St. Genevieve Church is a parish of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans located along the northeastern edge of Lake Pontchartrain in Slidell, Louisiana, United States. St. Genevieve is one of eight parishes which belongs to Deanery XII - East St. Tammany - Washington Deanery, an ecclesiastical division of the archdiocese. History Introduction On December 28, 1958, the then new St. Genevieve Church at Bayou Liberty (Bayou Bonfouca), a mission of Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Slidell, was dedicated by Archbishop Joseph F. Rummel. The occasion recalled the fascinating history of the region, which its famous poet-priest and missioner to the Choctaws, Abbé Adrien Rouquette, described below: Dedication of the new Chapel of St. Genevieve revives memorable figures and events of more than a century ago. The pioneer brick church is inextricably linked with Choctaw Indians, the Cousin family, Abbé Adrian Rouquette — Louisiana's famous poet-priest — and his brother, Dominique, another great poet, and several famous missionary priests, who labored devotedly in this section of St. Tammany Parish. Both the pioneer Creole priest of Louisiana, classical poet, missionary among the Choctaw Indians, and his happy-go-lucky brother, "old Jupiter in a black blanket," as Mrs. Dagmar Renshaw LeBreton styles him in her splendid volume Chaht a-Ima — Dominique, who was a master of lyric poetry — made Bonfouca their haunt. Here, too, Abbé Rouquette drew religious inspiration as well as poetical visions, while Dominique found peace from the demands of life, but likewise beautiful concepts that he embodied in his poems. Around Bonfouca linger the memories too of such zealous priests as Father George Lamy, who covered the territory on horseback; Father Lecozic (future Chancellor of the Archdiocese), Father Manoritta (former Italian Dominican), who trekked back and forth from Bonfouca and Lacombe to Covington and Abita Springs; Father Eugene Aveilhe, builder of churches, schools and chapels, the tireless Father Lavaquery, and Father Francis Balay, O.S.B., who brought St. Genevieve's out of its ruins. First priestly visit in 1700 The first record of a priest's visit on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain is that of Father DuRu, Jesuit missionary, in 1700, who accompanied Iberville on his second voyage to Louisiana. With Monsieur de Sauville, Father DuRu left from Bay St. Louis and made his way on foot through the Pearl River swamp to the Acolapissa Indian village, a trip of many days, filled with incredible hardships. Later, priests from