In the area known as Grosse Tete (meaning “big head”) Ridge, an area of mixed cultural backgrounds and a history of strong Catholic faith, several small settlements existed prior to the Civil War. The inhabitants of this ridge, extending from Bayou Plaquemine to Fordoche between the Atchafalaya and Mississippi Rivers, were ministered to by missionary priests from Grosse Tete and Maringouin. In 1920, a chapel dedicated to St. Joan of Arc was built in Livonia, a town named in 1846 after Livonia, Pennsylvania. Services were held at St. Joan of Arc until it burned in 1945. Mass was then held at the Livonia High School gymnasium until a new worship facility could be built.
A new church was constructed in 1954 and dedicated to St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, in memory of her missionary journeys to the area. Mother Cabrini made visits to the Italian communities along Bayou Grosse Tete and Bayou Maringouin. The beautiful cypress paneling in the church was furnished from several large local cypress trees by Max Henry of Frisco. In 1955, ten months after the dedication of the chapel, the mission was established as a parish. Father Francis S. Lamendola, who had arrived in 1948 to serve the mission, became the first pastor. In the 1960s, the church was remodeled; stained glass windows were installed, a mausoleum was built and the cemetery developed.
The first Mass was said in Fordoche on John Marks’ plantation around 1910. Shortly thereafter, regular services were established for the people of Fordoche, with the traditional Latin Sunday Mass, in the public school building, then in the Woodmen of the World Hall. The new chapel was dedicated to St. Catherine of Siena in 1953. It remains today a mission of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini. Today’s chapel in Fordoche stands directly in front of the old “Boxcar Chapel” which pioneered some of the early missionary efforts. The parish community of St. Francis Cabrini and St. Catherine of Siena remains dedicated, reflecting the efforts of faithful people and priests who guided it through the years. The community works daily to preserve its heritage, keeping the faith foundation strong to pass along to future generations.
In 2004, the community was clustered with St. Joseph Parish in Grosse Tete and Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Maringouin.