History of the Catholic Churches in New Orleans

In 1919, the Josephite Fathers opened All Saints Parish to minister to African American Catholics on the Westbank. The Holy Family Sisters opened All Saints School five years after the church opened. In 2016, the church celebrated its ninetieth anniversary with a vigil lead by Archbishop Aymond.

In 1844, Bishop Blanc decided there was a need for a church parish in the Faubourg Marigny. Due to the growing number of people worshiping at the Widows' Asylum Chapel, it was converted into Annunciation Parish. As the congregation grew, there was a demand for a larger place to worship. In 1846, a new church was completed. In 2001, Annunciation and four other area parishes merged to form Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos Parish.
 

In 2001, five Marigny parishes were merged to create Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos Parish: St. Cecilia, St. Gerard Majella, Sts. Peter and Paul, Annunciation, and St. Vincent de Paul. The new parish worships at St. Vincent de Paul Church.

Blessed Sacrament Parish was established for African Americans in 1915. The church officially opened in the old Southern University building three years later with 500 parishioners, a school, and 230 students. Blessed Sacrament celebrated its last mass on August 17, 2008, before it merged with St. Joan of Arc Parish to form Blessed Sacrament-St. Joan of Arc Parish.

In 2008, Blessed Sacrament and St. Joan of Arc parishes merged to form Blessed Sacrament-St. Joan of Arc Parish; masses are celebrated at St. Joan of Arc Church.

Blessed Trinity Parish was formed from a 2008 merge of three parishes: St. Matthias, Our Lady of Lourdes, and St. Monica. Masses are celebrated at St. Matthias Church.

In 1916, Corpus Christi Parish was established for African Americans by the Josephite Fathers, and it became a place of community in the Seventh Ward. The sons and daughters of the parish formed the nucleus of six other parishes from the original Corpus Christi territory. In 2008, Corpus Christi merged with Epiphany to form Corpus Christi-Epiphany Parish.

Corpus Christi-Epiphany Parish formed in 2008 from the merge of Corpus Christi and Epiphany parishes; masses are celebrated at Corpus Christi Church.

Epiphany Parish was established in 1948 due to overcrowding at Corpus Christi. Within its first year, its congregation totaled 3,200 people. In 2008, the church was closed, and the parish merged with Corpus Christi.

Good Shepherd Parish was formed in 2008 by merging three parishes: St. Stephen, St. Henry, and Our Lady of Good Counsel. The boundaries of the new parish extend from Seventh to Leontine streets and from Carondelet Street to the river. The parish worships at St. Stephen Church.

The first mass at Holy Ghost Parish was held in a shotgun house on October 31, 1915. The next year, Mother Katharine Drexel, founder of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, donated $14,000 to purchase property for a church. The cornerstone was laid on July 30, 1916, and the church opened just two months later. In 2008, Holy Ghost and St. Francis de Sales merged to form St. Katharine Drexel Parish, which worships at Holy Ghost Church.

 

The first mass at Holy Name of Jesus Parish was celebrated on May 29, 1892. The church became known as "Little Jesuits." In 1918, a new, larger church was completed in what is now called the University area of uptown New Orleans. The old church was dismantled and ferried across the river to Our Lady of Prompt Succor Parish in Westwego.

The first Catholic parish in Algiers opened in 1848 and was named for St. Bartholomew, in memory of Barthélémy Duverjé, who donated the plot of land on which the church was built. Around 1871, construction started on a new church. It opened on May 4, 1873, and was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin under the title Holy Name of Mary. The church was damaged in the Hurricane of 1915 and was ultimately rebuilt.

Holy Redeemer Parish was established in 1919, after the church was purchased by the archdiocese from the members of the Third Presbyterian Church. The first mass was held in December 1919, and the church was dedicated just one month later, in January 1920, by Archbishop Shaw. It closed in 1965.

Holy Spirit Parish was established in Algiers in 1972. Its parishioners worshipped at several places until a church was built in 1978; and in 1997, the church building was expanded to accommodate the growing parish.

Holy Trinity Parish was founded in 1847 to serve German Catholics who lived below Canal Street. A fire destroyed the church four years later, but the community rebuilt and rededicated a new church, which remained in use until it closed in 1997. In 2011, the building reopened as the Marigny Opera House.

In 1846, the Jesuits erected two buildings in today's Central Business District to serve as a chapel, a residence, and a college. The College of the Immaculate Conception was founded in 1847, and a parish church of the same name was established in 1851 and held its first mass on August 15, 1857. The church was demolished in 1928 due to structural damage; however, a replica of the original was rebuilt and reopened on March 2, 1929.

Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish was established in New Orleans East in 1954. Construction on the church began in August 1955, and in September 1956, it was completed and dedicated. The parish boundaries were divided to create Resurrection of Our Lord Parish in 1963, which was assumed by St. Maria Goretti Parish in 2008.

Revered Frederick W. Bosch was appointed the first pastor of Incarnate Word Parish on June 25, 1922. Upon his arrival, there was no rectory, and the chapel was small and inadequate. In February 1929, Archbishop Shaw laid the cornerstone for a new church, which was assumed by Mater Dolorosa after Hurricane Katrina.

In 1976, Mary, Queen of Vietnam Church began in a mobile home. In December 1983, the parish was officially created and had a roster of over 12,000 parishoners. One year later, the parish collected pledges for a formal church building, which opened in 1986.

In 1872, German parishioners started planning for the erection of their own parish, which was officially created in 1888. They bought twelve lots of ground on Cambronne Street, opposite Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish. Archbishop Perché gave his approval to use the German language for all church events. In 1899, Archbishop Chapelle decided to end the separation of French and German Catholics in the area and combined the two Carrollton area churches. Today, Mater Dolorosa is open and welcomes Catholics of all nationalities.

In March 1848, Bishop Blanc called on Father Zeller to organize a parish in Carrollton. From a private home in the neighborhood, Father Zeller began to conduct services for French, German and Irish Catholics. The new structure was placed under the title of the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In 1899, it merged with Mater Dolorosa.

Notre Dame de Bon Secours Parish was established in 1858 for French-speaking Catholics in the Irish Channel. The first mass was celebrated on January 6, 1859. The church stood for almost seven decades, but the ravages of time took its toll on the little church. The last mass was celebrated on August 23, 1925, and the church was demolished the following year.

Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish was established by Archbishop Perché in 1887, and its church opened later that year. In 1894, the current brick church was completed. In 1965, Hurricane Betsy destroyed the church's bell tower. In 2008, the parish merged with St. Stephen and St. Henry parishes to form Good Shepherd Parish.

St. Anthony of Padua was created in 1827 as a mortuary chapel to St. Louis Cathedral. It hosted funerals for victims of yellow fever in order to limit church parishioners' exposure to the disease. In the 1870s, Archbishop Perché converted the chapel into a church for Italian immigrants. In 1918, the church's name was changed to Our Lady of Guadalupe, and began serving the Spanish-speaking Catholic population of the city. In 1935, the church established a devotion to St. Jude, and continues to operate and celebrate the St. Jude Novena.

Our Lady of Lourdes Parish was established in 1905 in the block bounded by Napoleon, Freret, Jena, and LaSalle streets, and its first church was dedicated in September of the same year. In 1925, a new church was built on Napoleon Street to accommodate a growing population. In 2008, Our Lady of Lourdes merged with St. Matthias and St. Monica parishes to form Blessed Trinity Parish.

Our Lady of the Rosary Parish was established in 1907. The current church building, which features a large dome with stained-glass windows, was finished in 1925. The magnificent dome depicts the lives of all Protestants, Jews, Catholics, and non-believers.

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish was created in 1871 from St. Ann, St. Augustine, and St. Rose de Lima parishes. Its first church was destroyed by the Hurricane of 1915, and its second church was destroyed by a fire in 1945. Archbishop Hannan closed the parish in 1972, and the territory became part of Corpus Christi Parish.

Our Lady, Star of the Sea Parish was established in November 1911, and its first mass was held on Christmas Day. The church was destroyed four years later in the Hurricane of 1915, but its parishioners quickly rallied, and within six months, a new church was erected. The parish grew during the 1920s, and a larger church was built and dedicated in 1931, which still stands on the corner of St. Roch Avenue and North Prieur Street.

Resurrection of Our Lord Parish was established in New Orleans East in 1963. Oil- and aeronautics-industry workers were moving into the area, and the church served those communities in its early days. Later, the church welcomed some of the area's earliest Vietnamese refugees.

Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish was established in 1879. The first parishioners were Irish immigrants who came to the area to dig the New Basin Canal. The church's baptismal book includes a record for Louis Armstrong. Sacred Heart of Jesus Church closed following Hurricane Katrina, and the remaining parishioners were merged into the congregation of St. Anthony of Padua.

St. Alphonsus Parish was founded in 1850 as a church for Irish Catholics in the former city of Lafayette, which is know the Garden District. In 1955, to celebrate the centennial year of St. Alphonsus, the church was renovated and a bigger sacristy was added with updated electricity. Before the renovation was complete, an arsonist set three different fires in the church, but only caused minimal damage. Today, the church is no longer used for worship; instead it is utilized for a variety of cultural activities in the city. masses for the parishioners of St. Alphonsus Parish are now held at St. Mary's Assumption Church.

Archbishop Rummel created St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Algiers in 1952. At the time, the parish did not have a physical church, so masses were held in parishoners' homes. The first official mass held in the church was on Christmas Eve 1952, the parishioners cleaned and decorated the church for their first service. In 1972, the parish boundaries were divided to create Holy Spirit Parish. Today, the church is open and welcomes members.

In 1852, Archbishop Blanc divided St. Augustine Parish to form St. Ann Parish. The church was established to care for the growing number of Catholics who were settling in the area around Bayou Road. In the 1920s, the church moved to Ursuline Avenue to accommodate the increasing number of parishioners. In 1971, St. Ann Parish moved to Metairie.

In 1827, a small mortuary chapel dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua was built in the rear of the city. In 1915, Archbishop Chappelle decided to close St. Anthony Chapel on Rampart Street and create a new parish church on Canal Street. In August of 1915, St. Anthony of Padua Parish was blessed and dedicated to the service of God. In 2008, St. Anthony of Padua and Sacred Heart of Jesus united in Christ as one parish. Today, the parishioners worship at St. Anthony of Padua Church.

St. Augustine Parish was founded in 1841 on land formerly owned by Claude Tremé. The Ursuline Sisters donated the property at the corner of Bayou Road and Saint Claude Avenue on the condition that church be named St. Augustine. On October 9, 1842, the church was officially dedicated. St. Augustine is the oldest church in the United States with a multicultural congregation throughout its history.

In 1869, St. Boniface Church was erected  for German parishioners of Holy Trinity who wanted a place to worship in their neighborhood. Two years later, St. Boniface was dedicated as a parish church. The membership grew to include many French and Creoles from the rear of the city. In 1917, St. Boniface Parish was assumed by Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.

St. Brigid Parish was founded in New Orleans East in June 1977, and its parishioners worshipped in meeting rooms at Delgado College East for two years until their church was completed. After four years, this parish had doubled its following. On July 3, 2008, the parish was suppressed and assumed by Mary, Queen of Vietnam Parish.

St. Cecilia Parish was carved out of St. Maurice and St. Vincent de Paul parishes in 1897. The church was officially dedicated by Archbishop Janssen with a celebration mass. The Hurricane of 1915 completely destroyed the church and school, causing the need for a temporary church in the Presbytery. Additionally, World War I delayed the completion of the new church for almost seven years. In 2001, the church merged with four other area churches to form Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos Parish.

Dedicated in 1937, St. David was the first parish established in New Orleans by Archbishop Rummel. The church was opened for African Americans living below the Industrial Canal. The church is currently open and welcomes parishioners.

Ave Maria Church, a mission of St. Anthony of Padua parish, opened as Lakeview's first Catholic church in October 1912. It was destroyed soon after by the Hurricane of 1915. In 1923, A new church was built and renamed St. Dominic for the Dominican Fathers who were in charge of ministering to the parish. The first mass was held on December 25, 1923, and on May 31, 1924, St. Dominic became its own parish. A parochial school opened in September 1924 under the care of the Sisters of Mount Carmel.

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Parish was founded in 1952. Ten years later, the church was honored with the Church Architectural Guild of America's Design of Sanctuary Award. Due to the extensive damage caused by Hurricane Katrina the church was demolished. In 2008, the parish merged with St. Raphael the Archangel and St. Thomas the Apostle parishes to form Transfiguration of the Lord Parish.

St. Francis of Assisi Parish was established in 1890 by Archbishop Janssens. One year later, 700 people were worshiping in the parish. During the late 1890s, the parish lost almost 200 parishioners to a yellow fever outbreak, but the church persevered. In 2015, the parish celebrated 125 years of worship.

St. Francis de Sales Parish was carved from the boundaries of St. John the Baptist Parish in 1867. In 1977, the church was in desperate need of repair, and the parish community raised $65,000 for renovations. The church closed after Hurricane Katrina, and in 2008, it merged with Holy Ghost to form St. Katherine Drexel Parish.

St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish was established by Archbishop Rummel in Gentilly in 1954, and its parishioners worshiped in their newly built church for the first time in 1966. By 1993, the parish was predominately African American and continues to have a very strong connection and loyalty to the faith community.

St. Gerard Majella was founded in 1971 as a church for the hearing impaired. This parish worked side by side with Holy Trinity and St. Vincent de Paul to bring the gospel to different groups of people. St. Gerard Majella merged in 2001, with five other parishes in the area to form Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos Parish.

St. Henry Parish was founded in 1855 in response to German immigrants requests to hear mass in their own language. In 1911, Archbishop Blanc required St. Henry to serve more than just those of German descent. In 2008, St. Henry merged with two other parishes to form Good Shepherd Parish.

St. James Major Parish was established in Gentilly in February 1920. That same year, the church celebrated its first mass in a temporary chapel on Spain Street. In 1922, the newly organized Holy Name Society built a hall that would serve as the parish church until 1952, when the construction of the present church was completed.

St. Dominic Church opened in 1909 as New Orleans's second parish established exclusively for African American Catholics. The church was destroyed by the Hurricane of 1915, and in 1923, a new church was built and renamed St. Joan of Arc as a memorial to soldiers and sailors. In 2008, it merged with Blessed Sacrament Parish to form Blessed Sacrament-St. Joan of Arc Parish.

In 1851, St. John the Baptist Parish was established and the church building was completed three months later. The erection of the church brought many to the area contributing to the economic development. In 1853, a yellow fever epidemic hit the city of New Orleans and devastated the Parish of St. John the Baptist and the surrounding areas. The parish closed in 2006 after Hurricane Katrina, but the church was annexed to St. Patrick Parish, and is open for weddings and funerals.

St. Joseph Parish was established in February, 1844 to serve a growing population in the area. The original St. Joseph Church was located on Tulane Avenue, opposite Charity Hospital. In 1866, a plot of land was purchased for a new church building which still stands today. The church was dedicated on December 18, 1892, and it was officially opened for services on New Year's Day 1893. The original church building was renovated, and in 1895, it was placed under the patronage of St. Katherine, until it was demolished in 1964.

St. Julian Eymard Parish opened in 1924 as St. Joseph Chapel, in order to serve a growing population of Catholics in Algiers who lived on the lower coast. In 1952, St. Joseph Parish was canonically established. Eleven years later, the church was renamed in honor of St. Julian Eymard, the newly canonized Marist father. In 2009, St. Julian Eymard Parish was assumed by Holy Name of Mary.

St. Katharine Drexel Parish was created in 2008 from the merge of Holy Ghost and St. Francis de Sales parishes; the congregation worships at Holy Ghost Church.

St. Katherine Parish was founded in 1892 for African Americans Catholics and was officially dedicated in 1895. The original church was named St. Joseph, but its congregation outgrew the church within years of its construction. After the building was vacated, the church was renamed St. Katherine. The church was demolished in 1966, due to serious damage caused by Hurricane Betsy.

Before its official dedication in 1920, St. Leo the Great Parish began in a chapel car. The parish was created when Archbishop Shaw's realized there was a need for a church in the back of the seventh ward. After nine months of worshiping in a chapel car, the first mass was held in the church. In 2008, St. Leo the Great merged with St. Raymond to form St. Raymond-St. Leo the Great Parish.

In 1952, St. Maria Goretti was established as a mission of St. James Major Parish to serve the Little Woods neighborhood of New Orleans East; from 1954–1965, it was a mission of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish. On January 2, 1965, St. Maria Goretti became its own parish, and its first mass was celebrated the following day. Ten years later, a new, larger church opened to accommodate the growing New Orleans East area. In 2008, St. Maria Goretti Parish annexed the Immaculate Heart of Mary and St. Simon Peter parishes.

In 1845, St. Mary Church was built adjoining the Ursuline Convent, and it officially became the Bishop's Chapel. St. Mary was a favorite place of worship for Italians, Creoles and Germans of the city. The church, formally known as St. Mary's Italian and Our Lady of Victory, is open to visitors as a museum and for certain sacramental celebrations. It is also part of the Catholic Cultural Heritage Center of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, along with the St. Louis Cathedral.

St. Mary of the Angels Parish was established in the spring of 1925 when Archbishop Shaw invited the Franciscans from Cincinnati to care for a proposed parish behind Claiborne Street in downtown New Orleans. The first mass was celebrated August 2, 1925, feast day of Our Lady of the Angels, the patroness of the parish. St. Mary of the Angels will soon celebrate its 100th anniversary.

St. Mary's Assumption Church was built by German immigrants in 1858 as a testament to their faith and a symbolic, proud statement that they were here to stay. In 1925, Archbishop Shaw declared St. Mary's Assumption a chapel of ease. The church was damaged by Hurricane Betsy and was closed for ten years. By the 1980s,  St. Alphonsus Parish moved into St. Mary's Assumption Church, which now serves as the active sacramental church of the parish, and is recognized as a National Historic Landmark.

St. Matthias Parish was established in 1920 by Archbishop Shaw. The church was dedicated and celebrated its first mass one year later. In 2008, St. Matthias Parish merged with Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Monica parishes to form Blessed Trinity Parish. Today, the parishioners of Blessed Trinity worship in the former St. Matthias Church.

St. Maurice Parish was founded in 1852, and its church was officially dedicated in 1857. The yellow fever epidemic of 1878 devastated the parish with a loss of twenty-eight parishioners. In 2008, 151 years after its construction, the church was closed, and assumed by St. David.

In 1869, territory for St. Michael Parish was taken from the boundaries of St. Alphonsus and St. Theresa of Avila Parishes. On May 8, 1870, St. Michael Church was dedicated by Archbishop Perché. In 1965, Hurricane Betsy severely damaged the church and the rectory. This financial burden, coupled with a dwindling number of parishioners and the shortage of archdiocesan priests, led to the closing of St. Michael in 1966.

In 1924, St. Monica Parish was built at the request of Archbishop Blenk. It was created from a portion of Holy Ghost Parish, and would serve the community until 2005. After the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina, the church was closed and suppressed. In 2008, the church merged with two Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Matthias parishes to form Blessed Trinity Parish.

St. Nicholas of Myra Church was built in 1971. In 2005, the parish was heavily impacted by Hurricane Katrina and lost their much-respected pastor, Father Arthur "Red" Ginart. From 2005–2014, its parishioners commuted to Resurrection of Our Lord Parish, and in March 2014, St. Nicholas of Myra reopened as a mission of Resurrection of Our Lord Parish.

St. Patrick Parish was established in 1833. It brought many firsts to New Orleans: an English-speaking mass, a church for the Irish, and the first church outside of the boundaries of the original city. On September 16, 1851, Archbishop Blanc received his pallium at St. Patrick to become the ecclesiastical head of the fourth archdiocese in the United States. At the time, St. Patrick was the pro-cathedral, while St. Louis Cathedral was being rebuilt. Today, the church caters to the expanding commercial area and to the spiritual needs of many families who travel far distances to attend its services.

On June 15, 1947, Archbishop Rummel dedicated St. Paul the Apostle Parish to serve a predominantly African American community. St. Paul was the first Catholic church established in New Orleans East. The church was recently rededicated and continues to draw on the richness of its diversity.

In 1920, St. Peter Claver Parish emerged from what was for nearly seventy years a parish know as St. Ann. The stately church building, that still stands today, was build in 1852. St. Peter Claver played an important part in the growth of the Treme area as the city spread. In 1983, the Society of St. Edmund came to St. Peter Claver Parish to serve the African American Community. Today, the parish has more than 2,400 registered families.

Sts. Peter and Paul Parish was founded in 1848 for Irish Catholics. Its first church was small, and the congregation quickly outgrew it. In 1860, a new church was erected, and the tall spire on the top became a landmark in the area. In 2001, Sts. Peter and Paul Church merged with four other parishes to form Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos Parish.

In 1949, the Louisa Street Mission was renamed St. Philip the Apostle. Three years later, St. Phillip the Apostle Parish was established. In 1967, a new church was built and dedicated. Its first mass was held on Thanksgiving Day. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina damaged the church and it was not reopened. The parish was assumed by St. Mary of the Angels, and the church was demolished.

St. Pius X Parish was established in August 1953. Originally named after Blessed Pius X, the parish was renamed St. Pius X after his canonization. In 2005, after New Orleans and the surrounding areas were devastated by Hurricane Katrina, St. Pius X served many of the first responders in the area. The church did not flood and was able to aid in the reconstruction efforts.

St. Raphael the Archangel Parish began as a chapel on a naval air field in 1947; in 1958, the field became the campus of the University of New Orleans. After the campus opened, the old wooden chapel was replaced by a new large brick church. In 2008, the Parish was suppressed and merged with two other parishes to form Transfiguration of Our Lord Parish.

On October 27, 1927, the first mass at St. Raymond Church was celebrated. In 1929, the parish was officially established. In October 2002, the church had recorded 6,398 baptisms. In 2008, St. Raymond and St. Leo the Great merged to form St. Raymond-St. Leo the Great Parish, which worships at St. Leo the Great Church.

St. Raymond-St. Leo the Great Parish was established in 2008 from the merge of St. Leo the Great and St. Raymond parishes. The congregation worships at St. Leo the Great Church.

St. Rita Parish was established in 1921 in response to the growing population near Carrollton and Claiborne Avenues. The first mass was celebrated in a private home on Passion Sunday; a few months later the congregation moved to a dirt floor basement. On May 22, 1922, the new church was officially dedicated on the feast of St. Rita.

In 1857, a shack on Maurepas and Mystery Streets was converted into the Chapel of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and established as a parish. During 1858, the name of the chapel formally became St. Rose of Lima Church. The parish closed in 2005 due to severe water damage from Hurricane Katrina; its parishioners were transferred to Our Lady of the Rosary Parish. The church building underwent a complete renovation and has been used as a venue for community events. Today, it is the André Cailloux Center for Performing Arts and Cultural Justice.

St. Simon Peter Parish was officially established on the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain on June 14, 1986. The church closed in 2005 due to damage from Hurricane Katrina; and in 2008, St. Simon Peter Parish was assumed by St. Maria Gorretti.

In 1849, Bishop Blanc established St. Stephen Parish, and he put the Vincentian Fathers in charge of serving the area's large German population. Mass was originally celebrated in parishioners' homes until a simple church was completed in 1850. Today, St. Stephen is the second-largest Catholic Church in New Orleans. In 2008, the parish merged with two others to form Good Shepherd Parish, which worships in St. Stephen Church.

Before it was officially established as a parish, St. Theresa was a chapel for St. Patrick Orphanage. In 1848, due to the growing population, Archbishop Blanc established St. Theresa of Avila Parish and commissioned architect T. E. Giraud to design a new permanent church building in Roman Byzantine style; it was officially dedicated the following year.

On November 20, 1929, St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Parish was established. This church is also known as St. Theresa the Little Flower and St. Therese of Lisieux. On August 11, 1949, Archbishop Rummel blessed a new church. After Hurricane Katrina, the parish was closed, and its parishioners were transferred to Incarnate Word Parish.

St. Thomas the Apostle Parish was founded in 1974 from the campus ministry at the University of New Orleans. The official dedication of the University Center was in 1981, by Archbishop Hannan. In 2008, St. Thomas the Apostle merged with two other parishes in the Gentilly neighborhood to form Transfiguration of Our Lord Parish.

On February 19, 1970, St. Thomas More at Tulane University was declared an official parish of the Archdiocese. Under the administration of the Dominican Fathers, the parish grew and became an important part of the lives of many Catholic Tulane students. In 2008, St. Thomas More Parish was closed, but continues to serve as the University Catholic Center.

In the late 1830s, during a meeting of sixteen men in the private parlor of Mr. Giguel, St. Vincent de Paul Parish was founded. In 1838, work began on St. Vincent de Paul Church, but due to financial issues, the work slowed and the church was not completed until 1840. In 2001, St. Vincent de Paul merged with four other congregations to form Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos Parish. masses are celebrated at St. Vincent de Paul Church. In 2016, on the 150th anniversary of St. Vincent de Paul church building, a fifty year old time capsule was opened.

Three Gentilly parishes that flooded during Hurricane Katrina and were combined to create Transfiguration of the Lord Parish in 2008: St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, St. Raphael the Archangel, and St. Thomas the Apostle. The new parish worships in St. Raphael the Archangel Church at the corner of Elysian Fields and Prentiss avenues.