by KAREN LAGRANGE COX
St. Anne Roman Catholic Church in Youngsville is undergoing a preservation and expansion project. The preservation element of the project is to preserve the current church building, while the expansion element of the project entails a new, larger church building to be built on the east side of the current church building. The two buildings will be connected.
Once the church expansion is completed, the existing church building will be used for the Rite of Baptism and the Adoration Chapel.
With the population of the City of Youngsville expected to increase by 341% (years 2010 to 2040), St. Anne is seeking to accommodate the expected increase in the city’s population, according to their Capital Campaign brochure. The current church has seating for about four-hundred and fifty people. The new church will have the capacity to seat approximately eight hundred and fifty people, advised Father Michael Russo, Pastor of St. Anne.
Father Russo explained it is important to Bishop J. Douglas Deshotel of the Lafayette Diocese, for the new church to have the capacity to accommodate the projected growth of the City of Youngsville.
The construction of a new parking lot is expected to be started in February 2023. The parking lot is to include one-hundred thirty-six parking spaces and have five additional handicapped spaces.
Their Capital Campaign brochure states the time frame for the total project is three to five years.
A breakdown of St. Anne’s Capital Campaign project:
- $1.5 million – Preserving and Renovating Our Current Church
- $9.2 million – New Church Expansion
- $1.3 million – Parking Lot, Lighting, and Drainage
- $3 million – Upgrades and Preservation
According to their Capital Campaign brochure, St. Anne’s has been serving the Youngsville community for more than one hundred and fifty years. Their church bulletin shows St. Anne’s was established on July 29, 1859, and was originally named St. Etienne (St. Stephen). The current St. Anne’s Church building dates to at least 1887 and was remodeled in 1954.
To learn how to make a pledge or contribution to St. Anne’s Capital Campaign, visit their campaign page.
For more information about St. Anne and the church expansion, visit their website.
