Epiphany Episcopal Church of Opelousas
A group of committed Christians, desiring to form an Episcopal Church Parish (in Opelousas) first started praying and meeting in the Service of the Lord In 1839. In March 1844, Bishop Leonidas Polk arrived in Opelousas, and during a stay of several days, he baptized 11 adults and 10 children. This was organized by the Episcopal Diocese of LA as St. Mark’s Parish in 1855, with 10 communicants. The inaugural sermon was preached at the courthouse.
The first Church building, “Church of the Epiphany” at the corner of Union and Landry Streets in Opelousas, was consecrated by Bishop Polk on March 31, 1861. In 1880, a new Church was erected at this same location. In 1960, Epiphany Opelousas relocated to 1103 S. Union St, with construction of its third sanctuary. The previous Church building was moved to South City Park and has been used by the Opelousas Little Theatre.
In 2011, the Parish celebrated its 150th anniversary.
First Baptist Church of Opelousas
First Baptist Church of Opelousas was founded on November 6, 1880. Following a series of revival services held at the courthouse, a small congregation was formed. The first wood frame meeting house was erected on Bellevue Street in 1883. In 1952, a brick building was constructed. Today, the church building serves Bellevue Street Baptist Church.
Holy Ghost Catholic Church
Little Zion Baptist Church
Little Zion Baptist Church is the oldest Baptist church in the city. Organized in a blacksmith’s shop on June 29, 1867, the original congregation consisted of 16 members. Following the leadership of the Rev. J. P. Davenport, the church was named the Opelousas African Baptist Church. Two years later, the first house of worship was constructed by Joseph Corbes, who was paid $500. By 1887, more land was acquired from the police jury, and the church expanded. The name was changed to the Little Zion Church in 1892.
Louisiana Memorial United Methodist Church
The Louisiana Memorial United Methodist Church in Opelousas, Louisiana, is the oldest Methodist church congregation west of the Mississippi River. This church’s origins can be traced back to when Elisha Bowman came to Louisiana and organized a Methodist Society in 1806. He accepted 17 members the first year. Services were held in a community church between Landry and Vine Streets, near Cain Street. In 1846, a property was purchased from the Fonda family at North Lombard and East Bellevue’s corners to build a new church. In 1881 a parsonage was built. The church was replaced in 1902 with a new structure. The second church was torn down in 1955, and a new church was built that same year. The third church was consecrated on March 18, 1956, and renamed the Louisiana Memorial Methodist.
Mt. Olive Baptist Church
Mt. Olive Baptist Church can trace its beginnings back to 1897 when it was one of only two private schools for Blacks. The school was called the 7th District Baptist School and later changed its name to the Black Academy at Mt. Olive Baptist Church.
Mount Pleasant Baptist Church and Greater Union Baptist Church
The Opelousas First Presbyterian Church
The Opelousas First Presbyterian Church, now Hope Presbyterian Church, was organized on May 20, 1871. On June 27, 1871, the first service was held within the Louisiana Memorial United Methodist Church and future church services took place at First Baptist Church. In need of a church building of their own, the organization purchased the property at Main and Cherry Street in Opelousas on March 21, 1882. Hope Presbyterian Church is now a part of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church and is pastored by Rev. Dean Rydbeck.
Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church
Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church In November 1940, under the direction of Father Colliard, several lots on the western edge of Opelousas were purchased from the “Mornhinveg Heirs.” Work on the church foundation began in December of 1941, with actual construction beginning in late January 1942. It was impossible to obtain electric light fixtures at that time due to war conditions, so temporary droplights were installed. The structure was completed and dedicated in October 1942. Our Lady of Mercy Chapel served as a mission of the mother church of St. Landry from the time of its construction in 1942 until March 1946 when Bishop Jeanmard signed a decree declaring the Church of Our Lady of Mercy dismembered from the Church Parish of St. Landry and erected as a parish of its own.
St. Joseph Methodist Church for Colored People
St. Landry Catholic Church
Founded as the “Parish Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Post of Opelousas” by Capuchin friars, St. Landry Catholic Church is often called the Mother Church of Acadiana because of the many church parishes carved from its original boundaries. The first church building was located on the banks of the Opelousas River (later renamed Bayou Courtableau) at Church’s Landing (now Washington, LA). In 1798, a wooden church building was constructed in Opelousas. The new church was renamed St. Landry, in honor of the Bishop of Paris, who lived about A.D. 650. A new brick church building was erected in 1827 and dedicated the following year. That structure was demolished in 1903 so that a larger church could be built. The present St. Landry Catholic Church was completed in 1909, with Reverend John Engberink serving as pastor. The historic St. Landry Catholic Cemetery is located adjacent to the church and contains graves dating to the early 19th century
Temple Emanuel
The history of the Jewish religion in Opelousas dates to the mid-to-late 1800s when the first Hebrew charter Gemiluth Chassodim, (Acts of Loving Kindness), was established in the year 1868. In early years, Hebrew gatherings would take place in private residences, masonic lodges, or other community facilities. Prior to the expiration of the Gemiluth Chassodim charter, the same Hebrew assembly began operating under the name Congregation Emanuel. In 1928, a plot of land on the corner of S. Main and Franklin Streets was donated to Congregation Emanuel by the Haas family. In 1929, a Synagogue was constructed at that location and a new charter established under the name, Temple Emanuel, whose guiding principles continued to operate under the name and style of Gemiluth Chassodim or Acts of Loving Kindness of its founders. The Temple Emanuel Synagogue was actively used for a thriving Jewish population for over sixty years. In the early 1990s; however, attendance to services at the Synagogue lessened due to Jewish youths leaving the area to attend college in other cities and states. The elder generation who remained in the area began attending services in the nearby city of Lafayette at Temple Shalom where a larger Jewish population continues, and more regular services are available. In time, the Temple Emanuel Congregation decided to close the Synagogue doors permanently. Despite the closure of the Synagogue building, many of the descendants of the original Gemiluth Chassodim charter (now Temple Emanuel), as well as other Jewish families, continue to live in Opelousas and practice their Jewish faith through alternative venues. While the Temple Emanuel Synagogue building was sold in 2021, the Temple Emanuel Congregation and the Temple Emanuel Jewish Cemetery continue to operate to this day guided by the founding principles of that first wave of Jewish Immigrants that came to St. Landry Parish and the City of Opelousas nearly 155 years ago. For more info:
St Landry Catholic Church Cemetery
Established circa 1798, St. Landry Catholic Cemetery is the oldest cemetery in Opelousas. Located next to St. Landry Catholic Church donated by Michael Prudhomme in 1796. It is the final resting place of numerous New York Orphan Train Riders and many veterans of wars dating back to the American Revolution.
Myrtle Grove Cemetery
Temple Emanuel Jewish Cemetery
Originally named “Gemilut Chasadim” (an Americanized Hebrew phrase meaning “Acts of Loving Kindness”) and known locally as the Opelousas Jewish Cemetery, this is the final resting place for many Opelousas Jewish families. The location sits on land donated to the Jewish community by St. Landry Parish in 1868. Located on Bellevue Street next to Myrtle Grove Cemetery, the Jewish cemetery contains over 130 graves. For more information, email: thetempleemanuelopelousas@gmail.com
Last modified: April 6, 2023
