History :
Christ the King as we know it today has evolved since
Catholicism came into the Eastern-most land at the edge of Avoyelles Parish.
In the early 1900's, French and Italian families heard of
the rich alluvial soil that bordered the
Bishop Cornelius Van de Ven decided to build a
Transportation was very difficult at this time.Our roads were in deplorable condition.They tore down the
In the 1930's travel was still difficult and sometimes
people from Simmesport would walk five miles to church, walking on top of the
levee.Children who went to Catechism
were taken by horse and buggy and sometimes by fishing boats.
In the meantime, Simmesport was growing.In 1928 the railroad bridge was
completed,electricity had been
installed and the school had four hundred students.
Parishioners asked Bishop Daniel Desmond to move the church
to Simmesport.After some controversy,
the Bishop had a benefactor who furnished the money to buy four acres of land
and build the church.The only thing the
benefactor asked, was for the church to be named "Christ the King."
Bishop Desmond appointed Fr. Vincent Couvillion to be the
first pastor of the church.Since that
time, our church has grown. Our old church was used until 1964 when Fr.
Lawrence Bonin was pastor and built the beautiful church we have today.
We also have a new church hall,