Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana
Encyclopedia
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.
consists of four regions containing eight civil parishes:
† = deceased
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The oldest church in the diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
is the parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
church of St. Martinville
St. Martinville, Louisiana
St. Martinville is a city in and the parish seat of St. Martin Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on Bayou Teche, sixteen miles south of Breaux Bridge, eighteen miles southeast of Lafayette, and nine miles north of New Iberia. The population was 6,989 at the 2000 census. It is part of the...
, 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
Roman Catholic Diocese of Lake Charles
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Lake Charles , is a particular church located in southwest Louisiana . It is a fairly new diocese of the Roman Catholic Church, being founded on January 29, 1980. It is suffragan to the Archdiocese of New Orleans.The diocese is administered from the city of Lake...
on January 29, 1980.
Geographic Summary
The dioceseDiocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
consists of four regions containing eight civil parishes:
- North (St. Landry ParishSt. Landry Parish, LouisianaSt. Landry Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is at the heart of Acadian/Cajun culture and heritage in Louisiana. The parish seat is Opelousas. According to the 2010 census, the population of St. Landry Parish is 83,384.St...
and Evangeline ParishEvangeline Parish, Louisiana-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 35,434 people, 12,736 households, and 9,157 families residing in the parish. The population density was 53 people per square mile . There were 14,258 housing units at an average density of 22 per square mile...
) - Central (most of Lafayette ParishLafayette Parish, LouisianaLafayette Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Lafayette. According to the 2010 Census, its population was recorded as 221,578....
and a large part of St. Martin ParishSt. Martin Parish, LouisianaSt. Martin Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is St. Martinville. As of the 2000 census, the population was 48,583.St...
) - South (Iberia ParishIberia Parish, LouisianaIberia Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is New Iberia. As of 2000, the population was 73,266.Iberia Parish is part of the New Iberia Micropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Lafayette–Acadiana Combined Statistical Area.Iberia, along with...
and St. Mary ParishSt. Mary Parish, LouisianaSt. Mary Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Franklin. As of 2000, the population was 53,500.The Morgan City Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of St. Mary Parish.-Geography:...
, as well as part of St. Martin Parish) - West (Acadia ParishAcadia Parish, LouisianaAcadia Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Crowley. According to the 2010 census, the population of Acadia Parish is 61,773. The parish was founded from parts of St...
and Vermilion ParishVermilion Parish, LouisianaVermilion Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Abbeville. As of the 2010 census, the population was 57,999....
, as well as a small part of Lafayette Parish)
Bishops
- Jules Benjamin JeanmardJules JeanmardJules Benjamin Jeanmard was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Lafayette in Louisiana from 1918 to 1956.-Biography:...
† (18 Jul 1918 Appointed - 13 Mar 1956 Retired) - Maurice SchexnayderMaurice SchexnayderMaurice Schexnayder was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Lafayette in Louisiana from 1956 to 1972.-Biography:...
† (13 Mar 1956 Appointed - 7 Nov 1972 Retired) - Gerard Louis FreyGerard Louis FreyGerard Louis Frey was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Savannah, Georgia and Bishop of Lafayette, Louisiana .-Early life and priesthood:...
† (7 Nov 1972 Appointed - 13 May 1989 Retired) - Harry Joseph Flynn (15 May 1989 Succeeded - 24 Feb 1994 Appointed, Coadjutor Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, MinnesotaRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and MinneapolisThe Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the United States. It is led by the prelature of an archbishop which administers the archdiocese from the cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis...
) - Edward Joseph O'DonnellEdward Joseph O'DonnellEdward Joseph O'Donnell was the fifth Roman Catholic Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana....
† (8 Nov 1994 Appointed - 8 Nov 2002 Resigned due to ill health) - Charles Michael JarrellCharles Michael JarrellCharles Michael Jarrell is the seventh and current Bishop of Lafayette, Louisiana. Before entering seminary, Jarrell attended The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. where he received both a Bachelor's and Master's Degree in Philosophy.- External links :*...
(8 Nov 2002 Appointed)
† = deceased
Bishops who once were priests of the Diocese of Lafayette
The following men began their service as priests in Lafayette before being appointed bishops elsewhere:- Glen ProvostGlen ProvostGlen John Provost is the current bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lake Charles since his appointment by Pope Benedict XVI on 6 March 2007....
– Appointed Bishop of Lake CharlesRoman Catholic Diocese of Lake CharlesThe Roman Catholic Diocese of Lake Charles , is a particular church located in southwest Louisiana . It is a fairly new diocese of the Roman Catholic Church, being founded on January 29, 1980. It is suffragan to the Archdiocese of New Orleans.The diocese is administered from the city of Lake...
on March 6, 2007; ordained a bishop on April 23, 2007
High schools
- Academy of the Sacred HeartAcademy of the Sacred Heart, Grand CoteauThe Academy of the Sacred Heart, founded in 1821 in Grand Coteau, Louisiana, is an independent, Catholic school for girls in Pre-Kindergarten-3 through grade twelve, with residential accommodations for students in grades seven through twelve...
, Grand Coteau - Catholic High SchoolCatholic High School (New Iberia, Louisiana)Catholic High School of New Iberia, Louisiana, was opened in 1957 by the Brothers of the Christian Schools, and is located on De La Salle Drive, a road named after Saint Jean-Baptiste de la Salle, the man who founded the Brothers in 1680...
, New Iberia - Hanson Memorial High SchoolHanson Memorial High SchoolHanson Memorial High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Franklin, Louisiana. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette....
, Franklin - Notre Dame High School, Crowley
- Opelousas Catholic SchoolOpelousas Catholic SchoolOpelousas Catholic School is a private, Catholic school in Opelousas, Louisiana. Located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette, the school offers education from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade....
, Opelousas - Sacred Heart High SchoolSacred Heart High School (Ville Platte, Louisiana)Sacred Heart High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Ville Platte, Louisiana. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette.-Mission:...
, Ville Platte - St. Edmund High SchoolSt. Edmund High School (Eunice, Louisiana)St. Edmund High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Eunice, Louisiana. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette.-Background:...
, Eunice - St. Thomas More School, Lafayette
- Teurlings Catholic High SchoolTeurlings Catholic High SchoolTeurlings Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Lafayette, Louisiana. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette.-Background:...
, Lafayette - Vermilion Catholic High SchoolVermilion Catholic High SchoolVermilion Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Abbeville, Louisiana. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette.-Notable alumni:...
, Abbeville
Ecclesiastical province of New Orleans
- See: List of the Catholic bishops of the United States#Province of New Orleans