St. Michael the Archangel, Convent

St. Michael the Archangel in Convent is one of the oldest parishes in South Louisiana. The parish traces its beginnings to the early 1800s, five years before Louisiana became the eighteenth state of the Union. By 1807 the population on the east bank of St. James Parish had grown too large for St. James Church, which was established in 1770.

In 1809, a new parish was placed under the protection of St. Michel de Cantrelle, later Americanized to St. Michael the Archangel. In 1808, the new parish cemetery was blessed, and a year later the first church was completed on land across the river from St. James Church.

The new parish was served by priests from Donaldsonville and St. James for several years until Father Gabriel Chambon de la Tour was appointed the first resident pastor in 1812. The population on the East Bank continued to grow, and the need for a larger church became apparent. In 1833, the new and present church was blessed by Bishop de Neckère. The new church and cemetery are located on land about a mile upriver of the site of the original church and cemetery, which is now under the Mississippi River.

The church was built in the Roman and Gothic style, known at the time as Anse de Panier, French for basket handle. The church’s famous Lourdes Grotto was constructed in 1876, only 18 years after the apparition of the Blessed Virgin to St. Bernadette Soubirous.

Catholic education in St. Michael Parish has a long history, dating back to the founding of the Academy of the Sacred Heart 1825, which led to the naming of “Convent” in honor of the sisters and their school. The school operated until the sisters left Convent. That year the St. Joseph School for African-Americans was moved from the Sacred Heart Academy to St. Michael. Only a few years later St. Michael Parochial School opened in 1840.

The parishioners of St. Michael have endured many hardships over the past 200 years, including floods, hurricanes, yellow fever epidemics, economic depressions and war. Despite difficult times, the Catholic people of Convent have endured and grown stronger under the protection of St. Michael. In 2002, St. Michael was clustered with St. Joseph in Paulina, and Sacred Heart in Gramercy. The three parishes are now working together to contribute to the overall good of the Catholic Church on the east bank of St. James civil parish.