(transcribed by Leora White) 

A SILVER JUBILEE HISTORY

 OF THE CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF LAKE CHARLES

By Truman Stacey

PROLOGUE

          The first Europeans to venture into Southwest Louisiana, other than those who might have wandered across it because of shipwreck, were Spanish soldiers of an exploring expedition commanded by Jose de Evia.  He led his expedition into what is now the Diocese of Lake Charles in 1785.

          The purpose of his expedition was to determine and survey the boundaries between the Spanish provinces of Texas and Louisiana.

          The first European settler of record in the area was Martin LeBleu, a native of Bordeaux who first came to Virginia.  Not being satisfied with life in a British colony, LeBleu and his family migrated overland to the Spanish colony of Louisiana.  He built the first European habitation on the Calcasieu River, probably around 1799. 

          Another early settler was Carlos Salia, or Anselm Sallier, alias Charles Savoyard, as he is referred to in the records of the Opelousas Post.

          A native of Savoy, Salia or Sallier came to the banks of the Calcasieu River about 1800, and built what is said to have been the first cabin on the shore of Salia’s Lake or Lake Charles.  In 1802 Sallier married Catherine LeBleu, daughter of Martin LeBleu, and established himself as a cattle rancher and woodsman.  Sallier died in 1825 and his will on probate in the St. Landry Parish courthouse reveals that he left property in slaves, horses and horned cattle valued in the currency of the time as more than $4,000. 

          All of these settlers were of the Catholic faith, but there is no record of religious services being held in the area before 1850 when for the first time priests began to visit the little community huddled on the banks of the lake.

          By 1850 the population of what was to become the city of Lake Charles consisted of John Jacob Ryan, Samuel A. Kirby, Thomas Bilbo, Michael Pithon and their families in addition to the descendants of Martin LeBleu and Charles Sallier.

          Other settlers up the river on the western side of the lake were the families of Louis Reon, Henry Moss, Pierre Vincent and Thomas Rigmaiden.

          The first record of the visit of a priest is to be found in 1850 when the Rev. P. F. Parisot, CMI, visited Southwest Louisiana.  Father Parisot had migrated from France to Texas at the request of Bishop J. M. Odin of Galveston and was assigned as a missionary to the Beaumont area in East Texas. 

          Because of the difficulties of travel - all transportation on land was by horseback or ox cart - Archbishop Antoine Blanc of New Orleans requested of Bishop Odin that the Beaumont missionaries be allowed to minister to Catholics in Western Louisiana. 

          From Beaumont Father Parisot visited the Calcasieu area several times between 1852 and 1854.  His first visit in 1852 lasted two and a half months.  During this visit he baptized several children, the records of which were deposited in the files of St. Landry Church in Opelousas. 

          In 1854 Father Parisot made a second trip to the Lake Charles area, this time to introduce the Rev. Andre Borias, another Oblate priest who had just been installed as pastor in Beaumont.  Father Borias made six trips to Lake Charles during 1854-56.

          Thereafter, heavier missionary labors in Texas became so demanding that Texas priests were no longer able to minister to the faithful in Louisiana.  That left the task to priests of Opelousas. 

          Fathers Gilbert and Francois Raymond, pastor and assistant pastor in Opelousas, were given the task of serving the Calcasieu River area.  Father Francois visited the area several times a year, the first coming in August of 1856.  He continued these visits through 1860. 

          During the early years there were no church buildings in the area and visiting priests celebrated Mass in private homes, primarily that of Arsene Sallier.

          In 1857 local families purchased a lot from Michael Pithon across the street from the new courthouse, and a chapel was built.  Lumber was furnished by the Sallier mill and David Reid, a local carpenter, was hired to erect the building.  Funds for the structure, which cost $1,300, came from local contributions and assistance from Opelousas.

          In 1859 the Rev. J. M. LeFranc came to Lake Charles to visit his brother, Louis, hoping to recover from an illness.  His health continued to deteriorate, however, and he died on July 4, 1859, at age 45.

          The first resident priest, the Rev. Nicholas Simon, arrived in 1860 to minister to the Catholics of Imperial Calcasieu.  At that time the European population numbered about 1,700, but it was scattered over what is now the civil parishes of Calcasieu, Cameron, Jeff Davis, Allen and Beauregard living on isolated farms and cabins on the prairies, along river banks and in the pine forests. 

          The area could not support a resident pastor, however, and Father Simon’s mission was terminated.

          The area then was placed under the care of St. Mary Magdalen Parish in Abbeville.  In January of 1866 the Rev. Theodore Lamy became pastor in Abbeville, his huge parish extending to the Texas border.  He visited Lake Charles yearly until 1869.  During these visits Father Lamy baptized 63 persons, 18 of them in the small village of Charlestown. 

          The missionary period of the church in Imperial Calcasieu came to an end in 1869.  Archbishop Odin, who had been promoted from Galveston to the Archdiocese of New Orleans, established St. Frances de Sales Parish in Lake Charles. 

          To staff the new parish the archbishop appointed the Rev. Francois Magniny as pastor and the Rev. Etienne Badoil as assistant pastor.

          The Catholic history of Imperial Calcasieu thereafter centered around this “mother Parish” of Southwest Louisiana.

Part One:  The Beginning

          The news service of the Vatican announced the establishment of the Diocese of Lake Charles by the Holy Father on January 29, 1980, but the beginning of the diocese occurred several months earlier. 

          In the spring of 1978 Bishop Lawrence P. Graves of the Diocese of Alexandria asked the Apostolic Delegate to the United States, Archbishop Jean Jadot, for an auxiliary bishop to help in governing the sprawling Alexandria diocese which comprised 29 civil parishes in Central and North Louisiana, larger than the States of Massachusetts and Connecticut.

          The following August Archbishop Jadot asked Bishop Graves and Bishop Gerard L. Frey of the Diocese of Lafayette to consider the possibility of restructuring  the dioceses in Southwest, South Central and North Louisiana.

          When Bishop Frey traveled to Rome later that year for his ad limina visit with the Holy Father, he further discussed restructuring with the Sacred Congregation of Bishops.

          The offices of the two dioceses completed the information requested and forwarded it to Archbishop Jadot in August of 1978.

          Monsignor Clemete Faccani, a special assistant in the Apostolic Delegate’s office, came to Louisiana in February of 1979 to discuss the restructuring with clergy and lay people of the affected areas.  Msgr. Faccani was in Southwest Louisiana from February 18 through February 21.  He visited clergy and laity in Lake Charles, Jennings, Opelousas, Ville Platte and Eunice.  He met with 72 priests and several hundred lay people and religious.  The meetings were kept relatively small so that as many people as possible could speak with Msgr. Faccani personally.

          He also met with clergy and laity in Alexandria, Pineville and Shreveport. 

          Msgr. Faccani’s tour was to learn about the feelings of the different areas about establishing a diocese in Southwest Louisiana, taken from the Diocese of Lafayette, and a diocese at Shreveport, taken from the Diocese of Alexandria.  He also discussed transferring the Civil Parishes of St. Landry and Evangeline to Alexandria if that diocese were to be divided.

          When he returned to Washington Msgr. Faccani reported that sentiment regarding a diocese for Lake Charles was almost unanimous, but that there were differences regarding the split of the Diocese of Alexandria. 

          Accordingly the Apostolic Delegate recommended to Rome that a diocese be made of the Civil Parishes of Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron and Jeff Davis be made into a diocese, with Lake Charles as the See city, and the Church of the Immaculate Conception as the cathedral.

          He made no recommendation concerning the Diocese of Alexandria, and the Civil Parishes of St. Landry and Evangeline remained with the Diocese of Lafayette.

          Bishop Graves received his auxiliary bishop, however, when Bishop William B. Friend was appointed in 1979.

          The new Diocese of Lake Charles officially came into existence on January 29, 1980, by a public announcement of the Holy See.

Facts and Figures

          The newly-established Diocese of Lake Charles comprised five Civil Parishes of Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron and Jefferson Davis, totaling 5,165 square miles.  There were 72,771 Catholics in a total population of 226,845 people.

          There were 35 church parishes with 25 missions.  The church parishes, ranked according to size: 

          There was one covenant community of 16 families plus three single adults who meet twice a week for prayer and family activities.  The community, known as “Holy City” was administered by a permanent deacon.

Clergy and Religious

          In 1980 the new diocese was staffed by 29 active diocesan priests, 23 religious priests and 52 religious sisters.  There were five permanent deacons.  All parishes were staffed by pastors.

          Four retired priests were living in the diocese.

          There were five minor seminarians and eight major seminarians. 

Sub-jurisdictions

          Under the Diocese of Lafayette, the territory had been divided into East and West Deaneries.  This was to be continued in the new diocese.

          The West Deanery was made up of parishes in Big Lake, Cameron, Carlyss, Creole, DeQuincy, DeRidder, Grand Chenier, Hackberry, Iowa, Lake Charles (7), Maplewood, Moss Bluff, Sulphur (2), Vinton and Westlake.

          The East Deanery comprised parishes in Bell City, Elton (2), Jennings (3), Kinder, Lake Arthur, Oakdale, Oberlin, Raymond and Welsh (2)

          There were Pastoral Councils for each deanery.  Presidents were Elzey J. Baker of Jennings, East Deanery, and Truman Stacey of Lake Charles, West Deanery.  

Health Care

          There was one Catholic hospital in the diocese, St. Patrick, in Lake Charles.  It had been established in 1882 and owned and operated by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word.

Education

          There were seven Catholic elementary schools in the diocese in 1980, two Catholic high schools and one Catholic special education school, with a total enrollment of 3,557 students.  The schools were staffed by 20 women religious and 168 lay faculties. 

          Catholic students attending public schools were tutored in the faith by the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine in each church parish.

          There were also 41 lunch room workers, 19 janitorial staff and 21 secretaries.  

          A large number of faith communities existed in the five civil parishes which made up the Diocese of Lake Charles in 1980.  There was also a large percentage of the population deemed as un-churched.  Here are figures:

          The most numerous of other Christian religions were the Baptists, followed by Pentecostal Churches, United Methodists, Church of Christ, Assemblies of God, Presbyterian, Episcopal, Church of the Nazarene, Lutheran, Bible Church, Bible Missionary Church, Church of God, Church of God in Christ, Independent Methodists, Disciples of Christ, Latter Day Saints (Mormon), African Methodist Episcopal, Church of the Brethren and Byzantine Orthodox. 

          There was one Jewish synagogue, Temple Sinai, in Lake Charles.  

The Lay Apostolate

          A number of organizations and associations of the lay faithful were operative in 1980.  Among these:

          The Lake Charles Chapter of the National Conference of Christians and Jew was engaged in ecumenical and inter-faith activities and development.   

          The Serra Club of Lake Charles, established in 1950, promoted religious vocations, particularly to the priesthood.  

          The St. Vincent de Paul Society was active in about one-third of the parishes.

          There was one curia of the Legion of Mary. 

          There was one chapter of the Third Order of St. Francis.  

          There were a number of Papal honorees:  10 Knights of St. Gregory, one Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, 21 Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Crucifers, 11 Benemerenti Medalists and 36 holders of the Bishop’s Medal of the Diocese of Lafayette. 

          The largest lay organization was the Knights of Columbus, with 23 councils.  There were also two assemblies of the Fourth Degree.  

          The Knights of Peter Claver were also active, with eight councils and eight courts, and one Grand Assembly of the Meritorious Fourth Degree.  

          The Catholic Daughters of the Americas were represented by 19 courts.  

Part Two:  The New Bishop

          When the establishment of the new diocese was announced, a number of priests and lay people of Lake Charles attended a press conference held in the Chancery of the Diocese of Lafayette, where official statements were issued.

          Travelers from Lake Charles included Msgr. Irving A. DeBlanc and Fathers Louis Melancon, Gregory Mosca, OSB, Joseph Bourque and James Gaddy, and news reporters.

          All extended their congratulations to Monsignor Jude Speyrer, Vicar General of the Diocese of Lafayette, who had been designated as the first Bishop of Lake Charles.

          During the celebration Bishop Maurice Schexnayder, retired Bishop of Lafayette, approached the new bishop-designate, took off his zuchetto (the red skull cap worn by bishops) and placed it on Monsignor Speyrer’s head, to the delight of all present.  Speyrer continued to wear the cap for the remainder of the press conference.

          In his statement accepting the office of bishop, Monsignor Speyrer’s official statement said, in part:

My appointment as first Bishop of Lake Charles comes as a shock to me.  The heavy responsibilities of this office are all too obvious.  No one is more aware of my limitations than I am, and it is only with a sense of faith and duty that I accept the Holy Father’s nomination.  I am grateful to him for his trust and confidence in me.  The burdens of this office will be made lighter by the support of his prayers for me and the clergy, religions and people of the Diocese of Lake Charles…

I pledge to the Holy Father and to the members of my diocesan family that I will serve you faithfully, to the best of my ability.  I look forward to the day when I can soon join you in my adopted city.  I ask clergy, religious and laity for your prayers and support. 

          Bishop-designate Speyrer was born in Leonville, in the center of Acadiana, on April 14, 1929, the 10^th of 12 children of Antoine Speyrer and Amelie Quebedeaux Speyrer, of German, French and Spanish ancestry.

          At the age of 13 he entered St. Joseph Seminary in St. Benedict, La., and received an Associate of Arts degree in May of 1949.  That same year he entered Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans, and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1949.

          That September he entered the North American College in Rome, transferring in 1950 to the University of Freiburg in Switzerland.  In May of that year he was graduated with a Licentiate in Sacred Theology, and returned home to be ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Jules B. Jeanmard of Lafayette on July 25, 1953.

          His first assignment was an assistant pastor in St. Landry Parish in Opelousas.  In 1955 he was appointed assistant chaplain at Our Lady of Wisdom chapel on the campus of the University of Southwestern Louisiana.

          From 1964 to 1969 he was pastor of Our Lady of the Lake Parish in Lake Arthur, and in 1969 he was named the founding pastor of Our Lady of Queen of Peace Parish in Lafayette.

          In 1970 he was made a Chaplain to His Holiness with the title of “Monsignor.”  In 1974 he was appointed Diocesan Chancellor and in August of 1975 he became the Vicar General.

First Visit

          As soon as circumstances permitted, Bishop-to-be Speyrer visited his new diocese to confer with members of the clergy and public officials and to inspect his new Cathedral, the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Lake Charles. 

          Temporary quarters were provided in a dwelling at the corner of 11^th Street and Enterprise Boulevard, before which he was a “guest” in the Rectory of Immaculate Conception Parish.

          Among early appointments were Msgr. Irving A. DeBlanc, Pastor of Our Lady Queen of Heaven Parish, and Very Rev. James Gaddy, Pastor of Our Lady of Seven Dolors Parish, as Vicars General.  Mrs. Willadene Rawley, a former legal secretary, was hired as secretary, and on April 1, 1980, the Rev. Mr. H. E. Wagner, a Permanent Deacon of Our Lady of Prompt Succor Parish in Sulphur, became the director of the Diocese’s Office of Development and Finance.

          Even before his official installation as Bishop, Monsignor Speyrer began to visit the church parishes of his new diocese on weekends, to meet with pastors, pastoral councils and members of the laity.  He continued this practice until he had visited all 35 of the diocese’s church parishes.  

The Installation

          Finally the great day arrived - April 25, 1980.  The Lake Charles Civic Center was packed with visiting dignitaries and lay people of the diocese to witness the age-old ceremony of the formal seating of a Bishop.

          The Most Rev. Philip M. Hannan, Archdiocese of New Orleans presided at the installation ceremony and told his audience that the new diocese is unique in the Province of New Orleans because its people are a truly “kingly people,” adding that it gave him a great deal of pleasure to welcome the people of Imperial Calcasieu to the Diocese of Louisiana.

          Bishop Gerard L. Frey of the parent Diocese of Lafayette was the principal consecrator of the new bishop.  Co-consecrators were Bishop Maurice Schexnayder, Bishop Emeritus of Lafayette, and Auxiliary Bishop Harold R. Perry, SVD, of New Orleans.  Bishop Perry was a native of Lake Charles.

          His Eminence John Cardinal Cody of Chicago and Archbishop John May of St. Louis headed a score of bishops from far and wide who participated in the “laying on of the hands” at a key point in the ceremony. 

          Homilist Monsignor Alexander O. Sigur of Lafayette summarized the feeling of the capacity congregation when he said, “You may be happy, but we of the new south central Diocese of Lafayette are proud of the Southwest Louisiana Diocese of Lake Charles.”

          Msgr. Sigur asked various groups present to hold up their hands - catechists, Catholic school teachers, members of various groups:  Cursillo,

Charismatic, marriage encounter, retreats and awakenings, Legion of Mary, Third Orders, Bible Study and Rosary groups, youth ministers, parish renewal groups, lay ministers of communion, music ministers and choir members, acolytes and altar servers, Altar Society members, liturgy coordinators, ushers, Knights of St. Gregory and other papal honorees, Catholic Daughters of the Americas, Knights of Columbus and of St. Peter Claver, officers and members of parish, deanery and diocesan pastoral councils, deacons, brother priests and sisters of the new diocese. 

          “Bishop Speyrer, these are your people,” Msgr. Sigur said, “God has chosen you and they answered the call of Pope John Paul II 'to bring glad Tidings.' ”  Msgr. Sigur concluded. 

          Others taking part in the ceremony were members of the Clergy Senate of the Diocese of Lafayette, including those from the new diocese who, in accordance with the protocol of the ceremony, signed the documents which certified the erection of the diocese and the installation of the Bishop.

          They were the Rev. Charles Dubois and Harry Grieg, both of Lake Charles; Marshall Boulet, Jennings; Borgia Aubspin, SVD, Lafayette; Francois Bussieres, Youngsville; Louis Deshotels, Opelousas; Gilbert Dutel, Abbevillle; Roy Edwards, Carencro; Michael Herpin, New Iberia; Ignatius Fabacher, SJ, Lafayette; Austin Leger, Arnaudville; Thomas Mullally, SVD, Jeanerette; Gayle Nunez, Mamou; Herbert Delaunay, Lyons Point; Don Piraro, Lafayette; and three permanent deacons: Rev. Mr. Jonas Mason, Ville Platte; Benedict Morello, Cow Island; and  Dr. James R. Oliver, Lafayette.

          Priest-chaplain for the bishops were: 

          For Bishop Frey: Rev. Egidio Vecchio, MS, Sulphur; and John Poerio, Raymond 

          For Bishop Speyrer:   Msgr. Irving A. DeBlanc, Lake Charles; and Rev. James Gaddy, Welsh 

          For Bishop Schexnayder:  Rev. Val Pullman, Lafayette; and Rev. Francis Fitzsimmons, MS, Maplewood 

          For Bishop Perry:  Rev. Stanulaus Avanzo, OSB; and Rev. Michael Carr, CSSp, both of Lake Charles 

          For Archbishop Hannan:  Rev. Charles Dubois, Lake Charles; and Rev. Don Piraro, Lafayette

          Also participating in the ceremony were Fathers Grieg and Boulet, masters of ceremony; Msgr. Alexander Larroque, Vicar General of the Diocese of Lafayette, as Notary; Deacons James R. Granger of Lake Charles and Herman Ogea of Big Lake; and James Mayo and Sister Gloria Cain, SSND, both of Lake Charles, as scripture readers.

          Bearing the Episcopal insignia were Msgr. Robert Angelle and the Rev. Fernand H. Gouaux, both of Lafayette; Rev. Louis Melancon, Lake Charles; and Msgr. Charles E. Marin, Avery Island.

          Members of the Fourth Degree Knights of Peter Claver and Columbus mounted a uniformed guard of honor for the installation.

          A special choir of musicians from the two dioceses was directed by Michael Goudeau of Lafayette and Sister Camille Martinez, MHS, of Jennings, as music coordinators.  Miriam Maylath was the cantor.  

Setting up Operations

          As the business of organizing the diocese began to take place temporary offices were provided by St. Margaret of Scotland Parish until a floor of the Weber Building in downtown Lake Charles was secured.

           For the first several months of operations offices were shared with the Diocese of Lafayette. As an example, Gerald Dill, Superintendent of Schools for the Diocese of Lafayette, was contracted to continue in that capacity for the new diocese until it had reached a position of being able to undertake the complexities of maintaining the system independently. 

          In a similar manner the Rev. Henry Mancuso of Lake Charles remained the Director of Vocations for both dioceses for the time being. 

          Among early appointments to administrative positions by Bishop Speyrer were:

          Diocesan Chancellor - Rev. Harry Grieg

          Officials - Rev. Vincent Sedita 

          Apostleship of the Sea - William Leonards, Director 

          Religious Education Coordinator - Sister Patricia Alston, SSND 

          Archives - Rev. Harry Grieg  

          Director of Social Apostolate - Mrs. Kathryn Malveaux 

          Cemeteries - Msgr. Irving DeBlanc

          Society for the Propagation of the Faith - Rev. Ronald Groth, Coordinator  

          Charismatic Renewal - Rev. Sam G. Jacobs, Director

          Evangelization - Rev. Joseph Bourque, Director  

          Marriage Encounter - Rev. G. Jacobs, Director 

          Marriage Preparation - Rev. Oris Broussard, Director

          New diocesan boards and commissions also had to be appointed.

          Named to the Diocesan Finance Commission were Msgr. DeBlanc, Father Grieg, Rev. Charles Dubois, Deacon H. E. Wagner, Andrew J. Betz of Lake Charles and A. J. M. Oustalet of Jennings. 

          The Priests Senate held an inaugural meeting with Father Dubois as Chair.  Other members:  Rev. Marshall Boulet, secretary; the Rev. Egidio Vecchio, MS, and Father Grieg.

          The following were appointed Diocesan Consulters:  Mgr. DeBlanc and Fathers Gaddy, Grieg, Boulet, Dubois and Vecchio.

          A Seminary Advisory Board was appointed to assist Father Mancuso from both dioceses:  Fathers Ronald Groth, Jeff DeBlanc, Richard Rokinski, MS, Fred Russi and Permanent Deacon Mickey White. 

          Rev. Louis Melacon was named chairman of the Personnel Advisory Board which included Fathers Francis Fitzsimmons, MS, John Poerio, Fred Russi, Gerald Smit and Permanent Deacon Reynold Granger.

          On June 6, Bishop Speyrer for the first time ordained a priest for the diocese.  The Rev. Whitney Miller, a native of Jennings, was ordained in the newly-named Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. 

          In August Bishop Speyrer ordained the first class of permanent deacons for the diocese:  Gordon Broussard, Dan Landry, Paul Perrin, Milton P. (Mickey) White, George Stearns and Paul Thompson.  Two days later, two more were ordained: John Eaves and John Segura.

          On September 10 Bishop Speyrer presided at the diocese’s first observance of the Feast of Saint Peter Claver in Our Lady of Prompt Succor Church in Sulphur.  He used this as a proper occasion to announce that he had named the saint as the Patron of the diocese. 

          New “firsts” continued throughout the remainder of 1980.  On October 5 Bishop Speyrer was the featured speaker as Glad Tidings was telecast for the first time on television station KPLC-TV.

          Two more ordinations took place on October 11.  The   Rev. Herman Ogea was ordained to the priesthood and Roy Melancon became a permanent deacon.

          Later in the year Bishop Speyrer named diocesan delegates to the Louisiana Interchurch Conference:  Rev. Henry Durand, MS, chairman; and Father Groth, Deacon Segura, Sister Katherine Doherty, SSJ, Mrs. Bernadine Proctor and Sam Beazer.

          Our Lady of Lasalette Parish in DeQuincy and its pastor, the Rev. Roland Bernier, MS, celebrated its 25^th anniversary December 18 with Bishop Speyrer presiding.

          On December 24 Bishop Speyer celebrated Christmas Midnight Mass in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception to bring an eventful year to a spiritual close.  

An Administrative Center

          For the next few years diocesan officials were concerned with strengthening administrative offices and procedures as well as making new beginnings.

          The first need was to establish an administrative center and to provide offices and working facilities for newly-appointed diocesan personnel. The search for an administrative building was solved in 1981 when Calcasieu Council 1207 of the Knights of Columbus deeded its hall and grounds to the diocese.  The donation consisted of the two-story hall, a storage building, a building housing the Catholic Deaf Center and a tennis court.  The gift was conservatively estimated as being worth a half million dollars.  In return the diocese agreed to furnish the council a place to meet in perpetuity.

          Until the hall was renovated, however, diocesan offices were moved from St. Margaret Parish to the fifth floor of the Weber Building.

Continued Developments

          In February of 1981 the first Diocesan Directory was published, a 52-page booklet edited by Truman Stacey, with Sam Tarleton as Advertising Manager.  Thereafter directories followed every two years.

          For the first time under the new leadership Papal honorees were announced on April 28, 1981, when 19 lay people were decorated with the Papal Medal Benemerenti (well-merited) in recognition of outstanding service to the East and West Deaneries.

          On the following April 25, the anniversary of Bishop Speyrer’s installation as Bishop, 56 persons - seven clergy and 49 lay people - were honored at the first Diocesan Honors Convocation. 

          Holy Family School, the first new parochial school in the diocese, opened its door as part of St. Theodore Parish in Moss Bluff in August of 1982. 

          In September of that year the diocese and the general public celebrated the 100^th anniversary of Catholic education in Southwest Louisiana with appropriate ceremonies.

          Saint Charles Academy, the pioneer Catholic school in Southwest Louisiana, opened its doors on September 11, 1882.  The celebration was also marked by the publication of A History of Catholic Education in Southwest Louisiana, by Dr. Donald Millet, Professor of History at McNeese State University and a parishioner of Our Lady Queen of Heaven Parish.

          The diocese moved into the print medium on September 18, 1982, with the publication of the first issue of The Catholic Calendar, a twice-monthly page of diocesan news purchased in the Lake Charles American Press.

          The page was so named because it was considered a continuation of the first Catholic Calendar published at the turn of the 20^th Century by the then Pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish, the Rev. Cornelius van de Ven.  It has continued to the present.

          In October of 1982 the question of a suitable residence for the Bishop was solved when Mr. and Mrs. Lee Petitjean donated the Petitjean mansion on Harrison Street in Lake Charles as an Episcopal residence.          

The Companions of Honor

          Early in 1982 Bishop appointed a committee to devise by-laws for an organization of persons who had been honored by the diocese or by the Holy See. The committee recommended the organization of The Companions of Honor, a recommendation accepted by the Bishop.  On October 30 the new organization came into being with the following charter officers:  Truman Stacey of Lake Charles, President; Elzey Baker of Jennings, Vice President; Bernadine Proctor of Lake Charles, Secretary; and Edith Benoit of Sulphur, Treasurer.  The organization accepted as its apostolate the support of the diocese’s evangelization program.

          In January of 1983 the Companions had their first project when the diocese launched “EvangeLine,” a telephone call-in service which gave the caller taped information about tenets of the Catholic faith.  The services was the only one of its kind in the United States at that time, and it brought Catholic information to hundreds of information-seekers on 33 different areas of the faith.

          In their first 21 years the Companions contributed nearly $300,000 to the diocesan Office of Evangelization.  

Expansion Continued

          The diocese continued to expand as the first chapel was dedicated by Bishop Speyrer.  St. Jude Chapel, built for St. Jude Mission at Dry Creek, was dedicated by Bishop Speyrer on October 27, 1983. 

          The first new parish, St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Fenton, came into existence on Nov. 5^th, 1983, with the Rev. James Doyle as the Founding Pastor. 

          On April 25, 1985, the former hall of Calcasieu Council 1207 of the Knights of Columbus was ready for occupation, with offices for the Bishop, Vicar General, Chancellor, Fiscal Administration and Tribunal.

          Public outreach continued when the diocese joined with the Calcasieu Ministerial Alliance to open Abraham’s Tent on July 24, 1986, to feed the needy.  The program currently feeds more than 250 persons a day with a hot meal.

          The long-sought-after Seafarers Center at the Port of Lake Charles was dedicated by Bishop Speyrer on January 15, 1957.

          January also saw the first issue of the newly-established diocesan newspaper, The Southwest Catholic, with Truman Stacey as the founding Editor.

          Bishop Speyrer later unveiled plans for a $3 million spirituality and retreat center to be built on a 65-acre plot the diocese had obtained in Moss Bluff.  

End of an Era

          In December of 1986 Our Lady of Mount Olivet Monastery closed its doors after 11 years of operation in quarters located on the former Chennault Air Force Base.

          In October of 1987, however, the diocesan offices of Religious Education, Catholic Schools, EvangeLine, Communications and Development moved into offices located at the former monastery.  The refurbished space was donated for the use of the diocese by A. P. Leonard.

          In April of 1988 Bishop Speyrer made his first ad limina visit to Rome to report on the progress of the diocese to the Holy Father, and to spend two weeks in the Eternal City.

          Later that year, the Rev. Harry Grieg, Vicar General and Chancellor of the diocese, was given a three-year assignment in Rome.

          On June 4, 1989, Bishop Speyrer celebrated Mass in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on observance of the beatification on Nov. 20, 1988, of Mother Katherine Drexel by Pope John Paul II.   Mother Katherine was the foundress of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament and was a great benefactor of Scared Heart and Immaculate Heart Schools in the Lake Charles over the years.   

A Bishop is Named

          In July of 1989 the Rev. Sam Jacobs, the diocesan Director of Vocations, was “stunned “ and the people of the diocese were jubilant when Pope John Paul II appointed Father Sam as Bishop of Alexandria. 

          “I am stunned and overwhelmed by this great challenge,” said the Bishop-designate Jacobs.  He succeeded Bishop John C. Favalora, who had been promoted to the See of St. Petersburg. 

          Bishop Jacobs grew up in Lake Charles and had been Pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel and St. Mary of the Lake Parishes.

          Bishop Jacobs was installed in Alexandria on August 24 before a crowd of 3,500, including many well-wishers from the Diocese of Lake Charles.

The Tenth Anniversary

          The diocese put together a major celebration to mark its 10^th anniversary in 1990.  An anniversary Mass was celebrated in the Cathedral on April 29 with Archbishop Francis B. Schulte, Archbishop of New Orleans, presiding.  

          Bishop Speyrer gave the homily and reviewed the progress of the diocese over the first decade.  He compared the Catholic laity of the diocese with the disciples who walked with Jesus on the road to Emmaus, and said the first decade was the first part of a journey for people who are on the move.

          Joining Bishop Speyrer and Archbishop Schulte in the sanctuary were Archbishop Philip M. Hannan of New Orleans (Ret.), Bishops Sam Jacobs of Alexandria, Stanley Ott of Baton Rouge, Harry Flynn of Lafayette, William Friend of Shreveport, Lawrence P. Graves of Alexandria (Ret.), Abott Patrick Regan, OSB, of St. Joseph Abbey, and the Very Rev. Egidio Vecchio, MS, Provincial of the Missionaries of LaSalette.

          Mrs. Herman Metoyer and Dr. Erwin Engert, Jr. were readers, and Mrs. Ann Coleman Romero was the song leader.  Deacons for the Mass were Edward Lavine, George Stearns and H. E. Wagner, Jr.

          Seating in the Cathedral was limited to clergy and religious, diocesan officers and personnel and 15 representatives from each of the 26 parishes of the diocese.  A reception was held on the Chancery grounds for all attending the celebration.

          Other celebrations were held throughout the diocese.  Calcasieu Council 1207 of the Knights of Columbus dedicated its annual banquet to Bishop Speyrer.  Bishop Speyrer was chosen as Diocesan Citizen of the Year by Msgr. Cramers Assembly of the Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus.

          The Order of the Fleur de Lis honored Bishop Speyrer with a testimonial dinner at which Bishop Sam Jacobs was the principal guest speaker.

          The Lake Charles Symphony Orchestra joined hands with the Louisiana Choral Foundation to perform Hector Berlioz’s Grande Messe des Morts in the Lake Charles Civic Center under the direction of their leaders Symphony Conductor William Kushner and Choral Director Lamar Robertson.  Bishop Speyrer and other diocesan officials were guests at the performance, which drew a capacity crowd to the Rosa Hart Theater.

           A 10^th anniversary honors convocation followed on June third.  Three priests, Father Ronald Groth, Louis Melancon and Vincent Sedita, were appointed Prelates of Honor to His Holiness with the title of “Monsignor.”

          At the same convocation the Holy Father named nine laymen as Knights of St. Gregory the Great and seven as Knights of St. Sylvester.  Twenty men and women received the Papal Cross of Honor Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice, and 22 others were decorated with the Papal Medal Benemerenti.

          Diocesan honorees included three who were named Companions of Saint Charles.  Another 34 were made officers and 43 became members.

          Included among the honorees were a rabbi and two ministers.  All three were given the Papal Medal Benemerenti in recognition of their contributions to ecumenism and interfaith cooperation.  They were Rabbi Sherman Stein of Temple Sinai; Rev. Woodrow Smith, Lake Charles district superintendent for the Louisiana Conference of the United Methodist Church; and Rev. William Greene, Pastor of the First Baptist Church in Oakdale.

 After the 10^th anniversary celebration the diocese’s attention was turned to vocation.  On July 6-8, 1990 the diocese teamed with the Diocese of Alexandria and Bishop Sam Jacobs to sponsor the first of many vocations retreats at Maryhill Retreat Center, near Pineville. The weekend attracted 13 retreatants from the Diocese of Lake Charles and five from the Diocese of Alexandria.  Both Bishops were present, as well as the Vocation Directors of each diocese.

So successful was the affair that vocation retreats became annual events, and later years the retreatants were joined by youths from the Diocese of Baton Rouge.

 Bishop Speyrer continued to encourage the work of the Lake Charles Serra Club in its work for vocations and in October he was guest speaker at the Louisianan-Texas Serra Convention in Houston, addressing the  Serrans on “The Power of Parish and Family Prayer for Vocations.”

  Over the next several years a number of priests were ordained for the diocese by Bishop Speyrer.  In May four were ordained:  John Scott DesOrmeaux, William Mack Miller, and Oscar Vasquez-Munoz for the diocese, and Donald J. Goodley, SSJ, for the Josephite Fathers.

  Joy over this harvest was cut short when it was learned that Father Vasquez-Munoz, on a visit to this family in Colombia, succumbed to an attack of influenza on June 18.  On June 20 Bishop Speyer celebrated a Memorial Mass for Father Vasquez-Munoz in the cathedral.  Father Vasquez-Munoz was survived by his mother and 11 brothers and sister.

During the next several years, Bishop Speyrer was able to ordain nine priests;

1991 - Rev. Edward Richard, MS, ordained for the Missionaries of LaSalette 

1992 - Rev. Carlos Garcia-Cardona and Rev. Mauricio Lopez-Velez.  

1993 - Rev. Timothy Goodly  

1994 - Rev. Karl Fusilier  

1995 - Rev. Wayne LeBleu  

1996 - Rev. Daniel Torres  

1997 - Rev. Alan Trouille and Rev. Brian King  

1998 - Rev. Keith Pellerin  

1999 - Rev. Heriberto Garcia-Bernal

There were anniversary celebrations as well.   On June 2, 1991, Auxiliary Bishop Harold Perry returned to Lake Charles to celebrate his Silver Jubilee as a Bishop at Scared Heart Church, with Bishop Speyrer presiding.  Also present was Lake Charles’ other native son, Auxiliary Bishop Leonard Oliver of Washington, D.C.  Sadly, on July 17, Bishop Perry passed away in New Orleans.  His funeral was held in the Cathedral of Saint Louis King of France and nine of the 12 black Bishops of the nation were among the 20 bishops and archbishops present. 

A major event of 1991 was the celebration of the 125^th anniversary of Saint Patrick Hospital, founded and conducted by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word.

During the celebration two of the sisters of the hospital staff also celebrated anniversaries.  Sister Petronilla McGrath, a native of County Tipperary in Ireland, celebrated 60 years as a sister, and Sister Rosalina Rogers, of County Sligo, Ireland, completed 50 years of vowed service. 

Other stationed at the hospital were Sisters Delphine Kearney, Marie Joseph Murnane, Esther Kennedy, Celestine Kavanaugh, Bernice O’Keefe and Therese Quinn.

Another major anniversary was celebrated in 1992 when the Missionaries of LaSalette observed the 150^th anniversary of the Apparitions of Our Lady at LaSalette in France.

Missionaries of LaSalette in the diocese at the time were Fathers Roland Bernier, John Blumn, Edward Brunnert, Joseph Decoteau, James Droney, Raymond Isabelle, Lawrence Kohler, George Repchick, Donald Thomas, William O’Brien, Patrick McCarthy and Eugene McKenna plus Brothers Edward Normantowicz and Donald Smith.

In October of 1992 Msgr. Irving DeBlanc retired after 32 years as Pastor of Our Lady Queen of Heaven Parish in Lake Charles, and began another career.  He was named Vicar of Special Service by Bishop Speyrer and began to expand his writing and retreat work.

A Major Change

In December of 1992 Bishop Speyrer expanded the Office of Social Service into the Department of Community Service.  Msgr. A. J. Vincent assumed supervision of the Offices of Pro-Life Activities under Deacon Garrett Carraway, Social Services under John Halloran, Ministry to Seafarers under Patrick Broussard, and Migrants and Refugees under the Rev. Juan Alers. 

Although recently retired, honors continued to come to Msgr. Irving DeBlanc.  In 1994 the National Federation of Priests Councils presented him with the President’s Award, given annually to one priest of the United States in recognition of distinguished service to church and country.  The federation is made up of delegates representing the 65,000 Catholic priests of the nation.  Msgr. DeBlanc received the award on April 28 in Richmond, Va.  

Gala Pageant

A seldom-seen pageant was enacted in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception when, for the first time in Southwest Louisiana, an investiture for a recognized Order of Knighthood took place.  On May 14 Prince Carlo Maria Bernardo de Bourbon, Duke of Calabria and Prince Royal of the House of Bourbon of the Two Sicilies, invested 12 men and women in the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George.  Four from the diocese were included:  Bishop Jude Speyrer, Msgr. A. J. Vincent and Truman and Norma Stacey.

On October 2, 1994, Bishop Speyrer blessed and dedicated the $4 million Villa Maria Retirement Center located at 3905 Kingston Street in Lake Charles.

The result of nine years of planning and fund raising on the part of Msgr. Irving DeBlanc and members of Our Lady Queen of Heaven Parish, the facility is operated as a nonprofit center. Board of directors were Mrs. Gene St. Romain, John Cardone, Msgr. Harry Grieg, Gayle Marshall, Mrs. Flavia Pratt, Bill Hawkings, Dr. Andrew Ranier, John Bradford, Rev. Mr. George Stearns, William Mancuso and Charles Viccellio.

In December of 1994 the Cathedral parish completed 125 years as a canonical church parish.  An anniversary Mass was celebrated by Bishop Speyrer with the Rev. Kenneth Bienvenu, a former associate pastor of the parish, as the homilist.  A reception in the Diocesan Chancery followed the Mass.  

The Spirituality Center

One of the great days in the history of the diocese was Sunday, November 5, 1995, when the Apostolic Nuncio, the Most Rev. Agostino Caccivillain, dedicated the new Saint Charles Spirituality Center in Moss Bluff. 

This project, 10 years in planning and development, consists of nine buildings located on a 69-acre tract near the Sam Houston Jones State Park.  On the site are the Saint Katherine Drexel Conference Center, a multi-purpose building designed for overnight accommodations for 60 and which is available for day programs and meetings. 

Oustalet Hall is the administrative center, while Cramers Hall and Peeters Hall are guest houses.  Brulet Hall houses the main dining hall and kitchen, plus a conference area.

The Chapel of the Assumption Chapel, with seating for 125, rounds out the main quadrangle of the Center.

 The first staff included the Rev. Don Piraro, director; Carline Glynn, Associate Director;  Ginny Fontenot, Secretary/Receptionist; Elizabeth Gholar, food service manager; and Like Picard, maintenance. 

Another major event in 1996 took place when nine Nigerian nuns of the Congregation of the Daughters of Mary, Mother of Mercy, made perpetual vows of poverty, chastity and obedience to their Order before representatives of the Order’s Mother General and Bishop Speyrer.  Also attending were priests from Nigeria, Ireland and Germany.

 The Congregation was founded in 1961 in the Diocese of Umuahia in Nigeria and now has 93 houses in 38 dioceses, including New Orleans as well as Lake Charles.

One of the icons of the diocese, the Rev. Jules O. Daigle, celebrated his 95^th birthday and his 70^th anniversary as a priest, surrounded by his fellow residents of Welsh and his fellow priests of the diocese.

In December of 1996 Bishop Speyrer ordained three permanent deacons in Immaculate Conception Church in Sulphur:  John Mounce and Maurice Serice of Immaculate Conception Parish, and Malone Hebert of St. Theresa Parish.  

Anticipating the Millennium

Bishop Speyrer ordered a Millennium Pilgrimage to take place over the next three years.  Each month, a prayer service was held in a parish church, starting with the youngest - St. Charles Borromeo in Fenton - in January of 1997, and ending in December of 1999 in the Cathedral in Lake Charles.  The program would thus include the 36 churches in the diocese. 

As part of the celebration of the Millennium Bishop Speyrer named five church parishes as proto-parishes.  The five were the only parishes in the current confines of the diocese in 1918 when the Diocese of Lafayette was established. 

These proto-parishes and the dates of their establishment are:

          Immaculate Conception Parish, Lake Charles (1869)  

          Scared Heart Parish of Creole (1890)  

          Our Lady Help of Christians Parish, Jennings (1892)  

          Our Lady of Seven Dolors Parish, Welsh (1905)  

          St. Paul Parish, Elton (1913)

Respectable crowds attended each of the 36 prayer services, and on December 31, 1999, Bishop Speyrer called for “night watch” programs in five church parishes to welcome in the millennium.   They were Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Lake Charles, Our Lady of Prompt Succor Church in Sulphur, Our Lady Help of Christians Church in Jennings, Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Creole and St. Phillip Neri Church in Kinder.

The program was to be the same in each church:   A vigil prayer service was to begin at 11 p.m.  At midnight the church bells were to ring, and the Millennium Mass was celebrated for the Jubilee Year of the Birth of Christ. 

Following the Mass a breakfast was served at all five churches.

All other churches and chapels in the diocese were dark, and the faithful attended the celebration in the churches nearest to their residences. 

During the months of the pilgrimage prayer services and other events were taking place in the diocese.  On July1, 1998, Msgr. A J. Vincent retired and took up the role of senior priest.  Kathryn Malveaux retired as the Director of the Catholic Service Center, which she had led since 1979, and Deacon H. E. Wagner retired after 18 years as the fiscal administrator.  Msgr. Vincent was created a Protonotary Apostolic in recognition of his services, and Mrs. Malveaux and Deacon Wagner became Companions of Honor with the awarding of the diocese’s Devoted Service Medal.

On the same day the Rev. Charles Soileau retired as pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Vinton.  Father Keith Pellerin was named administrator to succeed him.

A sad note:  in 1999 the Divine Word Missionaries announced that they could no longer staff Sacred Heart Parish after 11 years in the diocese.

The Second Millennium

The year 2000 proved to be a monumental milepost in the history of the Diocese of Lake Charles. 

It began in January when the 20^th anniversary of the establishment of the diocese was celebrated with a reception and exhibition of drawings of the 36 churches of the diocese was held in the lobby of Hibernia Bank and Tower.  The drawings were by Hadson Solis, who was a guest of honor.  Other guests of note were Bishop Emeritus Gerard Frey of Lafayette, Bishop Alfred C. Hughes of Baton Rouge, Bishop Sam Jacobs of Alexandria and Auxiliary Bishop Curtis Guillory of Galveston-Houston.

Later in April the Knightly Orders of the diocese sponsored a reception for Bishop Speyrer celebrating the 20th anniversary of his installation as Bishop of Lake Charles.

On June 9 three permanent deacons were ordained by Bishop Speyrer in the Cathedral:  Glen Viau, Richard Hinchee and Victor Bonnaffee, III.

Governor Mike Foster and Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Blanco were on hand to dedicate a 23-foot Millennium state of Christ in the historic Bilbo cemetery. The statue by sculptor Janie LaCroix, was dedicated to the city through the efforts of Msgr. Irving A. DeBlanc.

The diocese celebrated even longer after Pope John Paul II canonized Mother Katherine Drexel, the Philadelphia heiress who became the foundress of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament.  Saint Katherine was not only a major benefactor of Sacred Heart School in Lake Charles, she also sent her sisters to teach in the school. 

A Memorial Mass was dedicated to her on October 1 in Sacred Heart Church and Mayor Randy Roach proclaimed the day “Saint Katherine Drexel Day” in Lake Charles.  On November 4 the new saint was honored with a banquet at Sacred Heart School.  

A New Bishop

While the clergy and laity of the diocese were still absorbing all this good news, everyone was astounded when Bishop Speyrer announced at a press conference on December 12 that the Holy Father had accepted his request for retirement because of health and personal reasons.

At the same conference Bishop Speyrer introduced his successor, Bishop Edward K. Braxton, who had been Auxiliary Bishop of St. Louis.

It was also announced that the Installation Mass for Bishop Braxton was set for February 22.

          Bishop Braxton flew into Lake Charles on December 11, met his clergy and staff on Tuesday, attended the press conference and returned to St. Louis the next day.

          A native of Chicago, Bishop Braxton was ordained to the priesthood on May 13, 1970.  He was a graduate student at the University of Louvain in Belgium from 1973 to 1975, earned doctorates in religious studies and systematic theology.

In 1976 he became visiting professor at Harvard University and in 1978 became Chancellor for Theological Affairs to Bishop James A. Hickey of Cleveland, and continued this work when Archbishop Hickey became Archbishop of Washington in 1980. 

He was scholar-in-residence at the North American College in Rome in 1983.  Returning to Chicago, he was Director of Calvert House, the Catholic Student Canter at the University of Chicago until 1986.

From 1986 to 1992 Bishop Braxton was official Theological Consultant to William H. Sadlier, Inc. of New York, a leading publisher of Catholic religious and educational volumes.

Pope John Paul II appointed him Auxiliary Bishop of St. Louis in 1995, where the Vicar General, as the Archbishop’s representative to Catholic hospitals and the work of the Permanent Deacons, the Human Rights Office and the Archdiocesan Catholic Charities.

He listed his personal interests as music, sailing, rafting, whale watching and skiing.

Thus closed one of the most momentous of 25 years of diocesan history.

 Installation

All efforts were immediately directed to the installation of the new Bishop, which was scheduled for February 22, the Feast of the Chair of Peter, in Our Lady Queen of Heaven Church.  This locale was chosen because the church has a greater seating capacity than the Cathedral.

          Bishop Braxton “took possession” of the diocese at a Vesper Service held in the Cathedral on February 21.  At this service he was introduced to a number of public officials and dignitaries of other faiths of the community.

          An overflow crowd of nearly 1,000 filed into Our Lady Queen of Heaven Church the next afternoon to witness the installation ceremony, led by Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, the Papal Nuncio to the United States, and Archbishop Frances B.  Schulte of New Orleans, the Metropolitan of the Province of New Orleans. 

          Among those attending were more than 30 archbishops, bishops and abbots, 200 priests and deacons.  Archbishop Montalvo read the Apostolic Letter by which Pope John Paul II named Bishop Braxton to the See of Lake Charles.  Then the two archbishops led him to the Bishop’s Chair, and gave him the crozier which is the symbol of the bishop’s pastoral authority

Following the installation a reception was held in the Lake Charles Civic Center at which the public had been invited.

Bishop Braxton also celebrated a series of special Masses March 12-16 as an opportunity to become better acquainted with the Catholic faithful.  They were celebrated in Sacred Heart Church in Lake Charles, St. Philip Neri Church in Kinder, Our Lady of Prompt Succor Church in Sulphur, Scared Heart of Jesus Church in Creole and Our Lady Help of Christians Church in Jennings.  Public receptions followed each Mass.

The ten months following his installation were busy ones for Bishop Braxton.  His first appointments were announced:  Msgr. Harry Grieg as Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia; Msgr. Jace Eskind, Special Assistant for Pastoral Affairs and Master of Ceremonies; Rev. Mr. George Stearns, Chancellor, Chief Administrative Officer and Archivist; and the Rev. Henry Mancuso, Secretary for the Clergy.

Next came a revision of the diocesan deaneries from two to three.  Named Deanery Vicars were Msgr. James Gaddy, East Deanery; Msgr. Vincent Sedita, West Deanery; and the Very Rev. William Miller, the newly-configured Central Deanery. 

The diocesan administrative departments were reorganized into five secretariats:

Secretariat for Clergy:  Rev. Henry Mancuso, Secretary 

Secretariat for Religious:  Sister Rose Ann Blair, Secretary 

Secretariat for Pastoral Services:  Rev. Mr. Edward Lavine, Secretary 

Secretariat for Christian Formation: Mrs. Sandra Gay, Secretary 

Secretariat for Administrative Services: Rev. Mr. George Stearns, Secretary 

Among individual appointments were:

Clergy Personnel Board Chair: Very Rev. William Miller 

Judicial Vicar" Msgr. Jace Eskind  

Development and Communications: Morris LeBleu

Legal Counsel: Peter Ciambotti

Finance Council: Tom Cassidy

          On June 2 Bishop Braxton for the first time ordained a priest for his diocese.  The Rev. Anthony Fontenot was added to the list of the diocesan priests in ceremonies in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

Two other appointments were made in August.  Deacon Richard Hinchee became associate director of Saint Charles Spirituality Center, and Patrick LaPoint was named director of the Diocesan Seafarers Center. 

A special celebration took place on September 30, when two priests of the Society of Divine Word celebrated 50 years of priesthood.  An overflow crowd filled Sacred Heart Church in Lake Charles to greet the Most Rev. Leonard Olivier, Auxiliary Bishop of Washington, and the Rev. John LaBauve, former Sacred Heart Pastor.

The “year of activity” closed on December 1 with the ordination of ten permanent deacons:  Mark Benoit, Immaculate Conception, Jennings; Joseph Bushnell, Immaculate Heart of Mary; Wayne Chapman, Our Lady of Seven Dolors; David Deshotel, St. Joan of Arc; Glenn Harmon, St. Theodore; Patrick LaPoint, Our Lady of Prompt Succor; Bennett McNeal, Immaculate Conception, Jennings; Raymond Menard, St. Margaret of Scotland; Roy Nash, Our Lady Star of the Sea; and Michael Trammel, St. Lawrence.

The following four years were also filled with activity, beginning with the ordination of two priests on May 18, 2002.  Bishop Braxton ordained his two newest priests, Rev. Marcus Johnson and Rev. Charles McMillin. Father Johnson was assigned to St. Margaret of Scotland Parish and Father McMillin to St. Theodore Parish.

In July of 2002 Bishop Braxton made the first presentation of the diocese’s highest honor, Companion of Saint Charles, to Louis and Ida Lognion in honor of their 75 years of marriage.

Later Bishop Braxton was to confer the same honor upon Msgr. Irving A. DeBlanc and Msgr. A. J. Vincent in recognition of their long service to the Church; and to Mrs. Laura Rubit, Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, on her 107th birthday.

On August 17, 2002, Bishop Braxton ordained Clyde H. Thomas to the priesthood, and assigned him to Our Lady Help of Christians Church in Jennings.

The big news of 2002, however, came on September 30 when Bishop Braxton carved two new church parishes out of Our Lady Queen of Heaven Parish. 

Christ the King Mission, south of the municipal airport was made a canonical parish, with the Rev. Wayne LeBleu as the founding pastor.

St. Martin de Porres Mission also became a canonical parish, with the Rev. Keith Pellerin as the founding pastor.  They were the first new parishes in the diocese since 1983, when St. Charles Borromeo was established at Fenton.

Christ the King Parish ministers to 1,900 families and St. Martin de Porres Parish to 1,500.

Another first for the diocese was the launching of the St. Louis Catholic High School “Opening Windows” Campaign which sought to raise $3,375,000 during a three-year fund drive to build a new learning center and library, six new classrooms, a physical science laboratory and a health and physical education center.  Michael Veron was named chairman of the drive and Msgr. Irving A. DeBlanc and Dan Corcoran co-chairs.

Two important anniversaries were celebrated during the year.  St. Patrick Hospital observed 95 years of service to Southwest Louisiana and Msgr. DeBlanc celebrated 65 years as a priest.

On March 26, 2003, the Rev. Alphonse Volpe passed away.  He was best known for his long career as a chaplain to law enforcement and fire departments.  Police and fire departments of several communities sent delegations to the funeral to serve as guard of honor, including a piper.

Another milepost arrived on July 25 when Bishop Emeritus Speyrer celebrated the 50^th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood in a Golden Jubilee Mass in the cathedral.  Bishop Braxton was the celebrant and all the priests of the diocese were concelebrants.

Still another cause of celebration:  In September Pope John Paul II promoted Bishop Sam Jacobs, who grew up in Lake Charles, from Alexandria to the See of Houma-Thibodaux.

The year 2004 opened on a sad note when the Rev. Francis Fitzsimons, MS, Pastor of St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Parish in Carlyss, passed away in his sleep on January 23.

In July of 2004 Bishop Braxton issued his pastoral letter, “The Shape of the Church to Come,” emphasizing the need for more priests in the diocese.

As the diocese approached the celebration of its 25^th anniversary, both clergy and laity found much to be thankful for.  The preceding 25 years had brought a growing Catholic population, dedicated and faithful priests and outstanding physical facilities in many parishes.  

World events, however, were beginning to make themselves keenly felt as men and women of the diocese who were members of the armed forces were finding their lives disrupted by deployment to Afghanistan and Iraq as war and violence raged on more than one continent. 

As the faithful of the diocese waited for the appointment of a new shepherd, they, like their brothers and sisters throughout the world, were praying more and more for world peace.

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