A timeline of the major changes at St. Bridget through God's grace, the generosity 
of the people and leadership of the pastors.
 

The journey of our parish began on December 16, 1911 when Archbishop Blenk of New Orleans signed the necessary decrees formally erecting the parish of St. Bridget in Schriever which had up to then been a mission of St. Joseph, Thibodaux. Fr. John M. Evano was named as the first Pastor.  

Thereafter, the parish was chartered on July 24, 1912, in an act before Robert B. Butler, notary, under the legal title of "The Congregation of St. Bridget's Roman Catholic Church of the Parish of Terrebonne." The new parish had a church, but no rectory because the property was too small to permit building a rectory. A tract of land was acquired in  April 1913 and the rectory was built.
                                                                                           
The area covered and served by the new parish was expansive. In his parish report on May 18th, 1912, Father Evano described the boundaries of the parish as follows: On Bayou Blue, by Bayou LaCroix; on Bayou Terrebonne, by Bayou Cane; on Bayou Black, by Crescent Farm; the Northeast and Northwest part, by the Southern Pacific Railroad. To take care of that part of the parish situated along Bayou Blue, Father Evano bought property some 10 miles and built St. Louis Chapel, which remained a mission of St Bridget until 1965 when it was established as an independent Parish (St Louis King of France, Bayou Blue).


In 1934, Fr Magnus Roth was appointed as the fourth Pastor (succeeding Fr Ralph Lawrence and Fr John W.A. Jansen before him). Many improvements were made during his 12 years at St. Bridget. Most notable was the building of an up-to-date parish hall with a well-equipped kitchen and a spacious dining hall. The hall served the community until it was destroyed by Hurricane Betsy in September 1965. This left the parish without a substantive hall for the next twenty years. In the meantime, modifications were made on the multi-purpose kitchen building, so that it could serve as the parish hall. The building continues to stand and serve today as Didier Hall. This building was named after Decon Rev. James Vernon Didier, Sr. who died in August 2002. He was the first Decon of St. Bridget from 1977 to his death in 2002.

Father Roth had also made plans for a modern, substantial church, but World War II had intervened and with the extensive building restrictions that were in force the proposal had to be shelved for the time being. Funds collected for the new church were turned over to his successor, Father Joseph Charles Bentz(1945-59). After 1946, Father Bentz pushed the project and the collection of necessary funds to ensure payment of a substantial part of the cost of the new building. In 1946, he invested $10,000 in U.S. bonds for the new church, and each year, special collections and benefits added to the reserve fund for the building. By 1951, this had grown to more than $38,000. Parishioners gave enthusiastic cooperation and were generous in collections and benefit affairs.

Finally, in 1954, a dream of years began to materialize. Archbishop Rummel discussed the project with Father Bentz, gave his approval for a new church, and plans were drafted. With the funds collected and some borrowed (debt), the construction was undertaken. The new church was dedicated on Thursday, September 8, 1955, at 11:00 a.m. This is the Church that continues to serve us to date. Fr Bentz was succeeded by Fr Denis Bergeron (1959-63) who worked on clearing the debt and the installation of air-conditioning in the Church.

Monsignor Raphael C. Labit, a native of Thibodaux, was appointed pastor in August 1963 soon after embarked on building the present rectory. In light of the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, he moved the altar so that mass could be celebrated with the priest facing the people. He retired in 1969 and was succeeded by Father Kasimir Chmielewski (1969-76) who expand the cemetery capacity by building the first mausoleum.




On the 2^nd of March 1977, Pope Paul VI, created the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, curved out of the Archdiocese of New Orleans with the Most Rev. Warren Boudreaux as the first Bishop.  The Very Msgr. Albert Bergeron who had succeeded Fr Kasimir was therefore the first pastor of St Bridget in the new Diocese. During his two decade tenure at St Bridget, the Community Life Center (the Annex) was built, mausoleums were added to the cemetery, stained glass windows were installed in the church, the baptistry was converted to a chapel, and automated bells were installed.


                                                              


Msgr. Bergeron was succeeded by Fr Scot J. Dugas in a brief ten months of transition. He in turn was succeeded by Fr Alexander Francisco. During Fr Francisco’s tenure (1997-99), the parking lots were paved, extensive repairs were done in the church and the grounds were landscaped.

  

In November 1999 Fr Mike Bergeron was appointed as pastor. During his 6 year tenure the parish installed a new sound system, the pews and kneelers were upholstered, statues were restored and returned to the church, additional statues were acquired, the present-day adoration chapel was built as a replica of the old church, the sanctuary and the Sacristy was re-carpeted, church bells were restored and two music organs were acquired. The parish also experience a tremendous increase in attendance during this period.

                                                                                   

As we celebrate our past, we give thanks to God for our ancestors who sacrificed and invested in what we have today. We pray in thanksgiving for them that the Lord may grant them eternal reward for all they do. It is now our turn to ensure that we not only sustain these gifts but build on them for future generations to come.
 

Read More of St. Bridget's History