The first pastor was Fr. John Engberink, a young Dutch priest from Holland. To reach his areas he had to travel by horseback, boat and by foot. Due to his tireless efforts he built the first chapel in December, 1892, now know as Immaculate Conception in Grand Chenier, on the property donated by
Mr. & Mrs. Alcide Miller.
In 1902, Fr. Hubert Cramers built another church, St. Martin, on east Grand Chenier on the land donated by Mr. & Mrs. George Mayne. Eventually,
St. Martin Church was replaced by St. Eugene in 1936 under Fr. Francis Bischof on the land donated by Mr. & Mrs. Pierre Montie. This church was destroyed by Hurricane Audrey on June 27, 1957. The present St. Eugene Church was built in 1961 under the guidance of Fr. Joseph Decoteau with the help of generous people.
The following were the pastors who served the Grand Chenier Catholic Community before the establishment of an independent parish in 1962:
Fr. John Engberink, 1890-95; Fr. W.J. Teurlings, 1895-99;
Fr. Theoph Stenmans, 1899; Fr. Joseph Drolet, 1899;
Fr. Hubert Cramers, 1899-1902; Fr. J. Smith, 1902-03;
Fr. P. Cambiaire, 1903-07; Fr. J. Hoes, 1907-13;
Fr. J. Heil, 1913-14; Fr. P. Buissink, 1914-18;
Fr. Odelon Brise, 1919-21; Fr. A. Rousseau, 1921-22;
Fr. L. Perronnet, 1922-27; Fr. C. Merriemboer, 1927-30;
Fr. Francis Bischof, 1930-45; Fr. Theodore Hassink, 1945-48;
Fr. E. Chartier, M.S., 1948-53; Fr. A. Gilbert, M.S. 1953-60;
Fr. Joseph Decoteau, M.S. 1960-62.
A new chapter was added to the history of St. Eugene when a new St. Eugene Parish was established in June, 1962 with Immaculate Conception as its Mission Chapel. Fr. Joseph Decoteau, who was then pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Creole, officially became its first pastor, then moved from Creole
to Grand Chenier and stayed in a home given by a parishioner.
The present St. Eugene parish is 22 miles long and 8 miles wide, stretching from Superior Canal to the east, Mermentau River to the west, Gulf of Mexico to the south and Chenier Perdue to the north. It consists of about 200 families, many of which are cattlemen, farmers, fishermen, and oilfield workers.
The surrounding areas consist of beautiful large oak trees, miles of marshland known as a fisherman's and hunter's paradise where wild ducks, geese, pelicans, alligators, deer, nutria, rabbits, shrimp, fish, crabs and many other wildlife and seafood are readily available.
St. Eugene Rectory was built in 1965 by Fr. Joseph Decoteau. Following him was Fr. F. Lanoue, who first lived in this rectory. Unfortunately, he had a sudden death after five weeks of stay. Fr. Charles Soileau built the Catholic Hall in 1968, which is now used for catechism classes and funeral services of the parishioners. This hall was expanded for better facilities in 1996 by
Fr. Vincent Vadakkedath.
When financial difficulty arose in the management of daily church affairs,
Fr. Robert Shreve started a fund raising event in 1986 known as the Alligator Harvest Festival, which continues to be held every year on the first Sunday of October at the Grand Chenier State Park.
The pastors who served St. Eugene parish in chronological order are:
Fr. Joseph Decoteau, M.S. 1962 June - 65 January;
Fr. F. Lanoue, M.S. 1965 February;
Fr. Justin Dolan, M.S. 1965 March - June;
Fr. John DeLeew, 1965 July - 67 June;
Fr. Charles Soileau, 1967 July - 69 May;
Fr. Eugene Ory, 1969 June - 72 April;
Fr. Tolson Jones, 1972 April - 74 June;
Fr. Edward Degeyster, 1974 July - November;
Fr. Bedard, 1974 December - 76 May;
Fr. Joseph Wordeman, 1976 June - 77 June;
Fr. Roland Vaughn, 1977 July - 84 June;
Fr. Robert Shreve, 1984 July - 91 June;
Fr. Mark Broussard, 1992 July - 94 January;
Fr. Vincent Vadakkedath 1994 June - present
When we look at the history, we do realize how wonderfully and amazingly God plans all events in our life. It so happened that in the 1890's, God sent a priest to Grand Chenier by the name of Fr. John Engberink, a native of Holland, to build up a catholic community and guide them in their spiritual journey; and in the 1990's the loving God sent another priest by the name of Fr. Vincent Vadakkedath, a native of India, to further enrich them in the catholic faith and lead them into the New Millennium on their pilgrimage to Heaven. See how carefully and lovingly God arranges everything for us!
Praise and Glory to God Almighty for ever. A.M.D.G.
