La Foi · Faith & Retreats
A Town
of Faith
Grand Coteau has been a Catholic town since 1819. Jesuits since 1837. Sacred Heart sisters since 1821. The only Vatican-recognized miracle site in the United States at the exact location where it occurred. Retreats, shrines, and a parish that has never closed its doors.
The Anchors
Five Places,
Two Hundred Years
Everything that holds this town together in a quarter-mile walk.
St. Charles Borromeo
174 Church Street
The Catholic parish since 1819. The current building dates to 1879, attributed in part to James Freret drawings. Second Empire belfry, replica Our Lady of Lourdes grotto on the grounds, and an adjacent cemetery that tells two centuries of town history.
Academy of the Sacred Heart
Oldest in the World
Founded 1821. The oldest continuously operating Sacred Heart school in the world. Tours by appointment include Le Petit Musée, the historic chapel, the RSCJ cemetery, and the oak alley planted in the 1840s by the first Jesuit rector.
Shrine of St. John Berchmans
The Miracle Site
In 1866, novice Mary Wilson was gravely ill. According to accounts accepted by the Vatican, she was cured by an apparition of the Jesuit Blessed John Berchmans on the second floor of the Academy. The Catholic Church recognizes this as the only Vatican-confirmed miracle in the United States at the exact location where it occurred. Open for tours by appointment.
Our Lady of the Oaks
Retreat House
Ignatian silent retreats for anyone who needs them. Operating since 1938. Preached retreats for women and couples; men’s retreats offered through St. Charles College on the same campus. Booking and schedules at gcretreats.org.
Thensted Center
Community Outreach
Established 1982 by Sister Margaret “Mike” Hoffman, RSCJ, in honor of Father Cornelius Thensted, S.J. — the civil-rights Jesuit who served Grand Coteau’s Black Catholic community for four decades. Today it runs community outreach programs and annual Juneteenth celebrations.
St. Peter Claver
Historic Complex
The historic Black Catholic parish, founded in the 1930s. Its school educated Black children in Grand Coteau and surrounding parishes for nearly a century. The former gym, now KPC Hall at 252 Church Street, still hosts community events and the Sweet Dough Pie Festival grounds.