Shreveport: The Cathedral of St. John Berchmans
939 Jordan Street
Shreveport, LA
(between Line Ave. and Fairfield)
Mass Schedule
Saturday 4 p.m.
Sunday 8:30 and 11 a.m., 1 and 5:30 p.m.
Weekdays 8:15 a.m. and 12:05 p.m.
During school year the weekday 8:15 mass is in the cathedral with the children from the school. The 12:05 mass is held in St. Michael the Archangel Chapel behind the cathedral and to the left. There is parking behind the Cathedral near near the chapel.
For Holy Days of Obligation, call the church office for mass times - (318) 221-5296.
Editor's Comments
Next year the Cathedral of St. John Berchmans in Shreveport celebrates its 100th anniversary. Besides being located in Louisiana, the cathedral has another Louisiana connection - being named for an Austrian Jesuit whose appearance in 1836 to a dying nun at the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Grand Coteau, Louisiana, was accepted as the required third miracle for his canonization. The nun was healed and returned to her teaching duties.
I have visited St. John Berchmans several times for mass before or in between doctor appointments. Shreveport is a large metropolitan area with numerous hospitals and doctors in specialities not found in rural areas. I like to remember the story of John Berchman's appearance to the nun and her healing and know that my own healing and return to serving is also possible.
The beautiful artwork in inspiring. The high cathedral ceilings, beauty and peace of the site uplift the soul and calm a troubled spirit. I am always glad when I visit. The building is a gift of the church to the people of north Louisiana and other visitors.
Non-Catholics should feel free to visit to benefit from the spiritual atmosphere. When attending mass, non-Catholics are not required to do all the "standing up and sitting down." When Catholics go up for communion, non-Catholics are free to go forward also, not for communion, but to ask the priest for a prayer of blessing.
Take an online tour of some of the artwork and read the history of this work in Shreveport, Louisiana.
History
St. John Berchmans Church had its beginnings in 1902 when members of the Jesuit Order, at the invitation of Bishop Anthony Durier, came to Shreveport, Louisiana, to establish and staff a new parish and high school for boys. The Jesuits named the new church after a young Belgian Jesuit saint, John Berchmans, who died in 1621 before he could be ordained a priest. His appearance in 1836 to a Sacred Heart nun in Grand Coteau, Louisiana, was accepted as the required third miracle for his canonization. St. John Berchmans in Shreveport is one of only a few that is dedicated to the patronage of this young Jesuit saint.
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