Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church

Our Lady of Perpetual Help was established in 1869 in Rivertown in Kenner, Louisiana. The church’s roots link back to 1848 to the farming area that was part of the town of old Carrollton. This area formed the upper reach of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Parish. In response to a growing population of the area of “Kennerville,” St. Mary’s Mission Church was erected in 1868 under pastor Father Francis Xavier Cueppens. St. Mary’s was completed in 1869.

The annexation of the Carrollton area to New Orleans in 1874 lead to the forming of two separate parishes; Mater Dolorosa in New Orleans, and St. Mary’s in Kenner. Both of these new parishes were formed from the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin. In 1936 St. Mary’s Church was renamed Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Our Lady of Perpetual Help also has a school. The elementary school was initially named St. Mary’s in 1928 and was staffed by the Sisters of Mercy through 1993. The Sisters of Mercy would commute to New Orleans by streetcar until the convent was built in 1929. Our Lady of Perpetual Help Elementary School currently has 230 students age 4 through 7th grade. They also have a locally esteemed choir.

Sicilian and Italian immigrants played a large part in the traditions of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. There are two annual traditions that take place. First is the St. Rosalie Mass, procession, and benediction held on the 2nd Sunday of September. The St. Rosalie Mass is held to give thanks for the Saints intersession in saving livestock from an anthrax epidemic. The second tradition is the parish’s elaborate St. Joseph Altar, which is a collaboration between the Holy Name and Altar Societies that offers nineteen types of authentic, home-baked Italian cookies. Our Lady of Perpetual Help also has an Adoration Chapel and a Men’s Club that meets to discuss scripture twice a week. Something special that Our Lady of Perpetual Help offers is a memorial to those who lost their lives on the Pan Am 759 Flight in 1982. An annual Remembrance Mass to those who perished is held every July.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church Established 1869, Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Accessed August 7th 2020. https://www.olphla.net/.

Donze, Beth. A Catholic haven in Kenner for 150 years, Clarion Herald. November 20th 2019. Accessed August 7th 2020. https://clarionherald.org/news/a-catholic-haven-in-kenner-for-150-years.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Web Archive. Accessed August 7th 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20120209143604/http://archdiocese-no.org/olphlachurch/.