CHURCH HISTORIES Terrebonne Parish, LA CATHOLIC - ST. LAWRENCE CATHOLIC CHURCH Submitted by: Cynthia Daigle Source: The Houma Daily Courier and The Terrebonne Press, Houma, LA. Last modified: 10 MARCH 2008 ================================================== 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. ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** ================================================== CATHOLIC - ST. LAWRENCE CATHOLIC CHURCH Location in 2007 - 2135 Bull Run Road, Chacahoula, LA The Houma Daily Courier and The Terrebonne Press Houma, LA, Oct. 8, 1972, Sunday ST. LAWRENCE HAS 1858 FOUNDING DATE (picture of church in paper) Prior to 1858, St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Chacahoula was a mission of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Thibodaux. A sufficient number of Catholics were living in the area, however, causing Rev. Menard, then pastor of the Thibodaux church to recommend that a separate parish be established for those residents. Archbishop Antoine Blanc, therefore, established St. Lawrence as a separate church parish in 1858, naming Fr. Perreau as first pastor. In 1858, Fr. Perreau was killed when he fell from his horse while out on a sick call. Rev. C. Urcun was then appointed pastor in 1860 and attended to St. Lawrence as well as the Bayou Boeuf and Morgan City areas. During the War Between the States, the records of the Bayou Boeuf community were burned, which resulted in the communities of Chacahoula, Tigerville, Bayou Boeuf and Morgan City once more being reduced to missions of St. Joseph in Thibodaux. In 1871, Fr. Maitre was made pastor of St. Lawrence. He was succeeded by Fr. Lapeyrusse in 1873, and then Fr. Chabrier in 1875. In 1898, Chacahoula and Bayou Boeuf became missions of Morgan City when Fr. Souby became pastor of the church in Morgan City. In 1902, Fr. A. Maisonneuve was appointed pastor of St. Lawrence. Fr. Baissac became pastor of St. Lawrence in 1911. Under his administration a new church was erected. In 1914, during the administration of Fr. John F. Basty, St. Agnes Catholic Chapel was built at Donner. Fr. Basty was succeeded by Fr. J.B. Delepin; Fr. F.X. Legare; Fr. Joseph M. Higginbotham; Fr. Charles Murphy; and the present pastor, Fr. M.W. Finnagin. On January 1, 1972, the St. Lawrence community will celebrate its 125th anniversary.