Our Lady of Pompeii, Tickfaw

Catholic beginnings in the Tangipahoa area can be traced to Catholic missionary priests from France, Germany, and Italy who worked mainly in other parts of Louisiana. Subsequently, the Benedictine Fathers became the major Catholic force in the development of the Catholic Church in this area. In 1889, the Benedictines came from St. Meinrad, Indiana, to establish an abbey near Springfield called Gessen, now known as Rosaryville.

By the turn of the century, many people of Italian descent had moved into the Tangipahoa area to work in agriculture, especially in the cultivation of strawberries. Father Placide Gabbrielli celebrated the first Mass at Tickfaw in 1909 and, two years later, a chapel was built and dedicated to Our Lady of Pompeii (Madonna di Pompei). In its early days it was a mission of Mater Dolorosa Church in Independence. In 1929, a Spanish Dominican priest, Father Pelegrin de la Fuente, was commissioned to take up residence in Tickfaw.

The Spanish order remained in the area serving the parish until the conclusion of the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s when they returned to missionary fields primarily the Philippines. At this time, the American Dominicans replaced the Spanish in serving Tangipahoa parish.

Our Lady of Pompeii remained an autonomous parish for several decades until World War II when, due to personnel and financial difficulties, it once again became a mission of the church in Independence. Our Lady of Pompeii was canonically reestablished as a parish April 12, 1973. The cornerstone for the new church was laid August 9, 1974 and dedicated by Bishop Sullivan. Our Lady of Pompeii Catholic Church is a very close-knit community of great faith. In March of every year they host a St. Joseph Altar prepared by parishioners for all to attend. Also held annually on the first weekend of July is a Blessed Mother Celebration. The solemn procession began in 1927 and still continues today.