Suvarna Garge (Editor)

Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana

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Country
  
United States

Denomination
  
Roman Catholic

Bishop
  
J. Douglas Deshotel

Cathedral
  
St. John's Cathedral

Parishes
  
121

Area
  
14,968 km²

Phone
  
+1 337-261-5500

Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana

Territory
  
The Civil Parishes of St. Landry, Evangeline, Lafayette, St. Martin, Iberia, St. Mary, Acadia and Vermilion

Ecclesiastical province
  
Archdiocese of New Orleans

Population - Total - Catholics
  
(as of 2013) 629,000 330,000 (52.5%)

Address
  
1408 Carmel Dr, Lafayette, LA 70501, USA

Similar
  
Our Lady of Wisdom, St Genevieve Catholic, St Edmond Catholic Church, Holy Cross Church, Our Lady of Fatima Catholic

The Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana is an ecclesiastical division of the Catholic Church in the United States. The oldest church in the diocese is the parish church of St. Martinville, dating back to 1756. The diocese was created on January 11, 1918 from the western part of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. The size of the diocese was nearly halved by the creation of the Diocese of Lake Charles on January 29, 1980. The diocese includes the heart of Cajun Louisiana.

Contents

Gilbert Gauthe case

In 1974, Bishop Gerard Frey assigned Rev. Gilbert Gauthe as a Boy Scout chaplain despite the fact that Gauthe had previously come to Frey's attention for having molested altar boys.[1] Gauthe was stripped of his priestly duties after more allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced in 1983.[1] Bishop Frey was criticized for his handling of Gauthe's case, and in 1985 expressed his regret, saying, "I ask for the prayers and understanding of all our people and of all people of good will of every faith and belief. I deeply regret and am distressed by the suffering that has taken place because of the tragic events in the diocese over the past several years."[1][dead link]

In total, the diocese settled for more than $20 million in lawsuits involving Gauthe.[1] Gauthe was later jailed for violating the Texas sex offender registration law and released in April 2010.[2][dead link][3][4]

Geographic Summary

The diocese consists of four deaneries containing eight civil parishes:

  • North (St. Landry Parish and Evangeline Parish)
  • Central (most of Lafayette Parish and a large part of St. Martin Parish)
  • South (Iberia Parish and St. Mary Parish, as well as part of St. Martin Parish)
  • West (Acadia Parish and Vermilion Parish, as well as a small part of Lafayette Parish)
  • Bishops

    The list of bishops of the diocese and their years of service:

    1. Jules Benjamin Jeanmard † (1918–1956) Retired
    2. Maurice Schexnayder † (1956–1972) Retired
    3. Gerard Louis Frey † (1972–1989) Retired
    4. Harry Joseph Flynn (1989–1994) Appointed, Coadjutor Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota
    5. Edward Joseph O'Donnell † (1994–2002) Resigned due to ill health
    6. Charles Michael Jarrell (2002–2016) Resignation accepted by Pope Francis on Wednesday, February 17, 2016
    7. J. Douglas Deshotel (2016 – present)

    † = deceased

    Bishops who once were priests of the Diocese of Lafayette

    The following served as priests in Lafayette before being appointed bishops elsewhere:

  • Glen Provost – Appointed Bishop of Lake Charles on March 6, 2007; consecrated as bishop on April 23, 2007
  • High schools

  • Academy of the Sacred Heart, Grand Coteau
  • Catholic High School, New Iberia
  • Hanson Memorial High School, Franklin
  • Notre Dame High School, Crowley
  • Opelousas Catholic School, Opelousas
  • Sacred Heart High School, Ville Platte
  • St. Edmund High School, Eunice
  • St. Thomas More School, Lafayette
  • Teurlings Catholic High School, Lafayette
  • Vermilion Catholic High School, Abbeville
  • Ecclesiastical province of New Orleans

    See: List of the Catholic bishops of the United States#Province of New Orleans

    References

    Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana Wikipedia