It all began on April 15, 1871.  A settler in Fausse
Pointe, that is, the enormous tract of land between
the Bayou Teche and Lake Fausse Pointe, donated a
piece of his property to the Diocese with the
stipulation that a church be constructed.  His name
was Ozaire Joseph Loreau.  He was thirty-one years of
age when he made this donation.  Ozaire Loreau was
the son of Joseph Loreau and Herma Boutte.  He was
born on the third of September 1840. The property he
donated had to be received by the Bishop of the
diocese and in those days this area was in the diocese
of New Orleans.  Archbishop Perche was the Bishop at
this time.  The donation was received by Father Louis
Chasse, Pastor of St. Peter's in New Iberia. The
property measured two arpents.
Prior to April 15, 1871, a building on the present church site was used for a church
by the people in the area.  There is evidence that even prior to this church building
there was another chapel given by a Mr. Picou.  It would seem that the town was
once named after this gentleman.  Records indicate that this first chapel was
destroyed in a storm in 1869 and that it had been built during or immediately after
the Civil War.

The priests in those days who ministered to the people of Loreau Ville were from
St. Peter's Parish in New Iberia.  They were assigned to Fausse Pointe since 1838
when New Iberia itself was raised to the status of a parish carved out of the parish
of St. Martin de Tours in St. Martinville.  Thus, St. Joseph's Church was first a
mission attached to a mother church.

Father Louis Chasse of St. Peter's in New Iberia was the priest who, due to the
requests of the people of Loreauville, approached the Archbishop of New Orleans
to present the people's petition to see their mission church raised to a parish.  
Loreauville became a full fledged parish on February 9, 1873 and Father Charles
Beaubien from Montreal, Canada was named the first pastor.

After Easter 1872, a bell was donated by a Monsieur le Colonel Alcediade DeBlanc.  
Work began immediately to put a bell tower on the church.  New windows were
also made, along with a new confessional & communion table.  These were paid for
from pew rents.  The entire church, pews and bell tower were then painted by
the parishioners.

In 1879 a storm caused considerable damage to the church structure.  By the
following year, a new church rose in its place.  In 1961 this church was torn down
to make room for a more modern church.  The corner stone of the church built in
1880 has been placed in the wall of our present building.