Tricentennial Thursday: Tree of Catholicism has deep roots in New Orleans

From the roots of the St. Louis Cathedral a thriving local church has grown. This tree showcases the church parishes that have ministered to the people of New Orleans. Some churches have closed, some have merged, but all have left a permanent mark on the souls who walked through their doors.

Each church is identified by name, the year it opened, and, if applicable, its date of closure or merger. Parish establishment dates can be confusing when considering the variety of primary and secondary sources. The establishment dates were selected based on the most reliable information available in archdiocesan archives. 

No period in Louisiana’s history matches the quarter century from 1835 to 1860 in parish expansion. Dozens of new churches were founded in New Orleans and rural areas. Some of these churches ministered to French- and German-speaking New Orleanians.

Throughout the centuries, the constant is St. Louis Cathedral, where people of all nationalities and races have worshiped together in what began as a tiny wooden structure and grew to become a cathedral and the center of Catholicism in New Orleans.

Establishment dates of parishes

1718

• St. Louis Cathedral

1723

• St. Charles Borromeo, Destrehan 

1772

•  St. John the Baptist, Edgard 

1787

• St. Bernard, St. Bernard 

1826

• St. Anthony of Padua Mortuary Chapel (renamed as Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in 1918)

1833

• St. Patrick, New Orleans

1838

• St. Vincent de Paul, New Orleans (merged in 2001 to form Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos)

1841

• St. Augustine, New Orleans (closed briefly in 2006; reopened later that year)

1843

• St. Peter, Covington

1844

• Annunciation, New Orleans (closed in 2001)
• St. Joseph, New Orleans

1845

• St. Mary, New Orleans (merged in 2008 with St. Louis Cathedral; open for weddings)
• St. Thomas, Pointe à la Hache

1847

• Holy Name of Mary, New Orleans
• Holy Trinity, New Orleans (closed in 1997)

1848

• Mater Dolorosa, New Orleans
• Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, New Orleans (merged in 1899 with Mater Dolorosa)
• St. Theresa of Avila, New Orleans
• Sts. Peter and Paul, New Orleans (merged in 2001 to form Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos Parish)

1849

• St. Stephen, New Orleans (merged in 2008 with St. Henry and Our Lady of Good Counsel to form Good Shepherd)

1850

• Our Lady of the Lake, Mandeville
• St. Alphonsus, New Orleans (Mass celebrated at St. Mary’s Assumption)

1851

• Immaculate Conception (Jesuits), New Orleans
• St. John the Baptist, New Orleans (closed in 2006; territory assumed by St. Patrick)

1852

• St. Ann, New Orleans (closed in 1971)
• St. Maurice, New Orleans (merged in 2008 with St. David)

1856

• St. Henry, New Orleans (merged in 2008 with St. Stephen and Our Lady of Good Counsel to form Good Shepherd)

1857

• St. Joseph, Gretna
• St. Rose of Lima, New Orleans (closed in 2006; territory assumed by Our Lady of the Rosary)

1858

• St. Mary’s Assumption, New Orleans (filial church of St. Alphonsus)
• Notre Dame de Bon Secours, New Orleans (closed in 1925)

1864

• Our Lady of Good Harbor, Buras (merged in 2008 with St. Patrick in Port Sulphur)
• St. Peter, Reserve

1867

• St. Francis de Sales, New Orleans (merged in 2008 with Holy Ghost to form St. Katharine Drexel)

1869

• Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Kenner
• St. Michael, New Orleans (closed in 1966)

1871

• Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, New Orleans (closed in 1972)
• St. Boniface, New Orleans (closed in 1917)

1877

• Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, Hahnville

1879

• Sacred Heart of Jesus, New Orleans (merged in 2008 with St. Anthony of Padua)

1887

• Our Lady of Good Counsel, New Orleans (merged in 2008 with St. Stephen and St. Henry to form Good Shepherd)
• St. Jane de Chantal, Abita Springs

1890 

• Our Lady of Lourdes, Slidell 
• Sacred Heart, Lacombe 
• St. Francis of Assisi, New Orleans 

1892

• Holy Name of Jesus, New Orleans 
• St. Katherine, New Orleans (closed in 1966)

1897

• St. Cecilia, New Orleans (merged in 2001 to form Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos) 

1905

• Our Lady of Lourdes, New Orleans (merged in 2008 with St. Matthias and St. Monica to form Blessed Trinity)

1906

• Annunciation, Bogalusa

1907

• Our Lady of the Rosary, New Orleans 
• St. Hubert, Garyville

1909

• St. Joan of Arc, New Orleans (merged in 2008 with Blessed Sacrament to form Blessed Sacrament-St. Joan of Arc)

1911

• Our Lady Star of the Sea, New Orleans

1915

• Blessed Sacrament, New Orleans (merged in 2008 with St. Joan of Arc to form Blessed Sacrament-St. Joan of Arc)
• St. Anthony of Padua, New Orleans

1916

• Corpus Christi, New Orleans (merged in 2008 with Epiphany to form Corpus Christi-Epiphany)
• Holy Ghost, New Orleans (merged in 2008 with St. Francis de Sales to form St. Katharine Drexel)
• Our Lady of Lourdes, Violet

1918

• Our Lady of Guadalupe, New Orleans (see 1826)

1919

• All Saints, New Orleans
• Holy Redeemer (closed in 1965)

1920 

• Our Lady of Prompt Succor, Westwego
• St. Anthony, Gretna (becomes a mission of St. Joseph Shrine on the West Bank in 2008; resumes as parish 2017)
• St. James Major, New Orleans
• St. Leo the Great, New Orleans (merged in 2008 with St. Raymond to form St. Raymond-St. Leo the Great)
• St. Matthias, New Orleans (merged in 2008 with Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Monica to form Blessed Trinity)
• St. Peter Claver, New Orleans

1921

• St. Catherine of Siena, Metairie
• St. John the Baptist, Folsom
• St. Rita, New Orleans

1922

• Incarnate Word (merged in 2008 with Mater Dolorosa)

1924

• Immaculate Conception, Marrero
• St. Dominic, New Orleans
• St. Francis Xavier, Metairie
• St. Monica (merged in 2008 with Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Matthias to form Blessed Trinity)

1925

• St. Mary of the Angels, New Orleans 

1927

• St. Raymond, New Orleans (merged in 2008 with St. Leo the Great to form St. Raymond-St. Leo the Great)

1928

• Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Belle Chasse

1929

• St. Theresa of the Child Jesus, New Orleans (closed in 2006; territory assumed by Incarnate Word and later by Mater Dolorosa)

1931

• St. Agnes, Jefferson 

1936

• St. Anthony, Lafitte 

1937

• Our Lady of Grace, Reserve
• St. David, New Orleans

1947

• St. Christopher the Martyr, Metairie 
• St. Joan of Arc, LaPlace
• St. Louis King of France, Metairie
• St. Paul the Apostle, New Orleans
• St. Raphael the Archangel, New Orleans (merged in 2008 with St. Frances Xavier Cabrini and St. Thomas the Apostle to form Transfiguration of the Lord)

1948

• Epiphany, New Orleans (merged in 2008 with Corpus Christi to form Corpus Christi-Epiphany)

1949

• St. Philip the Apostle, New Orleans (closed in 2006; territory assumed by St. Mary of the Angels)
• St. Rosalie, Harvey

1950

• St. Rita, Harahan

1951

• Our Lady of Prompt Succor, Chalmette

1952

• St. Andrew the Apostle, New Orleans
• St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, New Orleans (merged in 2008 with St. Raphael the Archangel and St. Thomas the Apostle to form Transfiguration of the Lord)
• St. Julian Eymard, New Orleans (originally named St. Joseph; merged in 2008 with Holy Name of Mary)

1953

• St. Pius X, New Orleans

1954

• Immaculate Heart of Mary, New Orleans (merged in 2008 with St. Maria Goretti)
• St. Gabriel the Archangel, New Orleans
• St. Louise de Marillac, Arabi (merged in 2008 with Our Lady of Prompt Succor, Chalmette)

1955

• St. Gertrude, Des Allemands
• St. Joseph the Worker, Marrero
• St. Mary Magdalen, Metairie

1956

• St. Patrick, Port Sulphur

1958

• St. Lawrence the Martyr, Metairie (merged in 2008 with Our Lady of Divine Providence in Metairie; current home of Hispanic Apostolate.)

1959

• Sacred Heart of Jesus, Norco 
• St. Matthew the Apostle, River Ridge 

1960

• St. Philip Neri, Metairie

1961

• St. Anthony of Padua, Luling 

1963

• Christ the King, Terrytown 
• Holy Guardian Angels, Bridge City (becomes a mission of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, Westwego, in 2008)
• Resurrection of Our Lord, New Orleans
• St. Jerome, Kenner
• Visitation of Our Lady, Marrero

1964

• St. Angela Merici, Metairie 
• St. Anselm, Madisonville 
• St. Benilde, Metairie
• St. Edward the Confessor, Metairie
• St. Mark, Chalmette (merged in 2008 with Our Lady of Prompt Succor in Chalmette)
• St. Robert Bellarmine, Arabi (merged in 2008 with Our Lady of Prompt Succor in Chalmette)

1965

• Our Lady of Divine Providence, Metairie
• St. Bonaventure, Avondale
• St. Clement of Rome, Metairie
• St. Cletus, Gretna
• ™ St. Margaret Mary, Slidell
• St. Maria Goretti, New Orleans (assumed the territory of Immaculate Heart of Mary and St. Simon Peter in 2008)

1966

• San Pedro Pescador, Florissant (merged in 2008 with St. Bernard in St. Bernard)

1968

• St. Genevieve, Slidell

1969

• Infant Jesus of Prague, Harvey (becomes mission of St. Martha, Harvey, in 2008)

1970

• St. Benedict, Covington
• Sts. Peter and Paul, Pearl River
• St. Thomas More, New Orleans (becomes campus-ministry center for Tulane University in 2008)

1971

• St. Ann, Metairie
• St. Gerard Majella, New Orleans (merged in 2001 to form Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos)
• St. John the Baptist, Paradis
• St. Nicholas of Myra, New Orleans (closed in 2006; reopened as a mission of Resurrection of Our Lord in 2014)
• St. Pius X, Crown Point (becomes a mission of St. Anthony, Lafitte, in 2008)

1972

• Holy Spirit, New Orleans

1973

• St. Martha, Harvey

1974

• St. Mark, Ama
• St. Thomas the Apostle, New Orleans (becomes campus-ministry center for University of New Orleans in 2008)

1977 

• Nativity of Our Lord, Kenner (merged in 2009 with St. Elizabeth Ann Seton to form Divine Mercy)
• Prince of Peace, Chalmette (merged in 2008 with Our Lady of Prompt Succor in Chalmette)
• St. Brigid, New Orleans (merged in 2008 with Mary Queen of Vietnam)

1978

• Our Lady of the Angels, Waggaman

1979

• Ascension of Our Lord, LaPlace

1980

• Holy Family, Luling

1981

• St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Kenner (merged in 2009 with Nativity of Our Lord to form Divine Mercy)
• St. Jude, Diamond (closed in 2006; territory assumed by St. Patrick in Port Sulphur)

1982

• Holy Family, Franklinton
• St. Luke the Evangelist, Slidell

1983

• Mary Queen of Vietnam, New Orleans
• St. John Bosco, Harvey

1984

• St. John of the Cross, Lacombe 

1985

• St. Joachim, Marrero

1986

• St. Simon Peter, New Orleans (merged in 2008 with St. Maria Goretti)

1988

• Mary Queen of Peace, Mandeville 

1995

• St. Agnes Le Thi Thanh, Marrero 

2001

• Blessed Francis Seelos, New Orleans

2006

• Most Holy Trinity, Covington

2008

• Blessed Sacrament-St. Joan of Arc, New Orleans (merger of Blessed Sacrament and St. Joan of Arc)
• Blessed Trinity, New Orleans (merger of St. Matthias, Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Monica)
• Corpus Christi-Epiphany, New Orleans (merger of Corpus Christi and Epiphany)
• Good Shepherd, New Orleans (merger of St. Stephen, St. Henry and Our Lady of Good Counsel)
• St. Katharine Drexel, New Orleans (merger of Holy Ghost and St. Francis de Sales)
• St. Raymond-St. Leo the Great, New Orleans (merger of St. Raymond and St. Leo the Great)
• Transfiguration of the Lord, New Orleans (merger of St. Raphael, St. Frances Cabrini and St. Thomas the Apostle)

2009

• Divine Mercy, Kenner (merger of Nativity of Our Lord and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton)

2014

• Assumption of Mary, Avondale (originally mission of St. Agnes Le Thi Thanh); personal Vietnamese parish
• St. Joseph, Algiers, (originally mission of St. Agnes Le Thi Thanh); personal Vietnamese parish

Click here to view the Clarion Herald flipbook, “River of Faith: 300 Years as a New Orleans Catholic Community – 1718-2018”