Our Lady of the Lake Church
Mandeville, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana
Marker Inscription
Our Lady of the Lake Church. Early in the eighteenth century, Catholic missionaries evangelized Choctaw, Chinchuba and other Indian tribes and sub-tribes on the Northern shore of Lake Pontchartrain. Among pioneer priests was Fr. Michael Baudouin, S.J., superior of the Jesuit mission in Louisiana and Vicar-General to the Bishop of Quebec, Canada. Fr. J. Outendrick was the first resident pastor when the Mandeville congregation was organized in 1850. Fr. Adrien E. Rouquette, "Chahta-Ima," also labored here and elsewhere in St. Tammany civil parish. The present church was dedicated in 1953 during the pastorate of Fr. Canisius Bluemel, O.S.B., one of several Benedictines serving here since 1890.
Erected by Archdiocesan Bicentennial Commission
The Story
Catholic missionaries reached the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain early in the eighteenth century, evangelizing the Choctaw, Chinchuba, and other peoples; among the pioneers was Fr. Michael Baudouin, superior of Louisiana's Jesuit mission. A resident congregation was organized at Mandeville in 1850, and the missionary-poet Adrien Rouquette, 'Chahta-Ima,' also labored here. The present Our Lady of the Lake church was dedicated in 1953 under Benedictine care.
Why it matters
It traces a continuous line of missionary presence in Louisiana from the colonial French era through the twentieth century, and its early contact with Native peoples.
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Related people
- · Michael Baudouin
- · Adrien Rouquette
Themes & tags
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