Christ the King, Baton Rouge

When Louisiana State University moved to its current location in 1928, the spiritual needs of Catholic students and staff were met by St. Thomas Aquinas Mission. Originally part of St. Agnes Parish, the mission was transferred to St. Joseph Parish in order to form a Catholic Student Center. Father Leon Francis Gassler, pastor of St. Joseph, was appointed chaplain, and Father Maurice Schexnayder assistant chaplain.  The first Catholic Mass celebrated on the “new” LSU campus took place on October 13, 1929 in the Agricultural Hall. To help St. Joseph Parish carry the costly burden of the mission, students were asked to pay a ten-cent “seat rent."  The Ushers’ Society was formed on November 17, 1929 to collect the “rent”, marking the beginning of Catholic student activity at LSU.

Though one-third of the student body was Catholic, no campus place of worship existed. For eleven years, Father Schexnayder, then chaplain, raised funds, encouraged influential support and worked tirelessly until the Catholic Student Center was constructed at a cost of $135,000. The cornerstone was laid in December 1939, and the chapel of Christ the King was officially dedicated in 1940. Over the years, Christ the King Chapel and Student Center became the home for the Catholic spiritual, educational and social activities on the LSU campus.

By the 1950s, the facilities had grown too small. The church was expanded and remodeled and a new Catholic Student Center was added called Newman Hall. The Student Center was staffed by the Claretian Fathers for 14 years from 1965 to 1979. Since 1979, diocesan priests have staffed the center. Christ the King was the first Catholic Student Center in the U.S. to have religious sisters serving as campus ministers, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Medaille. Four priests who served at the Center later became bishops: Maurice Schexnayder, Robert Tracy, William Borders, and Stanley Ott.

Christ the King became a parish in 1980. In 1998, an extensive demolition, renovation and rebuilding took place. The new church, dedicated in 2000, stands as a landmark on the LSU campus, providing worship, prayer and community activities to the students, faculty and staff, as well as parishioners. With international students from all corners of the world, as well as American students from varied backgrounds, Christ the King is a truly universal parish.