CHURCH HISTORIES    Terrebonne Parish, LA 

CATHOLIC - ST. ANTHONY OF PADUA CATHOLIC CHURCH
 
Submitted by: Cynthia Daigle
 
Source:  The Houma Daily Courier and The Terrebonne Press, Houma, LA. 

Last modified: 10 MARCH 2008
 
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NOTE: Most histories were submitted by the church to the Houma Daily 
Courier and The Terrebonne Press as part of the newspapers 
Sesquicentennial Edition. Not all churches submitted histories.

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CATHOLIC - ST. ANTHONY OF PADUA CATHOLIC CHURCH

Location in 2007 - 3897 Bayou Black Drive, Houma, LA

The Houma Daily Courier and The Terrebonne Press
Houma, LA, Oct. 8, 1972, Sunday


$100 SITE IS LOCATION OF ST. ANTHONY'S

The site of St. Anthony's Church was purchased by Most Rev. Francis 
Janssens, Archbishop of New Orleans on August 15, 1892 from Messrs. Peter 
Berger and John Berger for the cost of $100.00, with Rev. Jean M. Laval 
acting as representative of the archbishop.

For a number of years the chapel of St. Anthony served, along with St. 
Patrick in Gibson, by priest from various parishes in the areas of Houma, 
Morgan City and Thibodaux.

In 1931, Archbishop Shaw made both Gibson's St. Patrick and Bayou Black's 
St. Anthony(into) parishes, and Father Cyprien Foret was appointed Rector 
of both parish Churches.

While it was officially a Parish, the first resident priest was Rev. 
Dennis Begley who, unfortunately for the Parish, was called by Almighty 
God to his eternal rest a short time after being appointed Pastor.

Before and after this the Church was cared for by the priest of both Saint 
Patrick's in Gibson and St. Francis de Sales in Houma.

On June 10, 1972, Rev. Gerard Hayes was appointed resident Pastor. The 
present rectory was donated to St. Anthony Parish by the late Henry Brien. 
It is now in the process of being renovated.

The people of Bayou Black have constantly had a spirit of cooperation with 
the Parish and the Archdiocese. The most recent evidence of this is the 
beautiful new Parish Center which was built at a very reasonable cost 
because of the volunteer labor of so many of the parishioners.