In 1859, Father J.J. Claris offered the first mass in Brashear, as Morgan City was then called. The patron saint was originally St. Justin the Martyr, later St. Clotilda, Queen of France. During the tenure of the first pastor, Fr. Mathurin Chapin, the titular became the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The present church was built gradually from 1902 to 1924 during the pastorate of Fr. Andrew Souby, who served from 1898 to 1935 and for years also ministered to Berwick, Ramos, Bayou Boeuf, Bayou L'Ourse, Gibson, Donner, and Chacahoula. Holy Cross Parish was formed out of Sacred Heart of Jesus in 1964.