New beginning for youngest parish
in Diocese of Lake Charles
By Pamela Seal
Diocese of Lake Charles
RAGLEY — The little Catholic church on Highway 171 will soon be the big Catholic church on the hill.
The much-anticipated groundbreaking for St. Pius X Catholic Church took place at 6:00 p.m. Friday, August 21, 2026, as several hundred people gathered for a new beginning, despite the triple-digit temperatures. It was the largest single crowd on record at St. Pius and the largest crowd the architect and contractor had ever seen at a groundbreaking.
The historic ceremony was held on the Feast of St. Pius X and the 12th anniversary of the parish’s founding.
“Today we gather to turn the first shovels of soil for the greater Glory of God,” said Rev. Jeffrey Starkovich, Pastor. “We are building the future rooted in faith. As I have said most Sundays for the past six years, we need a bigger church!”
Special guests for the “Building the Future, Rooted in Faith” project were the Most Reverend Glen John Provost, Bishop of Lake Charles; and Rev. Timothy Goodly, founding pastor of St. Pius X. Members of the Knights of Columbus Council 7033 led everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance before the blessing of the site.
The project architect is Hoffpauir Studio, LLC, and general contractor is Arkel Constructors.
Since being established as a parish on August 21, 2014, St. Pius X has outgrown its worship space by more than 135 percent and has been working hard with fundraising for this joyful milestone. The new church will triple the current seating to more than 600 people.
where the new church will be built for St. Pius X Catholic
Church on Highway 171 in Ragley.
(Photography credit: Victoria Watson)
St. Pius X beginnings
In 1957, the William and Agnes Habetz Family donated two acres of land recognizing the need to build a Catholic church in Ragley. The first Mass was celebrated by Father Eugene Veillard in a wooden chapel in December 1957.
Continued growth in the area led to the construction of a new brick chapel in 1980, which still serves as the current church and only seats 200.
The first Mass was celebrated on May 30, 1980, by Father Roland Bernier, MS, and dedicated by Bishop Jude Speyrer, founding bishop for the Diocese of Lake Charles, on November 9, 1980. The parish of St. Pius X has grown in faith and numbers even more in the past decade.
Expressions of gratitude
Bishop Provost expressed his gratitude to Father Starkovich as well as Father Goodly, who was appointed the first pastor 12 years ago.
“The site of the new St. Pius X Catholic Church is a good hill,” he remarked, joking that when you see a hill in Louisiana you are never quite sure what it is. “This is a hill built to act as a foundation for a church, a house of God.”
The bishop continued, “I congratulate you, the parishioners of St. Pius, your pastor and founding pastor, on this remarkable step forward. It is a sign of vitality, life, and growth in the Diocese of Lake Charles that we welcome wholeheartedly.”
Father Starkovich conveyed his gratitude for the foundation of faith that began with the generosity of William and Agnes Habetz.
Bishop Provost also prayed for the safety of all those who will work on this project and for the success that it will experience.
groundbreaking. (Photography credit: Victoria Watson)
Timeless design
The project is more than simply building a structure. It is about giving everyone who walks through the doors an encounter with Christ.
“The entry of the church will be the focal point on the western side,” said Joshua Hoffpauir, principal architect. “Whenever you see the beauty of the interior from the main entry, you will know it is a Catholic church.”
Hoffpauir said that some of the beautiful churches in the Lafayette diocese and down the river was some of the initial inspiration for the St. Pius X project.
“We wanted to design something that is timeless and can be viewed as a Catholic church and a beacon by everybody driving down the highway,” Hoffpauir remarked. “As we worked on the plans, we envisioned a church that would still be around in a hundred years.”
Some of the features include a traditional cruciform layout, tall ceilings, and stained-glass windows. The sanctuary faces East, and the morning light streaming through the windows will remind the congregation of Christ, the rising Son.
Growing church bears fruit
Someone who has experienced firsthand the fruits from the growth of the youngest parish in the Diocese of Lake Charles is Ezekial Richmond, a seminarian in formation for the priesthood. He is in his second year of Discipleship at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans and was able to attend the groundbreaking.
Richmond has good memories of growing up at St. Pius X when it was a mission of St. Theodore Catholic Church in Moss Bluff and was an altar server at the first Mass when St. Pius X was established as a parish.
ahead of the groundbreaking ceremony for St. Pius X
Catholic Church. Richmond is one of three seminarians
from St. Pius X Parish in formation for priesthood.
(Photography credit: T. Janise Photography)
“One of the things that made it special back then was the close-knit community,” recalls Richmond. “It only strengthened when we became a parish in 2014 under a great priest, Father Goodly. He helped us foster our own identity as Catholics and from there, the parish continued to thrive.”
Richmond said it is a blessing for him to be one of three seminarians from St. Pius X. Others are Justin Fontenot and Owen Bailey.
“It is amazing to have three seminarians from the youngest parish in the diocese,” Richmond noted. “It all stems from being encouraged by good, strong Catholic families. That is the foundation of our church community. It is sign of life and hope that our church will continue to grow and do good things.”
Richmond said it was this strong foundation, under Father Goodly and now Father Starkovich, that began to foster a great desire in him to enter seminary.
“It is always a great joy when I return home because St. Pius is full of prayer warriors, as my mom calls them. They tell me they have been praying for me by name every day,” said Richmond. “I have a great community to rely on knowing that I am not alone on my journey.”
Immediately following the groundbreaking and site blessing, parishioners gathered in the church hall for their annual St. Pius X Feast Day dinner hosted by the Knights of Columbus and Ladies Auxiliary.
Legacy of faith
As part of the building project, Father Starkovich acquired 11 stained glass windows from the “Sacred Window Rescue Project” that preserves sacred windows from a closed church. The windows for St. Pius X were a set from Our Lady of Holy Souls in Philadelphia that closed when it merged with another parish.
In gratitude to Bishop Glen John Provost for his faithful ministry in the Diocese of Lake Charles, the window depicting the Ascension of Jesus will be dedicated in his honor. The window will also honor all Priests who have served in the Diocese.
A once-in-a-generation opportunity is being offered to anyone who would like to contribute toward the $75,000 total cost of the window.
Gifts of any amount may be made online at https://www.spx.church/stainedglass, by cash, or by check, allowing families, parishioners, and friends of Bishop Provost and the Priests of the Diocese to take part in this shared tribute of gratitude and remembrance.
For more information on the building project or to contribute to the St. Pius X Capital Campaign, visit https://www.spx.church/campaign.
