St. George, Baton Rouge

St. George Catholic Church traces its beginnings to a small wooden chapel sitting off a remote country road over 100 years ago. The chapel was built on land donated in 1885 by the widow of George Kleinpeter. The exact date the chapel was built is unknown, but St. George is listed as a chapel and school in the church directories of the Archdiocese of New Orleans by 1891.
At the time, St. George was a mission of St. Joseph Church in Baton Rouge. Prior to the building of the chapel, this small community was served by priests from St. Joseph who arrived once a month to celebrate Mass in one of the area homes.

Soon the parishioners of St. George petitioned for their own priest, and so Father Alex Chasles of St. Joseph was assigned to St. George in 1907. However, it wasn’t until the following year that the church directories first list St. George as a parish with a resident priest. At this point, Father Chasles was no longer the resident priest but had been replaced by Father P.C. Cambiaire.

The early priests of St. George endured many hardships. There was no running water and they hunted and grew their own vegetables in order to feed themselves. Over time, the small wooden chapel was enlarged to accommodate the growing congregation. Early parishioners remember that the chapel was cooled by breezes blowing through the open windows and there were often birds chirping on the sills. They even remember an occasional chicken strutting down the aisle.

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, many changes took place in the parish, including the purchase of 19 additional adjoining acres. A new temporary church was built and the present school program began in 1960. Eventually, the temporary church was remodeled and became the primary place of worship in 1988.
 
St. George parishioners have a strong belief in social justice and coordinate an active outreach program to serve the poor and vulnerable and to work for change.  With over a hundred years of history, St. George is steeped in tradition and looks forward to continuing its good work.