Saint Stephen Church
New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana
Marker Inscription
Saint Stephen Church. The Vincentian Fathers have administered this parish since its founding in 1849 by Fr. Angelo Gandolfo, C.M. Mass was celebrated in private homes of Faubourg Bouligny until a chapel was dedicated on January 1, 1850. The parish soon outgrew this chapel and a larger church was built on the present site in the following year. The present St. Stephen's, designed in Gothic style, was begun in 1868., during Reconstruction days. Civil unrest and economic crises combined to delay completion. The first mass was celebrated on St. Stephen's feast, Dec. 26, 1887. The church was dedicated on Jan. 1, 1888. The 200-foot steeple was added later and blessed on Dec. 31, 1906.
Erected by Archdiocesan Bicentennial Commission
The Story
Founded in 1849 by Fr. Angelo Gandolfo, this parish first met in private homes of Faubourg Bouligny before dedicating a chapel and then, as it grew, a larger church. The present Gothic-style St. Stephen's was begun in 1868 amid Reconstruction's civil unrest and economic hardship, delaying its completion until the late 1880s, with a 200-foot steeple blessed in 1906.
Why it matters
Its slow rise through Reconstruction reflects both the strength of New Orleans's growing Catholic community and the turbulence of the postwar South.
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Related people
- · Angelo Gandolfo
Themes & tags
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