About Us

  • 1982: The publication of the first issue of the Catholic Calendar appeared in the Lake Charles American Press on September 18. The publication is in its 42nd year.
  • 1983: Bishop Speyrer blessed St. Jude Chapel, the first new chapel in the Diocese, on October 27, 1983, in Dry Creek. Later that year, St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Fenton (East Deanery) became the first new parish established in the Diocese.
  • 1985: On April 21, the offices of the Bishop, Vicar General, Chancellor and Tribunal moved into permanent quarters at the former home of Calcasieu Council 1207 Knights of Columbus and Lady of the Lake Court 695, Catholic Daughters of the Americas building at 414 Iris Street. The building was donated to the Diocese of Lake Charles and dedicated by the Most Reverend (later Cardinal) Pio Laghi, Apostolic Pro-Nuncio. He later died in Rome on January 11, 2009. The Chancery Building was severely damaged by Hurricane Laura on August 27, 2024.
  • 1987: The Seafarers Center at the Port of Lake Charles was dedicated on January 15. Later in the month, the first edition of the Southwest Catholic, the diocesan newspaper, was published. Hurricane Rita in 2005 would cease publication of the Southwest Catholic.
  • 1988: In July, the Reverend Sam G. Jacobs, a priest for the Diocese of Lake Charles, was appointed the 10th Bishop of the Diocese of Alexandria.
  • 1995: The Apostolic Pro-Nuncio, Archbishop Agostino Caccivillain, dedicates Saint Charles Center on November 5, 1995.
  • 1997: The Diocese announces its presence on the World Wide Web: www.lcdiocese.org
  • 2002: Two new parishes for the Diocese of Lake Charles — Christ the King and St. Martin de Porres, were established by Episcopal Decree on September 30, 2002.
  • 2005: On September 24, Hurricane Rita, a Category 3 storm, devastated lower Cameron Parish with 100-plus miles per hour winds and a more than 15-foot storm surge. The parishes of St. Peter the Apostle in Hackberry, Our Lady Star of the Sea in Cameron, Sacred Heart of Jesus in Creole and St. Eugene in Grand Chenier, were nearly wiped out. St. Mary of the Lake in Big Lake was inundated with nearly two feet of floodwaters. The mission chapels of Holy Trinity in Holly Beach, Immaculate Conception in Grand Chenier, and St. Rose of Lima in Creole were destroyed, with the debris carried away by the wind and water. Our Lady of the Assumption Chapel in Johnson Bayou, the closest church to the spot where the eye of the storm made landfall, was damaged but was back in operation by Easter 2006.

    St. Patrick Chapel in Sweetlake, a mission of St. Mary of the Lake, became the hub for parishioners of the three parishes in lower Cameron Parish.

    Every church parish in the Diocese was damaged to some extent by the storm, some more than others, but all began work as soon as possible to make repairs, reopen and more importantly, to care for those people who came to their doors for help.

    The Catholic schools of the Diocese also sustained damage, particularly Sacred Heart of Jesus / Saint Katharine Drexel.

    The generosity of Catholic Charities USA with grants totaling more than $3 million as well as contributions from individuals, organizations and dioceses around the country, along with volunteers from all over the United States made it possible for the area to bounce back to a new “normal.”

  • 2007: Bishop-elect Glen John Provost was ordained a Bishop on April 23, in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and installed as the Third Bishop of the Diocese of Lake Charles. On April 23, Bishop Provost confirmed Deacon George Stearns in the office of Chancellor, who remained in that role until his retirement on February 29, 2024.

    Bishop Provost wrote his first pastoral letter to the faithful of the Diocese of Lake Charles on August 4, the Feast of St. John Vianney, asking them to join him in a year of prayer specifically for vocations to the priesthood in the Diocese. He also instituted a program among the parishes of the Diocese of 40 Hours of Devotion before the Blessed Sacrament to promote vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Each month churches in a specific deanery hold 40 hours of adoration, a devotion that continues today.

  • 2008: Less than three years after Hurricane Rita severely damaged the Catholic churches in Cameron Parish, Hurricane Ike provided more of the same as it made its landfall in Southeast Texas. The September 13th storm destroyed the Chapel of the Assumption in Johnson Bayou, which had escaped with easily repairable damaged following Hurricane Rita. Restoration work, which had been done to the churches of St. Eugene in Grand Chenier, Our Lady Star of the Sea in Cameron, Sacred Heart of Jesus in Creole, and St. Mary of the Lake in Big Lake, was devastated. Work began very quickly on restoring the damaged facilities.
  • 2009: On January 31, Bishop Provost celebrated Mass with the people of St. Eugene in Grand Chenier following the completion of the second restoration of their church in three years. The church of St. Mary of the Lake in Big Lake was also completed, and work was nearly complete at Our Lady Star of the Sea in Cameron and was within a few months of completion at Sacred Heart of Jesus in Creole.
  • 2010: The groundbreaking for St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church, the first new Catholic church in the Diocese’s 30-year history, took place on September 27 at the site off Elliott Road. St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church was established as a canonical parish in 2002. Father Keith Pellerin, the parish’s founding pastor, served as master of ceremonies for the groundbreaking.
  • 2014: St. Pius X Catholic Church in Ragley was established by Episcopal Decree on August 21, 2014, as the 39th canonical parish in the Diocese of Lake Charles.
  • 2015: Return to the Lord capital campaign was launched in October as a landmark effort to raise $16 million for the Priest Retirement Fund, Seminary Education Fund, Restoration of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Catholic Charities of Southwest Louisiana, and the construction of Camp Karol of Saint Charles Center. By December 31, 2016, the pledged amount was more than $5 million above the original goal.
  • 2016: The donation of 89 acres of property located in Moss Bluff, along with related assets, to the Diocese of Lake Charles made it possible to provide Saint Charles Center with Camp Karol, a Catholic youth camp. Construction was made possible by financial contributions made to the Return to the Lord capital campaign that began in October 2015. Groundbreaking for “The Lodge” was held on October 22, 2017, and Camp Karol Catholic Retreat Center was dedicated on October 23, 2021.
  • 2019: Rite of Dedication celebrated for the newly restored Cathedral on August 31. The anniversary of the re-dedication is celebrated annually with the rank of Solemnity in the Cathedral and the rank of Feast in the other churches of the Diocese of Lake Charles.
  • 2020: The entire five-parish region of the Diocese of Lake Charles impacted by back-to-back devastating hurricanes ( Laura on August 27 and Delta on October 9 ).
  • 2021: Various structures in the Diocese suffer more damage from a multiple-day hard freeze in February and later flash flooding in May.
  • 2022: Catholic Medical Guild formed in the Diocese of Lake Charles on December 6. The official name is St. Luke’s Guild of Southwest Louisiana.
  • 2023: Effective July 1, the Diocese of Lake Charles consolidated its chancery offices at 1201 Ryan Street, Lake Charles. It marked the first time since the establishment of the Diocese in 1980 that a building was large enough to create a centralized administrative office and ministries space.