St. Mary's Assumption Catholic Church

08/28/2026

08/17/2026

Yesterday at the cathedral, Bishop Marshall instituted Kenneth McMullen of St. Mary's (along with 8 other men) into the acolyte ministry as part of their formation to the permanent diaconate. These men are scheduled to be ordained permanent deacons of our diocese on Saturday, July 17, 2027. We congratulate Kenneth (and spouse Pris) on this milestone!

08/14/2026

Tomorrow, Holy Mother Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, our church parish Feast Day that is typically a Holy Day of Obligation but not this year given that it falls on a Saturday. With this Solemnity, we recognize the 137th anniversary of our church's founding here in Cottonport and pray that St. Mary's may continue to minister to the Catholic faithful of this community until the end of the age.

08/10/2026

Seminarian Send-Off Fish Fry held yesterday was a huge success! The Vocations Ministry of St. Mary's is to be commended for its tireless efforts at planning the event, and the Church gives glory to God for all who supported this event including the many local businesses who donated supplies. All funds raised go to support seminary education for our diocese. We wish these young men well in their upcoming semester and ask all to pray for them (through the intercession of St. John Vianney).

06/11/2026

To commemorate World Priest Day tomorrow (Friday, June 12), please pray the following:

Prayer for Priests
Gracious and loving God, we thank you for the gift of our
priests. Through them, we experience your presence in the
Sacraments. Help our priests to be strong in their vocation. Set
their souls on fire with love for your people. Grant them the
wisdom, understanding, and strength they need to follow in
the footsteps of Jesus. Inspire them with the vision of your
Kingdom. Give them the words they need to spread the
Gospel. Allow them to experience joy in their ministry. Help
them to become instruments of your divine grace. We ask this
through Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns as our Eternal
Priest. Amen.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, protect Father Charlie in the midst of his work at St. Mary's Assumption Church. Comfort him in his afflictions. Give him health of body, assistance in his temporal needs, and your blessing on all that he does. We ask the Holy Spirit to come down and light his heart anew for the priesthood and help him to grow in holiness. Amen.

06/03/2026

We officially welcome Deacon Blaine Phillips to St. Mary's as he begins his ministry as transitional deacon of our church. Dcn. Phillips will preside over today's 5:15 p.m. Communion Service. We pray, through the intercession of Our Lady of the Assumption, for God's blessing upon him and his vocation.

05/16/2026

Our church extends its heartfelt congratulations to our seminarian Graham Descant who (on Thursday) received his undergraduate degree in Philosophy from Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. This represents a significant milestone for Graham on his path to the priesthood - may God bless him and his vocation!

05/08/2026

St. Mary's celebrated Confirmation last night with the Most Rev. Robert W. Marshall, Jr., Bishop of Alexandria, along with other clergy: Fr. Charlie Ray, Fr. Blake Deshautelle, and Dcn. Richard Mitchell. In addition to the 19 Confirmandi from our church, 3 Confirmandi from the Mansura churches (St. Paul the Apostle and Our Lady of Prompt Succor) all received the Holy Sacrament. Guided by the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, we wish these young men and women well in their journey of faith.

05/07/2026

We congratulate the 23 boys and girls who received First Holy Communion last Sunday. These youth are from our school or are part of the church's Youth Faith Formation program. May they experience deeper union with Jesus Christ and grow in their love and devotion for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

05/06/2026

At this morning's school Mass, Blessed Mother Mary, patroness of our church and school, was crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth and the Mother of God - Salve Regina!