Our Lady of the Lake Church, Lake Arthur, 1922; Jefferson Davis, Louisiana Submitted by Kathy Tell Source; Truman Stacey of the Diocese of Lake Charles. Written for the Jubilee Year 2000. Submitted July 2004 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ LOCATION: 203 Commercial Street, Lake Arthur LA, 70549; In Lake Arthur, the Church is located on Commercial Street. Commercial runs parallel to the West of Arthur Avenue (La. 14). Entering Lake Arthur from the North, at Third Street, go right (West) to Commercial, then South. The Church is on the right. LAKE ARTHUR - Because it its position on the Mermentau River gave it access to water transport, Lake Arthur and its vicinity were settled earlier than other towns on "the prairies." The first settlement in the area was called Lakeside, and grew up on the south shore of the lake in what is now Vermilion Parish. One the first settlers was Atanas Hebert, who settled on the south side of the lake in 1811. Another pioneer was Hiram Andrus, who moved in north of the lake in an area now called Andrus Cove, in 1832. Andrus possessed a Spanish land grant which gave him title to most of the land between the lake and Jennings. Lakeside developed a post office, a hotel, a newspaper and several stores, and was publicized as a place of orchards and rice crops. Two hard freezes, however, killed the orchards and crops. Newcomers brought in by the railroads began to settle on the north side of the lake in what was then Imperial Calcasieu. The lake had been called Lac d'Arthur, for Arthur LeBlanc, who lived on the north shore, so the new town became Lake Arthur. The first Catholic priests of record in the area came from Texas. One of these was the Rev. P. F. Parisot, who traveled to Imperial Calcasieu form Galveston in 1852. In his journal he described his trip up the Mermentau on a "coaster" from the Gulf of Mexico, and that "going up the river I baptized a number of infants on both banks." A few years later a chapel was built in Lakeside, dedicated to St. Theresa. Priests from Abbeville visited to perform marriages and baptisms to confirm Catholics in the area. In 1891 Our Lady Help of Christians Parish was established in Jennings with the territory that include most of what is now Jeff Davis Civil Parish. The founding pastor was the Rev. Cornelius van de Ven, but within a year he was transferred to Lake Charles. He was followed by the Rev. Joseph Peeters, who took Lake Arthur under his wing. Father Peeters was engaged in building a church in Jennings, but came to the lake on weekends to say Mass in St. Theresa Chapel. Roads were mere cow paths, so the trips were made by boat and horseback. Meanwhile Lake Arthur was growing as land merchants traveled through the Middle West singing the praises of the "Eden of the South." Many settlers came from Iowa and Kansas to make their homes on the lake. In addition the Andruses and the Heberts immigrants from France were among the early mainstays of the Church. Eugene, Jules and Paul Gaithe were sons of Louis Gaithe, who came from France via New Orleans. Joachim, Emile, Theodore and Antoine were sons of Dominique Monlezun, who emigrated from the French Basque region. The Broussard clan, one of the largest of all, was early represented in the history of the Mermentau area. In 1922 Lake Arthur itself was large enough for the Most Rev. Jules B. Jeanmard, Bishop of Lafayette, to establish the Parish of Our Lady of the Lake. The founding pastor was the Rev. William E. Allen, who first said Mass in St. Theresa Chapel. Church historians relate how "he came by boat, landed at our wharf, and walked to the chapel, often battling winds, rain and the cold. Later he had a second-hand car, and drove over whenever the roads were passable. "To get people to come to church he organized a large choir, and they came to church to practice. He also had adults play different instruments. In 1924 he gave a concert in front of the church." The parish today serves about 650 families in the southeastern part of Jeff Davis Civil Parish. The present church building was constructed in 1954, and has a seating capacity of 500. A new rectory was completed in 1956. During the pastorate of Msgr. Charles Dubois the church was completely remodeled, and several additions were made. A prayer garden was established, with the center piece being a water fountain and a life-sized reproduction of the Pieta, which was donated by Mrs. Estella Marceaux in memory of her late husband and son. The parish also includes two missions: St. Francis of Assisi Mission in Thornwell and St. Gertrude Mission in Andrus Cove. Our Lady of the Lake has a Ladies Altar Society and a Youth 2000 Group. Special parish programs include the Adoration Chapel and a  "Come, Follow Me" group. The parish also holds an annual bazaar held on the grounds originally housing the Benedictine Monastery. The bazaar is the parish's chief fund-raiser and is attended by hundreds each year. Under a general chairman, there are about 25 booth chairmen who serve annually. Our Lady of the Lake Parish boasts a strong contingent of outstanding parishioners who have volunteered for various projects including a strong religious education program with a current enrollment of 394 students. Eleven pastors have been assigned to Our Lady of the Lake Parish since it was established. With the years they served, are 1922-1935 -- Rev. William E. Allen; 1935-1941 -- Rev. Louis de Monsabert; 1941-1949 -- Rev. Gustave Berube; 1949-1952 -- Rev. Wilfred Labbe; 1952-1964 -- Rev. Harry Pelous; 1964-1969 -- Rev. Jude Speyrer (now Bishop of Lake Charles); 1969-1974 -- Rev. Charles Soileau; 1974-1975 -- Rev. William Koche; 1975-1983 -- Rev. Gerard Smit; 1983-1997 -- Msgr. Charles Dubois 1997 -- Rev. Maurice Martineau.