Transfiguration of the Lord Parish derives its name from the passage in the Bible where the Apostles Peter, James, and John ascended a high mountain with Jesus. While on top of the mountain, Jesus' face "shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light." (Mt 17:1-9; Mk 9:2-10; Lk 9:28-36.)
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The parish was created after Hurricane Katrina when three existing parishes flooded in the Gentilly area of New Orleans were combined into one new parish. Located in the former St. Raphael the Archangel Church at the corner of Elysian Fields and Prentiss Avenues, the re-dedicated church opened on October 16, 2011.
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Parishioners from St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, St. Raphael the Archangel, and St. Thomas the Apostle now worship together in one central location.​

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini

The parish of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, named after the first American citizen to be named a saint, was established in 1953 at the corner of Paris and Prentiss Avenues in the Gentilly area of New Orleans. Since amny of the original parishioners were veterans of World War II, they were comfortable meeting in a a Quonset hut, a temporary metal building typically used by the military. The hut's rounded roof would later be reflected in the design of the permanent chuch, which was dedicated in 1963.  A soaring modern structure with a 135-foot spire, the new church's fan-shaped floor plan included three rounded barrel vaults that extended out from the central altar.

On August 29, 2005, flood waters from the levee breaks trigged by Hurricane Katrina inundated the building.  The damaged church was demolished in June of 2007.  Holy Cross High School now stands on the parish site.  

The statue of the risen Christ which once hung over the altar at Cabrini now hangs behind that altar at Transfiguration of the Lord.

Image: neworleanschurches.com
 

St. Thomas the Apostle

St. Thomas the Apostle, the former parish name for the UNO Newman Center, was a ministry on the campus since its opening in 1958, usually found in various residential buildings just off campus.  The current Newman Center, a brick building located on campus across from the University Center, was dedicated by the late Archbishop Hannan on June 4, 1981.

​The flood waters from Hurricane Katrina did not reach the Newman Center, so it became the temporary home for several parishes in the devastated Gentilly neighborhood.  After the parishes were merged into Transfiguration of the Lord Parish, the Newman Center remained the location for weekday Masses for Transfiguration of the Lord Parish and the University of New Orleans community during the academic year, as well as the location of the parish office.
 

St. Raphael the Archangel

​The parish of St. Rapahel the Archangel began during World War II as a chapel on the grounds of the Naval Air Field located at the lake end of Elysian Fields Avenue, now the site of the University of New Orleans (UNO) campus.  During the post-war expansion of Gentilly , a small wooden chapel was built farther up Elysian Fields at the corner of Prentiss Avenue.  In 1958, the year the air field closed and UNO opened, the old wooden chapel was replaced by a new large brick church.

The building was damaged in the 2005 flood, but was restored and re-dedicated on October 16, 2011 as Transfiguration of the Lord.

Image: neworleanschurches.com