Under the shady oaks of South Carrollton Avenue stands Mater Dolorosa Catholic Church. A Christian marvel it is. Over 200 years old this church endures. It’s a testament to the Catholic faith. Breathtaking artwork adorns it. The faith is proclaimed with brush and chisel.
Mater Dolorosa Catholic Church wasn’t always this magnificent structure. Its story is a journey. It began in the era after the US took over in 1803. Plantations upstream from New Orleans were subdivided. Towns like Carrollton developed. On the old McCarty plantation Carrollton was established in 1933. The Carrollton Railway aided its growth. A canal dug by German immigrants provided waterways for settlers.
Initially the nearest church was St Patrick’s. Father Augustin DeAngelis ministered to Carrollton’s people. His assistant Father Rossi became the area’s first part-time pastor. In 1847 Archbishop Blanc appointed Father Ferdinand Zeller as the permanent pastor. He used a house previously used by Father DeAngelis as a temporary church. Services began for French Germans and Irish residents.
In 1848 Father Zeller started building a wooden church. It could seat 200. A Cholera epidemic delayed construction. It was completed in September 1848. In 1849 the parish incorporated as St Mary’s Roman Catholic Church of Carrollton.
The Sisters of Charity established an orphanage nearby. It depended heavily on the church. The Franco-Prussian War caused conflict in the parish around 1866. German parishioners wanted their own church. A separate German church was established. The nuns taught girls while the Christian Brothers taught boys. A storm destroyed the German school in 1882. By 1897 the German church population dwindled. Merging the two parishes was considered. The German church became St Dominic Church run by Josephite priests.
In 1897 Archbishop Chapelle appointed Reverend John Francis Prim. He was to unite the French and German parishes. The new united church would be called Mater Dolorosa. This church you see today is the result of that union. It’s a place of worship a sanctuary of healing a calling for the brave the strong and the willing. Mater Dolorosa continues to serve its community. It’s a beacon of light in New Orleans and beyond. A testament to faith perseverance and the enduring spirit of the people who built it.