'Beloved' Pastor Found Dead in Church Carpentry Workshop After 'Tragic' Woodworking Accident

Mar. 15, 2025

A Louisiana pastor was found dead on Tuesday morning after being injured in a “tragic accident,” according to church officials.

Rev. Jimmy Jeanfreau Jr., the pastor of Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church in Marrero, waskilled in a woodworking accidentat a carpentry workshop on the church’s campus, according toNOLA.comand Fox affiliateWVUE-DT.

The Jefferson Parish Coroner’s Office said that Jeanfreau, 60, is suspected to have died at some point on Monday night after sustaining traumatic injuries while using a lathe, a stationary tool used to shape wood, reported NOLA.com.

Rev. Jimmy Jeanfreau Jr.Immaculate Conception School

A spokesperson for the Jefferson Parish Coroner’s Office, which did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment, told NOLA.com that “there is no suspicion of foul play.”

News of Jeanfreau’s death was announced to the church community on Tuesday.

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“This is indeed a shock,” read another message posted on the church’s website. “Please know you are in my prayers as I ask you to join me in prayer for the repose of Fr. Jimmy’s soul and for his family.”

“He was a light, and such an advocate for the Hispanic community,” Amy Dudgeon, who works with a nonprofit associated with the church, told NOLA.com.

Jeanfreau was also the executive director of the Missionary Childhood Association, and Dungeon told the outlet he led trips to Bolivia and Nicaragua.

source: people.com