Our Lady of Grace Historic Sanctuary

In the city of Reserve, Our Lady of Grace Historic Sanctuary was the only Catholic Church that exclusively served African American parishioners. 

Prior to the sanctuary’s construction in the 1930s, area African Americans were provided segregated  seating in two or three rear pews at St. Peter’s Catholic Church. Black parishioners were allowed to take communion after white worshippers, and they were restricted from being choir members or altar boys. Our Lady of Grace, an 80-by-40 square foot church with a seating capacity of 350, was built exclusively for African Americans in 1936 under the direction of Father Roderick Auclair — and with the help of the local community. A Catholic school for Black children quickly followed. 

The church was targeted for demolition in 1992, but it was saved by a two-mile move to its current location on the grounds of the former Cornland Plantation. The sanctuary is now home to the non-denominational Riverlands Christian Center and tells Our Lady of Grace’s story through photographs, documents and videos.