St. James Parish Treasure Needs The Public’s Help

I stand quietly along River Road in Union just as I have for more than 145-years, about eight miles upriver from St. Michael Church.

Families crossed my front door threshold to bring their babies to be baptized. They brought the children back later to receive Holy Communion for the first time. Some returned as beautiful brides or handsome grooms to exchange their vows on their wedding day. Others crossed the threshold for the final time before being laid to eternal rest in the cemetery at the rear of the property.

Some refer to me as La Chapelle de Sainte Marie de Fleuve or the Chapel of St. Mary of the River. Now I’m known by the title on the historic monument right out front, St. Mary’s Chapel.

I was built in parts. The first, a simple rectangular shaped room, was completed in 1875 by Louis Chauvin and Pierre Chauvin when Marist Father Kempnich was the pastor. Two transepts and sacristies were added in 1903-1904 under the skillful direction of Pierre Chauvin. Descendants of the Chauvin family are still my neighbors.

My original altar is still here, although changed after Vatican II to allow the priest to face the people. Some of the ornate spires were trimmed to make them shorter thereby allowing for the reredos to be pushed back to so that the priest could move behind the altar and in front of the ornate communion rail.

The original confessional is still here, as are the ambry, a special little cabinet that holds blessed oils used for baptism, confirmation, and anointing the sick; and a framed early depiction of the baptism of Jesus.

Lining my walls are plaster and wood depictions of the Stations of the Cross whose titles are written in French and bear the names of the donors. The names of the Mysteries of the Rosary are painted on the window separations and top sills.

I was built of cypress in the gothic revival style and my original roof is made of cypress shingles.

I was rolled back 250 feet from the river after the 1927 flood when the levee was moved. When cattle were allowed to move freely on lawns bordering the river, my benefactors installed barriers with turnstiles to allow the faithful to enter while barring the animals.

I’ve endured rain and windstorms. Hurricane Betsy knocked off my steeple and a modified one replaced it. Hurricane Ida caused my inside walls to bend and sway, but even then, I survived. I’ve been placed on the list of the Most Endangered Buildings in Louisiana.

Slate shingles were placed over now-splintered cypress shingles. Sadly, plastic pails strategically placed collect rainwater. Carpets sewn together in earlier days by women’s organizations were saturated with rain water, ripped up and thrown away.

Neighboring families were good to me in my early days and their descendants, like Spencer Chauvin, my upriver neighbor whose children are the ninth generation living in the Chauvin family home, and other families in the area want to assure that I will be here for years to come.

Spencer, Carmel Andermann Veron, Mike Schexnayder and Father Vincent Dufresne have formed a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization called Friends of St. Mary’s.

Their sole purpose is to raise funds for my preservation. Baton Rouge diocesan Bishop Michael Duca has given his permission to allow my use as a specialevent-only venue for the surrounding community like baptisms, weddings and funerals.

While my upkeep is paid in part by my adjacent farmland which is leased to Peter Dufresne and the batture leased to Webre-Marine, additional funding is needed to save me from further deterioration.

The Friends of St. Mary’s want to raise funds just the way their ancestors did when I was first built - with music concerts, fairs, cookoffs and other gatherings.

The first of these gatherings will be held on Saturday, June 25th, from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the Cabin.

Jambalaya Champion Ricky Breaux will prepare what he does best, and Eric Chauvin of Sandwich World is cooking white beans and mixing up coleslaw.

Tickets to the adultsonly gathering are $35 per person. There will be a silent auction from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. There will be a cash bar and live music.

For information on how to obtain tickets, please go to saintmarychapel.org and see upcoming events.