of Erato and Camp) and was one of the first ten Catholic parishes created in the city, having served successive waves of immigrants — originally Irish and German Catholics, and from 1969 onward a vibrant Hispanic community centered on the Honduran 'El Barrio Lempia' in the lower Garden District. The parish marked its 175th anniversary on October 14, 2023, with a final Mass of closure celebrated by Father Lance Campo on June 30, 2024; its territory was then divided between neighboring St. Patrick Parish (Camp Street) and St. Alphonsus Parish (Constance Street) in the Archdiocese of New Orleans.
- Established
- 1848
- Patron
- St. Theresa of Avila (Spanish: Santa Teresa de Ávila), 16th-century Carmelite mystic, Doctor of the Church
- Rector
- Rev. Lance Campo (last resident pastor at closure; appointed July 1, 2022)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of New Orleans (Metropolitan Archdiocese of New Orleans)
Why belong here
For more than 175 years St. Theresa of Avila offered bilingual Catholic worship — daily noon Mass in English, a Saturday vigil, and a Sunday Mass in Spanish — in the heart of the Lower Garden District at Erato and Camp. It was especially known as a spiritual home for New Orleans' Honduran and broader Hispanic Catholic community (El Barrio Lempia), with a celebrated yearly feast of Our Lady of Suyapa, a historic pipe organ, and stained-glass windows painstakingly restored after Hurricane Katrina. Although the parish itself has now permanently closed, its territory and community have been carried into the pastoral care of neighboring St. Patrick Parish (north of the Pontchartrain Expressway) and St. Alphonsus Parish (south) — the natural next homes for anyone seeking the same Lower Garden District Catholic community life.
Mass times at St. Theresa of Avila
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:30 PM – 4:00 PM (before the vigil Mass)
- Also before weekday Masses
Parish Identity & History
St. Theresa of Avila was a Roman Catholic parish in the Lower Garden District of New Orleans, part of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. It traces its origin to 1838, when Bishop Antoine Blanc accepted a square in Faubourg Saulet from the estate of Mrs. Theresa Perie Saulet for 'charitable purposes,' with the wish that a church bear the name of St. Theresa of Avila. In 1839 the Sisters of Charity built a female orphan asylum and a wooden chapel on the site, and in 1848 the present church replaced the chapel, making the parish one of the first ten Catholic parishes created in New Orleans. Father J.P. Bellier became the first resident pastor in 1850. The parish permanently closed on June 30, 2024, after 175 years of continuous ministry.
- Founded 1848; preceded by an 1839 Sisters of Charity chapel and orphan asylum
- 175th anniversary celebrated October 14, 2023
- Permanently closed June 30, 2024
- Territory merged into St. Patrick (north of Pontchartrain Expressway) and St. Alphonsus (south)
Building, Organ, and Sacred Art
The 1848 sanctuary at Erato and Camp was notable for housing a mid-nineteenth-century Jardine and Sons pipe organ — one of the oldest organs in Louisiana — and for the prominent stained-glass window behind the altar. After Hurricane Katrina destroyed that window and several adjacent ones in 2005 (about $200,000 in damage), Conrad Schmitt Studios restored and recreated the glass, intentionally preserving a small, nearly invisible crack as a tribute to the parish's endurance.
- Mid-19th-century Jardine and Sons organ (one of the oldest in Louisiana)
- Restored stained-glass windows by Conrad Schmitt Studios (post-Katrina, 2005)
- Statue of Our Lady of Suyapa, donated by the Honduran Catholic community
Clergy & Pastoral Leadership
Father J.P. Bellier served as the first resident pastor from 1850. The parish's final resident pastor was Rev. Lance Campo, appointed by Archbishop Gregory Aymond effective July 1, 2022, for the standard six-year term. He celebrated the closing prayer service on June 30, 2024, and was subsequently named the founding pastor of the new St. Michael the Archangel Parish in the Archdiocese of New Orleans.
- Rev. J.P. Bellier – first resident pastor (1850–)
- Rev. Lance Campo – last pastor (July 2022 – June 30, 2024)
The Hispanic & Honduran Community of El Barrio Lempia
By the 1960s New Orleans had become home to one of the largest Honduran communities in the United States. They settled in the lower Garden District, calling their neighborhood El Barrio Lempia after a Honduran national hero, and built restaurants, supermarkets, nightclubs, and the Spanish-language radio station KGLA (today Radio Tropical Caliente). St. Theresa of Avila responded to this Catholic immigrant community by beginning to celebrate Mass in Spanish in 1969, and the Honduran faithful later raised funds to install a statue of Our Lady of Suyapa inside the church. Every February the parish still marks her feast with traditional Honduran music, food, and processions — an enduring celebration of placemaking for the Honduran diaspora in New Orleans.
- Spanish Mass began in 1969
- Statue of Our Lady of Suyapa installed by the Honduran community
- Annual February feast of Our Lady of Suyapa with Honduran music and traditions
Hurricane Katrina Recovery (2005)
Hurricane Katrina caused severe damage to the church in 2005. The largest stained-glass window behind the altar and several nearby stained-glass windows were destroyed, totaling about $200,000 in damage. Artists from Conrad Schmitt Studios restored and recreated the stained glass, intentionally preserving a small, near-invisible crack to symbolize the strength and perseverance of the community.
- Total damage approximately $200,000
- Restoration by Conrad Schmitt Studios
- Visible-if-pointed-out crack preserved by the artists as a memorial symbol
Closure and Parish Merger (2023–2024)
On October 29, 2023, Archbishop Gregory Aymond announced that St. Theresa of Avila would close effective July 1, 2024, as part of a broader Archdiocesan pastoral-planning process driven by low attendance, financial losses, demographic shifts, and the Archdiocese's Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The parish's territory was divided: north of the Pontchartrain Expressway merged into St. Patrick Parish on Camp Street; south merged into St. Alphonsus Parish on Constance Street. Father Lance Campo celebrated a closing prayer service on June 30, 2024, and was later named the founding pastor of the new St. Michael the Archangel Parish.
- Closure announced October 29, 2023 by Archbishop Gregory Aymond
- Effective July 1, 2024
- Territory north of Pontchartrain Expressway → St. Patrick Parish (Camp St.)
- Territory south → St. Alphonsus Parish (Constance St.)
- Last pastor Rev. Lance Campo → founding pastor of St. Michael the Archangel Parish
Support & Giving
The parish's official website featured an online giving portal tied to the Parish 175th Anniversary Appeal, allowing supporters to make gifts online during the final year of ministry.
- Online giving via the official website
- 175th Anniversary support appeal
Visit & Contact Information
The historic church stood at 1404 Erato Street, New Orleans, LA 70130, on the corner of Erato and Camp Streets in the Lower Garden District. Parish office contact (504) 227-3229; the parish-rectory renovations prompted relocation of the office to the Center of Jesus the Lord, 1307 Louisiana Ave., New Orleans, LA 70115. GCatholic also lists (504) 525-4226 as the parish telephone.
- Church: 1404 Erato Street, New Orleans, LA 70130
- Office (relocated): Center of Jesus the Lord, 1307 Louisiana Ave., New Orleans, LA 70115
- Phone: (504) 227-3229
- Alternate phone: (504) 525-4226
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. J.P. Bellier1850–
First resident pastor of St. Theresa of Avila, appointed after the present church replaced the 1839 wooden chapel.
- Rev. Lance CampoJuly 2022 – June 30, 2024
Last pastor of the parish; appointed by Archbishop Aymond effective July 1, 2022; celebrated the closing prayer service on June 30, 2024; later named founding pastor of the new St. Michael the Archangel Parish.