Our Staff
Our Staff
Administrator
Father Nathan Comeaux
"My job is to assist Bishop Deshotel in shepherding the people of St. Joseph's Church and St. Jules Chapel in the love of God. "
Fr. Comeaux
Office Manager
Leslie Comeaux
Housekeeper
Mandy Walker
Groundskeeper
Ed Mire
Fr. Comeaux
Our History
St. Jules Chapel
From escaping religious persecution to their settlement in the Acadiana area, the heritage of the Acadian people is marked by resilience and anchored in the Catholic faith. Our community of Petit Mamou is no different as their dedication to the Catholic faith can be seen in the creation of St. Jules Chapel.
If a cradle of hay was good enough for the infant Christ, then the early settlers of Petit Mamou had no complaints on where to hold Mass. Our community’s first Masses were celebrated amongst all of God’s creation under a large oak tree and were later held in the barn of Mr. Ursan Daigle. Eventually, Mr. Daigle generously donated ten acres of land for the construction of a church. Mr. Jules Clement aided in its creation by providing for the buildings and furnishings.
St. Jules Chapel was able to open its doors in 1909 with the help of Fr. Francis Gossler and Fr. Alphonse Martel from Iota. In 1958, the original chapel was replaced with a brick one under Fr. Henry Van Tiel. This chapel burned in a fire in 1972. However, the faith burned brighter than the fire ever could. Under Fr. Frederick Webert, St. Jules Chapel was rebuilt into the structure we know today. The interior of the current building was later renovated by Fr. David Broussard in 2014.
This journey of perseverance marked by Christ has shaped what we now adoringly call St. Jules Chapel, a sacred space where our community continues to celebrate and grow in the Catholic faith.
St. Joseph's Catholic Church
With the early 1900s oil field boom in Evangeline, there came saloons, gambling, dance halls, and rough play. There was, however, a shining light amongst this darkness. The Christian groups coming into the growing town built a community church and a public elementary school. The Mass was celebrated here alongside other denominations' services; however, time and unavailability of priests made celebration of the Mass sparse in Evangeline.
The tides began to change in 1932. Two seminarians, W.J. Labbe and Daniel Bernard, were dispatched by Bishop Jules Jeanmard and Fr. Alphonse Martel to teach Catechism in Evangeline. Labbe and Bernard found Evangeline's Catholic faith to be strong but severely neglected in terms of instruction. The two would send letters to Bishop Jeanmard, concerning unbaptized children and the Apostolic influence Evangeline's Catholics were under. These letters, along with growing tensions between Catholics and the other denominations in the Evangeline area, were the backbone of arguments for the establishment of a Church in Evangeline.
Notable driving forces in this Church foundation were Fr. Armand Cyr of Basile and the Evangeline, Petite Mamou, and Gott's Cove Catholic communities. Bishop Jeanmard felt their force and used all available resources to make the Evangeline church a reality. Through all of their combined efforts, a grant of $2000 was obtained through the Catholic Extension Society of Chicago. With this grant, the original St. Joseph's Catholic Church was built and completed in 1937.
In 1956, Fr. Tiel led the congregation to build a new Church out of brick, leaving the original wood building to be used as a Church hall.
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