In a letter to the editor of the American Press written by Merrill Guillory, it was claimed that various parishes throughout the Diocese are installing architecture specifically designed to deter the homeless from entering church grounds.

Guillory cited the installation of “a very expensive electrical iron gate” that was previously installed at a local church. “(The priest) was afraid of the homeless traveling nearby,” he said. “Presently, another pastor is changing the doors to the church to lock the parishioners out because he is afraid of the homeless.”

He also referenced a parish that installed an 8-foot wall with protruding spikes. According to Guillory, these architectural elements are only installed in parishes with predominantly African American congregations.

The Diocese assured these additions were put into place to protect pastors, staff and parishioners.

“The walls exist to keep the thieves and the drug dealers out,” said Bishop Glen John Provost. “Anyone who lives in those neighborhoods should know what I’m talking about.”

According to Provost, any defensive architecture installed was built after incidents that deemed the area unsafe. He said there have been moments in which the safety of priests and parish property were at risk.

“I could tell you stories of where priests were threatened, but I don’t think that’s necessary. I think it should be self-evident,” he said. “I know people have gates, fences, and so on around their house. They take great precautions, because that is a dangerous area.

“We’ve had thievery,” he said. “They have stolen construction material from the site at St. Henry’s, to cite only one example.”

Provost wants parishioners to know walls are up around a rectory for a reason.

“We don’t do it to keep the homeless out.”

The Rev. Jeffrey Starkovich, diocesan spokesperson and pastor of St. Pius X Catholic Church in Ragley, said these decisions were made by both the councils and the pastor. “The pastor brought the concern for things that had happened there, the incidents which occurred inside rectories,” he said. “The pastor brought them to the leadership of the parish and said, ‘What should we do?’ and it was the pastoral councils and the finance councils which agreed and said, ‘This is probably in the best interest of keeping everyone safe.’

“The counselors and the pastor made the decision on their own. It’s something that they were doing to help protect from incidents which had occurred, but it wasn’t something imposed on them,” Starkovich said. “It was something that they desired to do, even as a community inside the parish leadership.”

Provost said the Diocese attempted to set up a homeless shelter last year. This homeless shelter would have been owned by the Diocese through Catholic Charities of Southwest Louisiana.

“Heaven knows we tried to set up a homeless shelter,” he said. “Don’t forget that.”

The homeless shelter for men was proposed to the Lake Charles Planning and Zoning Board on May 10, 2021. The pitch discussed a major conditional use permit to convert and build a shelter for the homeless at 1017 6th Avenue.

There was opposition to the proposed remodel at the 6th Avenue property. While many were in agreement a homeless shelter was needed, many were in opposition on the grounds the shelter would drop property values.

The proposal was approved by the Planning and Zoning Board with a vote of 3 to 1. After being presented before the City Council with more opposition, however, the proposal failed with a vote of 2 to 5.

“This Diocese really wanted to support it, as did others,” Starkovich said.

“The Diocese remains committed to African American parishes just as historically our predecessors were committed to them,” Provost added. “We make every effort to address their concerns.  We have helped them in the past. We will continue to help them in the future.”