St. Charles Borromeo History

St. Charles Borromeo and its parishioners have been an integral part of South Louisiana and its history. Our cemetery holds tombs dating back to the 1700's, including the Destrehan Family tomb. Our church parish began as a little log chapel, on the riverbank in 1722. The first German settlers in this area built the chapel as a symbol of their faith, thankful for their arrival in the new land.

By 1806 the little chapel was replaced by the frame Little Red Church, which for many years was a landmark for steamboat pilots who traveled the Mississippi River. When the Little Red Church came into view, the passengers hailed its sight knowing their journey was near its end.

Our school buildings began in 1929 with the school and convent built first. The auditorium and school annex followed in 1936, our convent residence and school alterations in 1950, the Savio in 1951 and Pius with covered walks and paving facilities in 1953. The cafeteria was added in 1954 to complement our education ministry.

In 1978 our parish completed and dedicated our beautiful expansion to our "House of the Lord"- the Parish Church. This project included a new altar, more pews and many badly needed repairs. In 1994, the Pierre F. Friloux Early Childhood Development Center was completed and now houses eight classes from three years old to first grade. The Fred J. Roth Memorial Activity Center housing the new gymnasium along with the renovations of the Auditorium-meeting rooms and additional office space were completed in November 1997.

In keeping with the growth and vision of our future, in 1999, construction began on the second story of the Savio Building. With a projected date of completion of 2002, the Savio Building will house sixteen classrooms.

As Bishop Caillouet remarked during our 250th Anniversary on June 2, 1973, "Only a few of our historical markers remain today, even the Red Church is gone. But one thing remains that was there in those days - the Catholic faith, handed down from parents to child through eight generations."