ST. PATRICK’S CHURCH
AND DAY SCHOOL HISTORY
St. Patrick's Church was founded as a mission of the Diocese of Louisiana on March 17, 1957 in Zachary, Louisiana.
"About that time [1957], I started St. Patrick's in Zachary on St. Patrick's Day. We had to have a priest come in, and we made a combination of St. Andrew's in Clinton, St. Patrick's in Zachary, St. Francis in Denham Springs, and St. Luke's. They were all just beginning. That rector was Bob Hall." -Bishop Robert Witcher
(Remarks by Bishop Witcher who was the rector of St. Augustine's, Baton Rouge at the time.)
On March 17, 1957, 18 Episcopalians met in the band room of Zachary High School and quickly began calling themselves "St. Patrick's." On January 15, 1958, the group of four missions was split. St. Andrew's in Clinton and St. Patrick's in Zachary were yoked as one parish under the leadership of its rector, The Rev. Charles B. Romaine.
Fr. Romaine was killed in an automobile accident on March 23, 1963 - a Sunday morning - as he traveled between the two churches. The Rev. Harry Allen became vicar in September of that same year.
In the early 1970's Dr. Howard Martin donated 2.56 acres on Hwy 64 on the west end of town in memory of his late wife, Ethel Brabston Martin. Shortly after this donation, St. John's Catholic Church in Zachary sold its building to St. Patrick's for $2,500. It was separated into two buildings and became the church and the parish hall on the present site in January of 1976. The parish hall was named Martin Hall in memory of Susan B. Martin.
St. Patrick's Episcopal Day School opened in August 1981 for K through 5th grade in temporary facilities at Plains Presbyterian Church. Phase I of construction for the school was completed on the current church grounds in December 1982. Phase II for 5th through 8th was completed in December 1983.
Parish Status The church became a parish at the 145th Diocesan Annual Convention in February 1983 due to the growth of the congregation.
St. Patrick's Day School closed in August 1986 due to low enrollment, a downturn in the oil economy and other issues in the surrounding community.
Fr. Allen resigned in June of 1986 after 23 years of service. Due to hard economic times, St. Patrick's became a mission congregation again in November of 1986.
The Rev. Robert Slocum was appointed to the parish on July 5, 1987. One of the highlights of his service was the opening of a preschool program for three and four year olds in 1987. He resigned in August 1991 in order to take a new assignment in Wisconsin.
St. Patrick's Episcopal Day School (Preschool) opened a half day program for 3 and 4 year olds three days a week in August 1987. Over the years it expanded to serve ages/grades 6-months to 5th grade and offers a Christian based preschool program, before and after care program during the school year and summer camp for all ages during the summer.
In December 1989, the area experienced a hard freeze which froze pipes in the school building and created extensive flooding in the first floor classrooms, parish hall and church office area. It required extensive floor repairs and replacements of furnishings. The church worked together and came through this challenger stronger than ever.
Deacon Stephen Craft was assigned to the parish beginning July 1, 1992. He was ordained to the priesthood in December of that year and served the parish until August 2000.
During Fr. Craft's term the church regained its parish status at the 163rd Annual Diocesan Convention in February 2000 which St. Patrick's hosted with the assistance of the diocese and St. Luke's Church.
The Rev. Miller Armstrong served as Interim Rector from October 2000 to October 2001.
The Rev. Matthew Rowe was selected by the vestry as the new rector beginning in October 2001. During his time the church sanctuary received a facelift beginning in February 2002 and completed in March 2002. This included refinishing all the floors, repainting the sanctuary and sacristy and general upgrades. Father Rowe served faithfully until June 2005 before resigning to become the Associate Rector at Trinity Episcopal Church in Baton Rouge.
The Rev. Miller Armstrong was asked to be the interim priest-in-charge again upon Fr. Rowe's resignation. This "short term" placement lasted three years. His love and gentle pastoral care for the parish is cherished to this day.
The Zachary Community School District began to operate in August 2003 after separating from the East Baton Rouge Parish School System. This led to a significant growth of the population in the city of Zachary in the following years especially as it has ranked as the number one school district in the state of Louisiana for most of its existence.
The Rev. Chad Jones was assigned as rector of St. Patrick's in February 2008. At the 171st diocesan convention in March of 2008, St. Patrick's once again surrendered its status as a parish to become a mission of the diocese. The Rev. Chad Jones was appointed as vicar of the congregation of about forty.
The church regained its status as a parish in March 2010 at the 173rd Annual Diocesan Convention thanks to a significant growth in the community and ultimately the congregation.
On January 12, 2014, St. Patrick's began a significant expansion and renovation to the historic church building. There were many surprises: some pleasant and others not quite so. Among the unpleasant surprises was near-catastrophic structural damage caused by years and years of termite damage. The scope of the project changed and grew to accommodate this reality. After a pause of a few months to regroup, St. Patrick's commenced construction again and completed the renovation in January 2015 which doubled the seating capacity and enlarged the sanctuary and sacristy space.
In January of 2016, Father Chad Jones was called to serve as rector at Resurrection Church in Franklin, TN.
The Rev. Don Brown served as Interim Rector from January 2016 to November 2016.
In November of 2016, The Rev. Ashley Freeman was selected by the church to serve as rector. Fr. Freeman had the challenge of leading the church during the COVID epidemic. The church and school continued to operate and used the time to complete a major upgrade of the parish hall and school office space, elementary and preschool playground areas and much needed classroom and facilities upgrades. Fr. Freeman resigned in July 2022 as he was called to serve as Canon to the Ordinary in the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast.
The Rev. Dan Krutz served as the Interim Rector from August 2022 to June 30, 2024.
The Rev. Audra Ryes was called to serve as the next rector beginning July 1, 2024.
St. Patrick's has weathered many hurricanes, flooded buildings, economic downturns, termites, changes in the community, a pandemic and is still serving the people and children of the community. With God's help, we will continue working to know and make known the Lord Jesus Christ as we gather to worship, learn, serve, and share the Gospel in our community and throughout all the world.
"About that time [1957], I started St. Patrick's in Zachary on St. Patrick's Day. We had to have a priest come in, and we made a combination of St. Andrew's in Clinton, St. Patrick's in Zachary, St. Francis in Denham Springs, and St. Luke's. They were all just beginning. That rector was Bob Hall." -Bishop Robert Witcher
(Remarks by Bishop Witcher who was the rector of St. Augustine's, Baton Rouge at the time.)
On March 17, 1957, 18 Episcopalians met in the band room of Zachary High School and quickly began calling themselves "St. Patrick's." On January 15, 1958, the group of four missions was split. St. Andrew's in Clinton and St. Patrick's in Zachary were yoked as one parish under the leadership of its rector, The Rev. Charles B. Romaine.
Fr. Romaine was killed in an automobile accident on March 23, 1963 - a Sunday morning - as he traveled between the two churches. The Rev. Harry Allen became vicar in September of that same year.
In the early 1970's Dr. Howard Martin donated 2.56 acres on Hwy 64 on the west end of town in memory of his late wife, Ethel Brabston Martin. Shortly after this donation, St. John's Catholic Church in Zachary sold its building to St. Patrick's for $2,500. It was separated into two buildings and became the church and the parish hall on the present site in January of 1976. The parish hall was named Martin Hall in memory of Susan B. Martin.
St. Patrick's Episcopal Day School opened in August 1981 for K through 5th grade in temporary facilities at Plains Presbyterian Church. Phase I of construction for the school was completed on the current church grounds in December 1982. Phase II for 5th through 8th was completed in December 1983.
Parish Status The church became a parish at the 145th Diocesan Annual Convention in February 1983 due to the growth of the congregation.
St. Patrick's Day School closed in August 1986 due to low enrollment, a downturn in the oil economy and other issues in the surrounding community.
Fr. Allen resigned in June of 1986 after 23 years of service. Due to hard economic times, St. Patrick's became a mission congregation again in November of 1986.
The Rev. Robert Slocum was appointed to the parish on July 5, 1987. One of the highlights of his service was the opening of a preschool program for three and four year olds in 1987. He resigned in August 1991 in order to take a new assignment in Wisconsin.
St. Patrick's Episcopal Day School (Preschool) opened a half day program for 3 and 4 year olds three days a week in August 1987. Over the years it expanded to serve ages/grades 6-months to 5th grade and offers a Christian based preschool program, before and after care program during the school year and summer camp for all ages during the summer.
In December 1989, the area experienced a hard freeze which froze pipes in the school building and created extensive flooding in the first floor classrooms, parish hall and church office area. It required extensive floor repairs and replacements of furnishings. The church worked together and came through this challenger stronger than ever.
Deacon Stephen Craft was assigned to the parish beginning July 1, 1992. He was ordained to the priesthood in December of that year and served the parish until August 2000.
During Fr. Craft's term the church regained its parish status at the 163rd Annual Diocesan Convention in February 2000 which St. Patrick's hosted with the assistance of the diocese and St. Luke's Church.
The Rev. Miller Armstrong served as Interim Rector from October 2000 to October 2001.
The Rev. Matthew Rowe was selected by the vestry as the new rector beginning in October 2001. During his time the church sanctuary received a facelift beginning in February 2002 and completed in March 2002. This included refinishing all the floors, repainting the sanctuary and sacristy and general upgrades. Father Rowe served faithfully until June 2005 before resigning to become the Associate Rector at Trinity Episcopal Church in Baton Rouge.
The Rev. Miller Armstrong was asked to be the interim priest-in-charge again upon Fr. Rowe's resignation. This "short term" placement lasted three years. His love and gentle pastoral care for the parish is cherished to this day.
The Zachary Community School District began to operate in August 2003 after separating from the East Baton Rouge Parish School System. This led to a significant growth of the population in the city of Zachary in the following years especially as it has ranked as the number one school district in the state of Louisiana for most of its existence.
The Rev. Chad Jones was assigned as rector of St. Patrick's in February 2008. At the 171st diocesan convention in March of 2008, St. Patrick's once again surrendered its status as a parish to become a mission of the diocese. The Rev. Chad Jones was appointed as vicar of the congregation of about forty.
The church regained its status as a parish in March 2010 at the 173rd Annual Diocesan Convention thanks to a significant growth in the community and ultimately the congregation.
On January 12, 2014, St. Patrick's began a significant expansion and renovation to the historic church building. There were many surprises: some pleasant and others not quite so. Among the unpleasant surprises was near-catastrophic structural damage caused by years and years of termite damage. The scope of the project changed and grew to accommodate this reality. After a pause of a few months to regroup, St. Patrick's commenced construction again and completed the renovation in January 2015 which doubled the seating capacity and enlarged the sanctuary and sacristy space.
In January of 2016, Father Chad Jones was called to serve as rector at Resurrection Church in Franklin, TN.
The Rev. Don Brown served as Interim Rector from January 2016 to November 2016.
In November of 2016, The Rev. Ashley Freeman was selected by the church to serve as rector. Fr. Freeman had the challenge of leading the church during the COVID epidemic. The church and school continued to operate and used the time to complete a major upgrade of the parish hall and school office space, elementary and preschool playground areas and much needed classroom and facilities upgrades. Fr. Freeman resigned in July 2022 as he was called to serve as Canon to the Ordinary in the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast.
The Rev. Dan Krutz served as the Interim Rector from August 2022 to June 30, 2024.
The Rev. Audra Ryes was called to serve as the next rector beginning July 1, 2024.
St. Patrick's has weathered many hurricanes, flooded buildings, economic downturns, termites, changes in the community, a pandemic and is still serving the people and children of the community. With God's help, we will continue working to know and make known the Lord Jesus Christ as we gather to worship, learn, serve, and share the Gospel in our community and throughout all the world.
2014-2015 Expansion and Renovation of St. Patrick's Church
2014 Groundbreaking on the expansion and moving day followed by services held in Martin Hall.
On February 8, 2015, St. Patrick's returned to its expanded and renovated church. With seating capacity more than doubled, the dedication of the Herget-Lytle Organ and the gathering of priests and people from all over the deanery, it was an emotional and joy-filled day. See the slideshow below to see pictures of the wonderful day.
