Pastor's Welcome

Welcome from Fr. Lamar Partin

Dear Friends in Christ,

I would like to welcome you to the website of St. John the Baptist in Zachary and Our Lady of the Assumption in Clinton. Thank you taking the time to visit and learn more about our awesome Catholic Community here in Southeast Louisiana!

Here, I hope you will find information that will help you develop and grow in your journey with Jesus, our most Holy Redemer! 

The contents of our site are intended to help you understand more fully what it means to live our baptismal commitment, of loving God, loving our neighbor and loving ourselves.

Know that you are always welcome to journey with us and to grow with us in our love and service to the Lord,

In the Redeemer,

Fr. Lamar Partin

To provide a unified Catholic community striving to maintain, promote, and continue the legacy of faith begun by our forefathers.

With Special Thanks to Mrs. Janet Cavin, who compiled our history for decades

Our ancestors from Nova Scotia came to Louisiana in 1785 and settled in Baton Rouge and the surrounding areas, including Port Hudson on Rio Feliciana (now Thompson's Creek). Early church records show that baptisms, confirmations, and marriages took place in the Town of Port Hudson in the Plains area in a chapel named St. John's.

In 1870 the chapel site was moved to a property between Shaffett Lane and Pope Road. With the advent of the railroad, Zachary was incorporated as a town in 1889. River traffic lessened as the current of the Mississippi River gradually ate away at the river landings and covered over the once-flourishing Town of Port Hudson with silt.

To move the church closer to town, Mrs. John McHugh donated a piece of property on east Main Street and Old Weis Road, which became the third site of St. John's Church. Catholics worshipped there until 1924 when the present site was purchased. The old chapel had been used as a residence until recently, when it was sold to St. Patrick's Episcopal Church and is still in use today.

In 1964, with the Baton Rouge population increasing, Bishop Tracy established St. John the Baptist as a parish, with Our Lady of the Assumption in Clinton as a Mission. The late Monsignor, Father Thomas Cage Gordon, was the first pastor of St. John the Baptist Parish.

In 1967 he built a new church in Clinton and a rectory in Zachary. He served until 1970 and was succeeded by the late Father Matthew Faschan. Under his tenure, the new St. John the Baptist Church, Parish Hall, and classrooms were built in 1974, as well as the Assumption Hall in Clinton. In 1977 an addition was built to the Rectory to serve as a parish office.

Our current church was built for the purpose of reminding ourselves of our rich Catholic heritage and making sure we had a place of prayer and devotion where people could come to pray and feel the presence of God for the next 100 years.  We broke ground on the 18,000 square foot building September 2015 and the first Mass and dedication was on April 30, 2017.  This church features re-purposed artifacts from Holy Trinity Church in Syracuse, NJ that was built in 1891 by German immigrants, a 27 feet tall High Altar, a 18 feet tall Crucifix over 150 years old, a statue of Mary over 200 years old and relics of St. Pope John Paul II, St. Teresa of Calcutta, and St. Marianne Cope. 

We have been continued to be blessed by the guidance of several memorable pastors including Father Robert Stine, Father Henry Vavasseur, Father Tom Duhé, Father Louis Oubre, Father Kenneth Laird, Father Victor Messina, Father Christopher Roussell, Monsignor Gerald LeFebvre, Father M. Jeffery Bayhi, and our current pastor, Father Lamar Partin.