OUR STORY

In June of 1982, Archbishop Philip Hannan named Fr. Adrian B. Hall (pictured right) — who was, then, the pastor of Saints Peter and Paul in Pearl River — to be the founding pastor of a new parish east of I-10. Fr. Hall suggested as its patron “St. Luke the Evangelist” and it was formally adopted by the community at a Founding Committee meeting in  June. The immediate parish mission was expressed clearly in the second parish bulletin issued that month: to build the kingdom of God on earth.

Without property or a church building to speak of, the parish began celebrating weekend Masses in the gym of the local Catholic high school, Pope John Paul II. The first Mass of the parish was celebrated on June 19, 1982.

A modest house on Kisatchie Drive was purchased, remodeled, and put to use as the church’s first rectory and office. In the coming months, morning Masses were celebrated there in the meeting room adjacent to the office area.

Sunday, September 12, 1982, Archbishop Hannan formally dedicated the parish name, and the work of building the new church began in earnest as more families began to join the parish. Easter Sunday of the following year (1983) welcomed 1,169 parishioners for Holy Mass.

In the following years, St. Luke’s parish complex began to rapidly change with the construction of a Worship Center, which was never meant to be the permanent church, as well as its classroom wings and a community area to accommodate an increasing membership.

An Administration and Apostolic Work Center was added, followed by a new Rectory, portable buildings (used for classrooms and meeting rooms), an Adoration Chapel, and even a subsequent expansion to the Worship Center.

In July 1997, Fr. Hall was transferred to St. Cletus Parish in Gretna, and St. Luke happily received its second pastor, Fr. Rodney P. Bourg (pictured left), who had been the pastor of St. Peter Parish in Reserve, Louisiana.

Fr. Bourg continued the work of expanding the church through the idea of Total Stewardship — that the whole parish would help raise the funds to build the Kingdom of God as they pray, serve, and build with the intention of leaving an indelible mark on their community.

Considering the needs of the many ministries and spiritual programs, a new Youth Building was constructed in 2002, followed by a new Family Life Center with new classrooms, a conference room, and a spacious auditorium.

A maintenance/printing shop was added in 2004, and the construction of a permanent church was temporarily set aside.

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina took a severe toll on the Gulf Coast, but by God’s grace, our parish was spared any real damage. With renewed energy, we went about the task of taking care of the grieving and suffering people of the area and members of other devastated parishes. The people of the church embraced an influx of displaced parishioners from those affected churches and was blessed with the dedicated service of those new families who became so much a part of St. Luke’s community.

In the difficult days following the storm, St. Luke opened its doors to Catholic Charities, sharing the Youth Center, so that Catholic Charities could provide aid to needy victims. The Good Samaritans ministry began seeing more clients to help those with urgent needs. They offered not only financial support to the rebuilding of the community, but countless hours of volunteer work and assistance.

In June of 2006, Fr. Mark Lomax (pictured right), who came from St. Mark in Chalmette, was well-received as the new pastor of St. Luke. Fr. Mark had a firsthand understanding of the suffering of Katrina victims since St. Mark had itself been destroyed by the storm. Fr. Lomax added many lovely carved icons and mosaics to beautify the temporary Worship Center, as it was still being used for Holy Mass.

In 2013, Fr. Patrick Wattigny was named pastor of St. Luke.

In 2021, Fr. Jared Rodrigue (pictured left), then serving as parochial vicar at St. Margaret Mary in Slidell, was received as new pastor of St. Luke and remains the pastor to this day.

Many other dedicated priests have served at St. Luke as well: Fr. Rhenne Cervantes, Fr. James Jeanfreau, Fr. Louis Persac, Fr. Adrian Pijoan Figuerola, Fr. Joseph Man Tran, Fr. Elberto Vasquez, Fr. David Robicheaux, Fr. Vinh Dinh Luu, Fr. Joseph Thang Dinh Tran, Fr. Hoai T. Nguyen, Fr. Francis Offia, and Fr. David Frank.

Devoted permanent deacons have also assisted in the important work of the parish. Deacons Robert “Bob” Trainor (+2015), Robert “Bob” Binney (+2019), and Paul Augustin (+2021). And many deacons continue to assist today: Deacons Harold Burke, William “Bill” Faustermann, Ron LeBlanc, and Mark Pennington. All of these have given dedicated and loving service through RCIA, Liturgy, and countless ministries and events.

St. Luke the Evangelist Catholic Church has been consistently blessed by the hard work and prayers of faithful parishioners who have loved Jesus Christ and His Church and who have given so much of their time, talent, and treasure to make a welcoming home to all members of our community.

Though time may fly, the campus may transform, and ministers and ministries may pivot, the spirit of this parish family will always remain. We are a parish family on fire with the love of God, and we are so blessed have you be a part of it.