2016 First Extraordinary Session ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 7
BY SENATOR MORRISH
A RESOLUTION
To commend Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Church in Jennings, Louisiana, on its
one hundredth anniversary.
WHEREAS, founded on December 7, 1891, Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic
Church is a Roman Catholic parish dedicated to providing a parish setting in which the
family of faith may be nourished by word and sacrament; and
WHEREAS, Catholic immigrants of French descent began arriving in the Jennings
area in the mid-1880s from the East and from nearby Lake Charles and were served by
Immaculate Conception parish in Lake Charles; and
WHEREAS, in 1889, under the Reverend E. J. Fallon of Lake Charles, a wooden
chapel which was unpainted, unfinished, and largely unfurnished, was built south of the
railroad at the corner of Madison and South Main streets; and
WHEREAS, on May 14, 1890, Archbishop Francis Jansens blessed the chapel and
administered confirmation, and on December 7, 1891, that chapel became Our Lady Help
of Christians and a new parish was established in the diocese; and
WHEREAS, the Reverend Joseph Peeters was appointed pastor in 1892 and
remained in that capacity until 1917; and
WHEREAS, from 1907 until 1916, the present church, patterned after Notre Dame
Cathedral in Paris, France, was constructed and dedicated on February 29, 1916; and
WHEREAS, the church was built with stones made by hand, one at a time, block by
block, when horse and buggies were the mode of transportation; and
WHEREAS, several renovations took place from 1949 to 1956, and again in the
1970s; and
WHEREAS, those renovations were completed by 1976 and a prayer garden was
dedicated in October 1987; and
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WHEREAS, today, Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Church serves more than
one thousand families; and
WHEREAS, the mission of Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Church is to
proclaim the word of God in an environment of love and understanding, and to affirm and
enable the many ministries that the parish affords; and
WHEREAS, Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Church has flourished for the past
one hundred years, and its members and leaders have the utmost trust that His grace will lead
them on in harmony and thanksgiving as they celebrate as a community of faith and
fellowship.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby commend and congratulate Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Church on the
occasion of its one hundredth anniversary, does hereby record for posterity the noble and
exemplary strides taken by the members and leaders of this special church family in their
creation of a loving and dedicated spiritual community, and does hereby extend its best
wishes for the church's continued vitality and success in enriching the lives of the people it
serves.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to Our
Lady Help of Christians Catholic Church.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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