Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, St. Amant

The parish of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary dates to 1905, but a worship community existed for nearly 40 years in St. Amant prior to the parish’s establishment. In 1868, Captain Joseph Gonzales, sheriff of Ascension Parish, built a large home on La Riviere Neuve en bas, where an upstairs room was used as a chapel.  Occasionally the visiting pastors of Sacred Heart of Jesus Church at Cornerview celebrated Mass there for the people of the area.

In 1874, St. Joseph Chapel was built on a donated piece of property fronting on the left bank of New River. This chapel became a mission of Sacred Heart, and it was the beginning of the church parish in St. Amant. In 1905, St. Joseph Chapel was separated from Sacred Heart and consecrated under the patronage of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary. Father George Harding was appointed as the first pastor, but his stay was short-lived. The parish was afflicted by many difficulties and misunderstandings between the parishioners and the pastor, and in 1906, Father Harding was asked to leave.

Ten years passed before Holy Rosary received another pastor. During that time, the priest from Sacred Heart continued to visit the chapel twice a month. Parishioners had to travel by horse, buggy, or boat up New River to Sacred Heart Church for baptisms, religious instruction, and marriages. Many parishioners were buried at Cornerview Cemetery, which is still maintained today.

In 1921, work was started on a new church. The church was designed in the Roman style with two beautiful towers. Sadly, the life and progress of the parish were violently interrupted on August 25, 1926 when a disastrous hurricane swept inland and the church was reduced to a pile of rubble. Miraculously, the altar was found intact and parishioners soon rallied to build a new church in the same Roman style. A cemetery association was organized in 1945 to maintain the cemetery which had served the parishioners since the time of St. Joseph Chapel.