St. Charles Borremeo Reopens After Four Years of Renovation

SCHRIEVER, LA- After four years and four months of extensive renovation, St. Charles Borromeo Church, located at 1985 Highway 308 in Thibodaux, reopened its doors on Sunday at 10 a.m. with a Mass, church blessing, and altar dedication by Bishop Simon Peter Engurait.  
Complete with a new roof, restored furniture and a restored baptismal font, St. Charles Borremeo Catholic Church maintains its stained-glass windows and original architectural design, with added modern upgrades. 
 
“Over these many months, your patience, prayers, and steadfast faith have carried our parish family,” said pastor Fr. Baby “Philip” Kuruvilla. “You remained hopeful when the road was long, supportive when challenges arose, and united in the belief that God would bring us back, back to our church, to our community, and to the heart of parish life.”


Parishioners worked together for many months, forming restoration and “coming home” committees to keep the process moving along smoothly. Helen Zeringue is a lifelong parishioner who served on both committees. She shared how she felt about the reopening, “It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience of excitement and joy. We are finally back home.”

Bishop Simon Peter encouraged the parishioners and thanked them for their faith over the years. “It brings me great joy to be with you to rededicate this space and usher in the next chapter of this parish community. I know that these have been trying times, and I am deeply grateful for your resiliency and your faith as you persevered in following the Lord.”
 
St. Charles Borromeo Church was founded in 1865, when Very Reverend Canon Charles M. Menard, along with the priests of St. Joseph Church in Thibodaux, established a mission chapel along Bayou Lafourche. The chapel, built on the Bourgeois family property, was named St. Charles, giving the community its name. The mission later became an official parish in 1912, with Father Albert S. Mauret appointed as its first resident pastor. In 1976, Monsignor John G. Keller assumed pastorate at St. Charles, coining the full parish name and building the most recent church structure in 1989.


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