St. Paul's 190th Anniversary

Celebrate 190 Years of St. Paul's on August 23

Join us on Sunday, August 23, 2026.

What: A Festival Eucharist of Thanksgiving for 190 years of God’s Faithfulness.
When: 4:00 p.m.
Where: St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 6249 Canal Blvd.; reception follows at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 6254 Vicksburg St.
Who: Everyone. Parishioners past and present, school families and alumni, Lakeview neighbors, and anyone whose family was touched by the Homecoming Center.
RSVP to [email protected] by before August 14th

Watch Live

Service

The Rt. Rev. Shannon Rogers Duckworth, 12th Bishop of Louisiana, will preside. The Rev. Will Hood, who led St. Paul's through the years immediately after Katrina, returns to preach.
Also assisting: our Interim Rector, The Rev. Ed Bacon, author of 8 Habits of Love and a frequent guest on Oprah Winfrey's Super Soul Sunday, along with Associate Rector Austin Wendt and School Chaplain Mtr. Carrie Wright, PhD.

Were you or your family helped by the Homecoming Center? We especially hope you'll come, and we'd love to hear your story. Email [email protected] to tell us more about your experience.

Some places tell the story of New Orleans better than any history book. St. Paul's Episcopal Church is one of them.

Founded in 1836 in a warehouse on Julia Street, St. Paul's is the third-oldest Episcopal parish in Louisiana. It survived a destructive fire and the Civil War. It built a grand masonry church at Camp and Gaiennie Streets, only to see the city expropriate and demolish it in 1950 to make way for the Mississippi River bridge. The congregation started over in Lakeview, breaking ground on Canal Boulevard in 1956, and opened St. Paul's Episcopal School in 1961.

Then came the storms: Betsy, Katrina, and Ida, each bringing serious damage to the church on Canal.

After Katrina put Lakeview underwater, St. Paul's answered in the most practical way a church can. It opened the St. Paul's Homecoming Center, a hub that brought together volunteers, resources, and, in the words of its director Connie Uddo, "unwavering compassion" to help hundreds of flooded families gut, rebuild, and come home to the neighborhood.

Every time this city tried to knock St. Paul's down, or wash it away, it came back. And on Sunday, August 23, six days before the Katrina anniversary, we're celebrating 190 years of that stubborn, grace-filled faithfulness. Everyone is invited.