In response to the growth of Catholicism on the Northshore

New archdiocesan pastoral center in Covington acknowledges north shore's flourishing Catholic flock

Published: Wednesday, February 15, 2012

By Ramon Antonio Vargas, The Times-Picayune The Times-Picayune During a ceremony on Wednesday blessing the Archdiocese of New Orleans’ first-ever north shore regional office, an archdiocesan volunteer recited a New Testament passage that might resonate with any Catholics in St. Tammany and Washington parishes who believe they’ve deserved closer attention from the area’s highest-ranking church officials. “So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners,” Jerry Laiche read, “but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God.”

View full sizeEliot Kamenitz, The Times-PicayuneThe Archdiocese of New Orleans dedicates the new Northshore Pastoral Center on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2012, in Covington, with Archbishop Gregory Aymond blessing the facility which will be its headquarters for its booming flock in St. Tammany and Washington parishes.

 

The opening of the Archdiocese of New Orleans’ Northshore Pastoral Center is a concrete acknowledgement of the flourishing Catholic community on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, whose suburban mindset is compatible with, yet different from, other parts of the archdiocese, Archbishop Gregory Aymond has suggested.
St. Tammany alone is home to more than 91,000 Catholics in 18 church parishes, and adjacent, rural Washington Parish has some 18,000 Catholics, according to archdiocese spokeswoman Sarah McDonald. Combined, those figures account for approximately 23 percent of the estimated 471,700 Catholics in the Archdiocese of New Orleans.
Creating a free-standing office not associated with an existing church parish constitutes a rare decision by the archdiocese, which covers eight civil parishes in southeastern Louisiana and operates mainly out of Walmsley Avenue in New Orleans. Nonetheless, Aymond decided it was appropriate to elevate the Catholic Church’s profile north of the lake with an administrative headquarters there.
The pastoral center dedicated Wednesday was 18 months in the making. Sitting just north of Interstate 12 near Covington, it has a three-year lease to occupy the first floor of 69090 U.S. 190 East Service Road, building director Craig Marinello said.
Aside from being a base for Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans, the facility was designed to provide meeting rooms and work spaces for staffers with the archdiocesan offices of religious education and Catholic schools. It can host diaconate programs and Catholic Charities sessions involving counseling, Hispanic and immigration services, Marinello explained.
In case of an emergency requiring the evacuation of New Orleans, the archdiocese plans to relocate into the Northshore Pastoral Center, which is equipped with showers and a kitchen.
“The versatility of the building is the best part,” Marinello remarked. He also welcomed any nonprofit group in need of a gathering place to inquire about the center’s availability on early mornings, night or weekends.
Following Jerry Laiche’s reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, Aymond and a room packed mostly with local clergy and religious laity prayed for God to bless the pastoral center.
“Today, we ask God to dwell in this building,” the archbishop said. Sprinkling holy water on the ground and nearby walls, he added, “May we be good pastors, good leaders, good shepherds.”


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