Tiny Chapel Leaves Big Imprint on Faithful

Each year, hundreds of people stop by to light a candle and kneel to pray at the Chapel of the Madonna, known as "the smallest church in the world." Several share stories of God’s mighty power in answering the prayers they offered to him there.

A fixture on River Road in Bayou Goula since 1903, the chapel was built by Italian farmer Anthony Gullo, who had promised the Blessed Virgin he would build a church in her honor if his son recovered from a serious illness. 

The son recovered and true to his word, Gullo built the chapel, which was originally seven feet by seven feet. Poor farmers in the area contributed to the construction. In 1924, the church was moved to higher ground and expanded to its current nine feet by nine feet.
Top right photo: Father Jason Palermo, a Plaquemine native and pastor of St. Alphonsus Church in Greenwell Springs, celebrated the Mass at the chapel on Aug. 15, 2025, the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Above photo: The chapel of the Madonna is 9 feet by 9 feet. 
Each year an outdoor Mass is celebrated there on Aug. 15, the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. More than 150 people attended this year's celebration.

"I grew up just a few houses down from this little church that held a very special place in my heart," said Frances Tempanaro, one of the caretakers of the chapel. "Each year from August 1 through August 14, I remember walking there with the ladies from the area to say the rosary. As a child, it felt like such a peaceful and sacred tradition that I looked forward to. The highlight was always the annual Mass on August 15, the Feast of the Assumption, which was also a holy day of obligation. I always made it a point to attend, no matter what, because it felt like more than just a Mass — it was a celebration of faith, family, and the place I had grown up around. 

"Over the years, returning there each August became a way to honor my roots and stay connected to that special part of my past.  It is most gratifying now that Louanna Canella and I now help take care of the church along with others in the community who share the same love for it. It’s our way of keeping its history and traditions alive. My daughter, along with her husband and my grandson, Wes, who is 6, makes visits often to the little church."

Father Vic Messina, a retired priest from the Diocese of Baton Rouge, credits the chapel with his vocation. The chapel of the Madonna contains various religious statues and devotional items.

"I was born less than 1/4 of a mile from the chapel," said Father Messina. "As a child we went to Mass there every year on August 15. I remember my grandfather telling me this story that when the chapel was opened for the first time there was a procession to the chapel to enshrine the Madonna statue."

He added, "I remember they would raffle off live chickens. They also had small calves. Somebody donated a calf every year and the calf would be raffled off. The funds would go toward the upkeep of the chapel."

Messina often walked to the chapel and went inside to pray. 

"My specific prayer was asking Mary to open the way for me to one day become a priest," Father Messina said. "As a child, when we attended Mass at St. Paul Church in Bayou Goula, I told my parents when I grew up, I wanted to be a priest."

Father Messina also remembers the novena prayers beginning Aug. 1 until the Mass on the 15th.

"Every afternoon people in the neighborhood would gather and pray the rosary. All of them had come from Sicily, so they prayed the rosary in Italian."
The ringing of this bell signals Mass is about to start at the Chapel of the Madonna.
Throughout the year people would leave various items in a safety deposit box as an expression of thanksgiving. On the feast of the Assumption, the items were brought out and placed in front of the Madonna statue, according to Father Messina.

Now living at St. Joseph Abbey in St. Benedict, Father Messina prays at the chapel when he visits relatives in Plaquemine.

People from all over the area attend the yearly Mass.

First-time attendee Elsie Thompson was one of five people from her rosary group in Rosedale to attend the Mass. 

"I'm elated," said Thompson. "It's like you're in Heaven. It's like you've reached a point where there is no end."

Randy Vermillion of White Castle attended the Mass to give thanks for a miraculous cure of cancer. He was diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer that s The Chapel of the Madonna is known as the place where prayers are answered and miracles happen.pread to his bones, and doctors told him the tumor would never go away. A priest prayed over him at the chapel.

"When he put his hands on me, I felt something happen," said Vermillion. Four days later his doctors were astounded when a PET scan showed the tumor was gone.

Father Jason Palermo, a Plaquemine native and pastor of St. Alphonsus Church in Greenwell Springs, celebrated the Mass. He noted that historically in Sicily if "God did something for them" they built a chapel. That tradition continued with the building of the Chapel of the Madonna.

"Today we come here, and we know this to be a sacred place. There are so many stories of healings and people who experienced conversion, people who come from Catholic families who strayed away from the church. They go in and they experience God's presence," said Father Palermo.
Students from Ascension Catholic High School attended the Mass at the Chapel of the Madonna.. They are pictured with Father Jason Palermo, a Plaquemine native and pastor at St. Alphonsus Church in Greenwell Springs.