A Parish for Pailett Land – Saint Raymond Parish, 1927-1952

In the middle of swamp land, knee-deep muddy roads, and a city drainage canal in a section of New Orleans known as Pailett Land; rose a small church and future parish known as Saint Raymond.

Every Sunday morning the people of this area arose at 4:30 to make the long and tiresome journey to hear Mass at Corpus Christi Church on Saint Bernard Avenue.  It was their strong religious faith and personal sacrifices that made the Reverend Father Samuel Joseph Kelly, S.S.J., (the founding pastor of Corpus Christi) determined to help these faithful parishioners attain their own church. Meetings began to be held every Sunday evening at the home of one of its members, located at 3536 Paris Avenue. It was as a result of these meetings that the foundation was laid for a new church to be built and named Saint Raymond Catholic Church.

In 1925, due to lack of money to construct a larger church, a small chapel was built by the people of this community. The chapel was located on a dairy farm in an area close to what would become Saint Raymond’s future school building. Now, Sunday Masses could be held closer to home. By the end of 1926, the priests at Corpus Christi Church could not give sufficient time to the work of Saint Raymond’s, so the Reverend Father Michael O’Neil, S.S.J., then pastor, was forced to obtain the assistance of other priests in the community.

The parishioners of Saint Raymond decided it was time they had more than just a chapel so Father O’Neil organized the “Willing Workers Club,” whose goal was to raise money for its construction. This club, in later years, would become the Rosary Sodality. After two years of hard work and lots of prayers, the people of the parish saw their dream fulfilled. On Sunday, October 16, 1927 the first Mass was celebrated within their new permanent church. The choir was composed of women of the new parish assisted by the organist from Corpus Christi Church.

In February of 1929, the Reverend Father James Crowe, S.S.J, was appointed pastor and first resident priest of Saint Raymond’s Parish. As there was yet no rectory, he lived in a rented house on Paris Avenue and soon began overseeing the renovation of the stable on the church grounds for the purpose of converting it into a small school. Two lay teachers taught the students and one room in the Boscoville section of town was even used as a classroom. Despite tremendous odds, Father Crowe did remarkable work: spiritually, socially, and materially. More will follow on this highly admired priest in a subsequent post.

At the height of his pastorate, Father Crowe became ill and the Reverend Father John Meskill, S.S.J., was appointed pastor in November of 1934. Since there was no rectory, Father Meskill lived in a classroom in the school until one could be built. With the help of the men of the parish, who sacrificed many nights to construct a home for him and other future priests, the rectory for Saint Raymond’s Parish was finally completed.

As various Josephite Fathers continued over the years to be assigned to the parish, Saint Raymond continued to prosper and grow. The Reverend Father Stephen Boysko, S.S.J., became pastor in 1938. Father worked long and hard and often could be seen laboring with his hands in decorating the church and making extensive repairs. He was also successful in obtaining two Sisters of the Holy Family to teach in the school.

It was 1942, when a new housing development, known as the Saint Bernard Housing Projectwas constructed. With its completion, the influx of Catholics to the area caused Saint Raymond’s Parish to truly grow.  The number of parishioners seemed to mushroom overnight. By 1944, the Reverend Father John Rottman became resident pastor and, for the first time, an assistant priest was assigned to assist with meeting the needs of a much larger population. He was the Reverend Father William Dodd, S.S.J.

As the number of students increased by the hundreds, it became necessary to enlarge the school and to lay the foundation for the Sister’s convent. This took place under the leadership of the Reverend Father Francis Tighe, S.S.J., who succeeded Father Rottman. Under Father Tighe’s leadership, improvements continued. The school was enlarged to accommodate the increased student population and, to everyone’s delight, a Sisters’ convent was finally erected.

As October of 1950 approached, Saint Raymond had taken on the characteristics of a fully fledged parish. Further enlargement of the Saint Bernard Housing Project demanded more school facilities and a larger church. Under their new pastor, the Reverend Father Francis J. Schmutz, S.S.J., and through the generous memorial gifts of the Valeary family of Saint Raymond and the Tully family of New York; a beautiful marble altar and gorgeous tabernacle were added to its beautiful church.

From 1952 to 2005, Saint Raymond continued to service the needs of this community. As Hurricane Katrina swept over New Orleans in August of 2005, it severely damaged the structures at Saint Raymond’s. Saint Raymond Parish was suppressed as was Saint Leo the Great Parish. A new parish, Saint Raymond-Saint Leo, was erected, worshipping at Saint Leo’s Church on Parish Avenue.

It is our hope that the rich history of this parish and the long hard struggles undertaken by its priests and parishioners will be kept alive in the hearts and souls of its members, now and in future generations to come.

Source:  Souvenir Booklet of the Silver Jubilee of Saint Raymond Parish: 1927-1952 (copy in private possession).

Lolita V. Cherrie

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27 thoughts on “A Parish for Pailett Land – Saint Raymond Parish, 1927-1952

    • We appreciate your great comments and love the fact that you keep coming back to our web site. It motivates us to keep up the research we love to do as we are striving to keep our rich Creole history alive. Continue to spread the word.

    • I graduated from St.Raymond in 1962. My best friend at that time was Bernard Dupree. We were both altar boys. Our principal was Mother Mary and our teacher was Sister Joseph. I lived in the St. Bernard Project. His nickname was chicken. He had two sisters and one was named Ida. Those were the good old days.

  1. I am Leo E Valeary, the last remaining member of that original Valeary family of St. Raymond Church in Pailett Land.My parents, Ernest and Regina Valeary, shared in the donation of that altar to St Raymond in memory of their son,”Melvin A. Valeary,”who died in the army.

    • Thanks for the info . We are preparing an event “ Pilotland Family Celebration “ on May 14 ,2022@4:00 Pentecost Baptist Church 1510 Harrison Ave. . This is an opportunity to share that portion of history with others .

  2. Thank you so much for sharing this with me. It’s always so exciting to research a story but to actually make contact with the family who was a part of that story is even more exciting…….Lolita V. Cherrie.

  3. Thank you for sharing the beautiful and rich history of St. Raymond Church.
    Memories will truly live on in my heart and in the hearts of so many others
    who traveled that road. I will pass this information on! Continue your good work of preserving our legacy.
    Connie Fitch

  4. Thank you for your commitment and dedication to researching our history and for your generous sharing. Truly, a labor of love and very appreciated.

  5. Phern Bailey Ware says:
    Thank you for sharing such an excellent article on the history of St. Raymond church and the community.
    My family became members of St. Raymond in 1963.

  6. Thank you for this excellent article on the history of St. Raymond’s Church. May God continue to bless your efforts in keeping this history alive!!!!!!!!!

  7. My family lived in the 3600 block of Paris Ave, and I was married at St. Raymond. Because we need a full and accurate history, your readers should know that the interest in moving certain St. Raymond parishioners to St. Leo Church occurred long before Katrina. I recall that a St. Leo Church recruitment team (white) visited our home in the late 50s and told us that St. Raymond Church (predominantly black) was a “mission” church and that we should attend St. Leo. The implication was that St. Leo was a “real” church.By this time, white flight had begun to drive away many of St. Leo’s white financial supporters. It was hoped that black home owners would join St. Leo parish and take up the economic slack. The housing project side of the Paris Ave.would remain a “mission.” Of course, we had no desire to switch to St. Leo, since St. Raymond was a very warm and caring parish. In fact, we were insulted since St. Leo Church had not been friendly until they needed our money. New Orleans history contains so much irony.

  8. I was a member of St Raymond’s Church, until Hurricane Katrina. We are doing okay at St Raymond and St Leo the Great, but I miss what we had at St. Raymond’s Church. It will never be the same.

  9. I and my 10 siblings all attended St. Raymond’s School. I from 1st thru 8th grade. I graduated in 1960. I remember marching to some German marching songs in the school yard / basketball court and lining up to march into class after lunch break. I also remember the “new” school building being built and completed when I was in the middle of 6th grade. The boys had to move our desks over to the new classrooms and then return to the old building to carry the girls’ desks. The new building was well lit with florescent lighting, was spacious and was very, very comfortable. The cafeteria was spacious and comfortable, a big and welcomed changed from the old. My best friends were Sidney Dabon and Alfred Guilliaume. Alfred’s mother worked in the cafeteria. Re-reading this article brought back many memories. Thank you for them.

  10. I am Carol Courseault I graduated from St. Raymond in 1956. I remember being in plays there, the teen age club on Friday nights.. Father Schmutz big brown dog. We used to march into class everyday, say the pledge of Allegiance, etc. We used to go help at the convent next door and when the nuns were eating they closed the door. LOL I have such wonderful memories of St. Raymond. Those nuns didn’t play, LOL We lived in the projects on Duplessis st. Thanks for sharing this beautiful story of our parish.

  11. I enjoyed reading this article and learned so much more about St. Raymond Catholic Church. For the majority of my elementary years, I attended St. Raymond Elementary School and graduated in 1974, and have many fond memories of my school days there. Thank you for keeping the MEMORY of St. Raymond’s parish alive.

  12. The 3536 Paris Ave. address mentioned in the article, is my family home, the Aguillards. I
    graduated in 1974. I was the last of the seven Aguillard children to walk those halls.Thanks for this wonderful article. I have great memories of my St. Raymond years, kindergarten through 8th grade.

  13. I enjoyed this wonderful article about St Raymond school and church history. I and my six siblings attended St Raymond school. Our family, the Aguillards lived at 3536 Paris Ave the site of the early meetings to plan St Raymond church parish. My grandmother told us the first “mass” was held at our home. This article has provided me with wonderful historical information. Please continue your great work. I currently live at this same address and love being back in my family home and attending church at St Raymond/St Leo.

  14. Hi Joan,
    It is so interesting to learn that you still live in the family home on Paris Avenue where the first meetings were held to plan St. Raymond Parish !! Such an historical piece of information !! Thanks so much for sharing with us….Lolita

    • Thank you for your gracious response. While looking through some old documents I came across a payment book for purchase of 3536 Paris Ave. the seller was Elias Pailet. Apparently he owned the land that came to be called Pailetland not Pilotland as the city neighborhood sign says today.

  15. I am 77 now but as a child I served mass as an alter boy and attended St Raymond School. I made my confirmation at the church and I really would like that document or any other that verify that I graduated from the 8th grade in 1955. If you need any further information from me contact me at my email address.

    • Mr. Henry Michel, I do not believe Ms. Joan Aguillard Baptiste document has any information that you can use to verify your graduation from St. Raymond School. What she has is only pertaining to the sale of her family’s home, but I will send her your email address so you two can communicate directly. Thank you for getting in touch with us…..Lolita V. Cherrie

  16. My name is Cedric Valeary. As mentioned in the history of St. Raymond, my Grandparents donated the marble altar to the church. I am writing you to find out if the altar is still around in the new location. I am not sure that this website is still active. Our father, Leo Valeary passed away in 2020 at the age of 93. I came across an email to me from him about looking into CreoleGen for information on the church.

    • Hi Cedric, It’s great hearing from you! When Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005, The Catholic Archdiocese closed down various churches in the city permanently. St. Raymond was one of them. They combined St. Raymond with St. Leo the Great, and the church became known as St. Raymond & St Leo the Great. St Leo already had an altar, so I don’t know what happened to the marble altar your family so generously donated. The best way to find out is to call the Archdiocese of New Orleans Archives (504-861-241). Tell them you wish to inquire what happened to the marble altar removed from St. Raymond’s Church. Please let me know what you find out. For further assistance, you can reach me at Lolitac454@aol.com.

  17. My family (Leufroy and Davis) were very instrumental in the development of St. Raymond Church and school at its inception. My grandfather helped build the church.My elders would tell stories about how the Parish started, the dairy farm that existed in the area, and the Pailett family’s generosity with giving the land to develop the parish. I attended the school in the old building. My parents had six girls and we all attended St. Raymond School from kindergarten through eighth grade. Hopefully, the sign on St. Bernard Ave will eventually be changed to reflect the correct name, Pailett Land.

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