St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church was formed in August, 1984. The parish is named after St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first native born American Saint, who founded the first American religious community for women, the Sisters of Charity. A convert to Catholicism, she opened the first American parish school and established the first American Catholic orphanage while raising her five children.
Our first pastor was Fr. Calvin “Butch” Burleigh. 100 families gathered for our first Mass, which was celebrated in October, 1984 in the auditorium of LSU-Shreveport. Our parish traditions of hospitality and friendliness originated during the days at LSUS. Coffee and cookies after the Masses and parish covered dish meals helped encourage fellowship and a strong sense of community. The time that we spent without a permanent building helped build a realization within our community that the church is built not of brick and mortar but of living stones. However, as our parish family grew, we needed a permanent location for our parish home. In March, 1986 we bought 10 acres in Southeast Shreveport, including our beautiful pecan orchard.
The “Family Life Center” was built in 1987 to house the sanctuary, religious education classrooms, and parish administration. The high altar is from the former St. Vincent Academy chapel. The stained glass windows behind the high altar, also from St. Vincent’s, were restored by parishioners. The buildings were dedicated October, 1987. In 1997, we dedicated a new Activities building next to the church, which was named the “Burleigh Center,” in loving memory of Fr. Butch, who passed away in May, 1990. The sanctuary was remodeled shortly afterwards, in order to accommodate our growing parish.
Fr. David Richter served as our second Pastor. In fall 1995, Fr. LaVerne "Pike" Thomas was named pastor, serving us for 10 years. During Fr. Pike’s tenure, the parish experienced tremendous growth, which resulted in the opening of the Burleigh Center, the addition of religious education classrooms, and the Library building, which houses our library and rooms dedicated to Christian initiation and scouting. Our current pastor, Fr. Philip "Phil" Michiels, came to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in July, 2005. Under his leadership, ministry to the children and adults of our parish continues to grow and to flourish, and our liturgies serve as source and summit of our faith which send us forth to love and serve the Lord by serving one another. Today, over 750 families carry on our parish traditions of dynamic worship, loving fellowship, selfless service, and deepening spirituality.
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