Scotlandville’s Historic Church Becomes a Lifeline When the Power Goes Out

BATON ROUGE — Ten years after the historic 2016 flood devastated communities across Baton Rouge, Scotlandville is taking a different approach to the next disaster: prepare before it happens.

Immaculate Conception Catholic Church officially became Scotlandville’s first Community Lighthouse Monday, Sept. 14, transforming the historic church into a solar-powered resilience hub designed to help residents stay connected and maintain access to essential services when severe weather or a prolonged power outage disrupts the electrical grid.

The project represents an investment of approximately $250,000 to install solar panels and supporting energy infrastructure at the church.

The goal is straightforward: When the power goes out, residents should not have to leave their community to find electricity, information and help.

Preparing before the next storm

Community leaders say another major storm and another extended power outage are not questions of if, but when.

The Community Lighthouse is designed to provide electricity and a trusted place for residents to turn when the surrounding power grid fails. The facility's solar-and-battery system can support essential needs, including charging phones and other devices, powering certain medical equipment, keeping medications refrigerated, and providing access to emergency information and community resources.

The facility is not an emergency shelter. Instead, it is designed as a community resilience and recovery center that can remain operational when conventional power is unavailable.

That distinction is important in a region where hurricanes, extreme weather and extended power outages can leave residents without electricity for days.

From flood recovery to disaster preparedness

Immaculate Conception's selection as a Community Lighthouse builds on a history of service to Scotlandville.

During the 2016 flood, Scotlandville largely avoided the worst of the flooding, allowing the church to remain operational while other areas of Baton Rouge were struggling. The parish mobilized food, volunteers and other resources to help residents throughout the city.

The church has also experienced firsthand how the loss of electricity can limit its ability to respond during a disaster.

The new solar-and-battery system is intended to change that equation.

Instead of waiting for outside assistance to arrive, the church will have the ability to provide a measure of local power and support immediately after an emergency.

Lighthouse Keepers will operate the hub

The equipment is only one part of the project.

A trained group of Lighthouse Keepers was introduced during Monday's dedication. The volunteers will help activate and operate the facility when an emergency occurs and assist residents who come seeking information and resources.

John Edwards, a third-degree Knight of Peter Claver, is helping lead the volunteer Lighthouse team.

The team represents an important part of the Lighthouse model: community members are trained not simply to maintain a building, but to help their neighbors navigate an emergency.

A historic Black Catholic institution

The significance of the project is magnified by Immaculate Conception's history.

The church, located at 1565 Curtis St. near Southern University and A&M College, has been deeply connected to Scotlandville's African American Catholic community for generations.

Mass was first celebrated in Scotlandville in 1946 at Cook's Theatre, while Black Catholics worked toward establishing a permanent church. Immaculate Conception was dedicated in 1953 and became a parish in 1958.

The community helped build the church through benefits, suppers, bazaars and the contributions of parishioners who provided labor and skills.

Today, that same institution is being equipped with modern technology to serve the community during emergencies.

The church maintains a special mission to serve the African American Catholic community and has longstanding ties to Southern University students, faculty, alumni and families.

Leaders emphasize community needs

The dedication brought together elected officials, community leaders, health-care representatives, volunteers and supporters of the project.

Among those attending were Louisiana Sen. Regina Barrow; state Rep. Barbara Carpenter; state Rep. C. Denise Marcelle; state Rep. Edmond Jordan; Mayor-President Sid Edwards; Metro Councilman Anthony Kenney Jr.; and Southern University Chancellor John K. Pierre.

Carpenter said the Lighthouse could become a resource for some of Scotlandville's most vulnerable residents.

“The center at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church is something seriously needed in the Scotlandville area. My deepest passion is to address the need of the homeless, and while the center is designed to address emergency situations, our homeless population suffers from mental health conditions and lack of care and dietary needs. I see these elements as key in addressing our growing homeless population in this area.”

Her comments broaden the conversation beyond disaster response, pointing to the potential for the facility to help connect vulnerable residents with services related to homelessness, mental health, nutrition and supportive care.

Marcelle, who has made disaster preparedness a major part of her community work, stressed the importance of preparing before a crisis.

“We have to prepare for the storm before the storm comes. Having a Community Lighthouse right here in Scotlandville means our residents have a trusted place where they can turn for help, information and essential resources when an emergency happens.”

Mayor calls it a “game changer”

Mayor-President Sid Edwards attended the dedication and described the project as a major development for Scotlandville.

“I was honored to be at the Lighthouse event at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. This is a blessing and a game changer for Scotlandville. It is a blessing. I’m very grateful.”

For residents, the value of the Lighthouse may become most apparent during the next major outage — when a charged phone, refrigerated medication, medical equipment or access to reliable information can make a critical difference.

Part of a much larger Louisiana effort

Scotlandville's Lighthouse is not an isolated project.

The initiative is part of a broader effort involving Together Louisiana, Together Baton Rouge and other community partners to establish solar-powered resilience centers throughout the state.

With the opening of Immaculate Conception, Baton Rouge now has its second Community Lighthouse, while 20 Community Lighthouses are currently open across Louisiana.

The long-term goal is considerably more ambitious: leaders want Community Lighthouses positioned close enough that every Louisiana resident can reach one within approximately 20 minutes.

Reaching that goal will require continued investment from state and civic leaders.

The vision is that no matter where a Louisiana resident lives, a trusted community institution will be close enough to provide power, information, and assistance when disaster strikes.

A new meaning for an old mission

Rev. Thomas F. Clark, S.J., pastor of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, now leads a parish whose mission of service is taking on a new dimension.

The church has spent generations serving as a spiritual and community anchor in Scotlandville. The Community Lighthouse adds another responsibility: helping protect the community's ability to function when normal systems fail.

For Scotlandville, the symbolism is powerful.

A church built through the determination and collective effort of Black Catholics more than 70 years ago is now being equipped to help an entire community face the challenges of the future.

The lesson from 2016 is still fresh.

The next disaster may come as a hurricane, a flood, a severe storm or a prolonged power outage. But this time, Scotlandville will have something it did not have before — a community-powered source of electricity, information and assistance ready to help when the lights go out.