St. Patrick's Catholic Church, Lafayette, LA

Here are pictures of St. Patrick Catholic Church located at 406 East Pinhook Rd., Lafayette, LA. I was not able to find a web site for St. Patrick's and the church was locked when I visited late on a Saturday evening; therefore I was not able to get a church bulletin. I hope you enjoy the pictures. Sorry, but you will have to ignore the harsh shadows, not much I could do about them.

St. Bernard Catholic Church, Breaux Bridge, Louisiana

This time I highlight St. Bernard Catholic Church located in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. A chapel was established in Breaux Bridge at the corner of Main and Bridge Streets in 1847. Shortly after the chapel was established, Fr. J. Zeller from St. Martin de Tours in St. Martinville built a rectory in Breaux Bridge. Priests from St. Martin de Tours continued to minister to the worshipers until a permanent Priest, Fr. J. LeGrand was appointed to the parish in 1848. A church was built about 10 years later by Fr. Dubenard. Father Paul A. Borel was appointed to the parish in 1923 and served until 1954. Fr. Borel campaigned for a new church and below are the pictures of that new church. This church was dedicated by Bishop Jules B. Jeanmard (see statue of Bishop Jeanmard below) in 1934.

Bishop Jules B. Jeanmard

St. Martin de Tours Catholic Church, St. Martinville, LA

St. Martin de Tours Catholic Church in St. Martinville, Louisiana is often referred to as the "mother church" of the Acadians. The church was established in 1765 and is held as the oldest church parish in the Diocese of Lafayette Louisiana. The current building was built circa 1844. I was not able to locate a web site for the church parish and few dates and facts can be confirmed. I will continue to research this church parish and post an update at a later time. For now, enjoy the pictures below of a beautiful building with a very long history.






Statue of St. Martin of Tours

St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, Grand Coteau, LA

St. Charles Borromeo Parish was established in 1819. St. Charles is the third oldest parish in the Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana. The two older parishes are St. Martin de Tours in St. Martinville; it was established in 1765. And St. Landry located in Opelousas; founded in 1776.

Charles Smith, a wealthy planter and carpenter that came to the area from Maryland donated 140 arpents of land to Bishop William Dubourg to build the first church. The new parish was named St. Charles Borromeo in honor of the donor's patron saint. Mr. Smith died shortly before the first church was even completed.

Sixty years after the church was built, the parish expressed its need for a larger church building. The parishioners hosted fairs, a circus, and Mardi Gras theatricals and with help from the Religious of the Sacred Heart, a new church was built. On March 19, 1879, the cornerstone of the new church building was put into position and blessed. The primary builders were two Jesuit brothers: Cornelius Otten of Holland and Joseph Armand Brinkhaus of Grand Coteau.

The following year the church was consecrated under the title of the Sacred Heart. This was done by popular demand of the parishioners in gratitude to the Sacred Heart who had protected them from the yellow fever epidemic and to the Religious of the Sacred Heart who had donated one-third of the cost of construction of the new edifice. In recent years, the church was renamed under the original title of St. Charles Borromeo.

The St. Charles Barromeo church and the entire area holds a wealth of history. The grounds are graced with massive oak trees as evident by the pictures below (remember to click on each picture to get a larger view). A Mass and several hours are in order to appreciate the beauty and history of this most holy and historic place.