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The Pastor’s Corner
This weekend on Sunday, September 7, 2014 at the 10am Mass we will celebrate a Memorial Mass in memory of Lt. Fr. Joseph Verbis Lafleur. The Rev. Msgr. Jefferson DeBlanc, V.E., pastor of Our Lady of the the Sacred Heart Church in Church Point, and former pastor of Our Lady of Mercy Church here in Opelousas, will be the main celebrant and homilist. We celebrate a Memorial Mass each year for Fr. Lafleur on this date, which this year falls on a Sunday. This provides a wonderful opportunity for our entire parish to learn about and celebrate the life of Fr. Lafleur, a man whom I believe is a Saint and who walked the very aisles of our church not that long ago. Although the special Memorial Mass will be at the 10am Mass, the homilies at all masses this weekend will be about Fr. Lafleur and his extraordinary life.
Fr. Lafleur came from Ville Platte to Opelousas and St. Landry Church as a child and spent some of his formative years here. Shortly after his arrival, Fr. Lafleur was sitting at our sacristy steps and met Msgr. Colliard, our pastor from 1919 to 1950. The rest is history!
After serving as an altar server here at St. Landry, he left for the seminary under the sponsorship of Fr. Colliard and St. Landry Church. After being ordained a diocesan priest for the diocese of Lafayette, he served a short time in the Lafayette Diocese at St. Mary Magdalen Church in Abbeville (where he is still fondly remembered for his piety and work with the youth there). He then began to serve as a chaplain in the United States Army in the Pacific Theatre during World War II. Fr. Lafleur was captured by the Japanese and was imprisoned, where he ministered to his fellow prisoners. The story of Fr. Lafleur's life is extraordinary, especially in his selflessness, kindness and bravery, all the while he himself was being treated cruelly. In the end, he specifically gave his life on a sinking ship so that others could live. His life story has been published in a book titled "But He Dies Not," which will be available for purchase from the Friends of Fr. Lafleur at the Memorial Mass.
Of course, there is great devotion to Fr. Lafleur in our parish, including the beautiful monument in the front of the church. To this day, family members of Fr. Lafleur remain active members of our parish. Fr. Lafleur is certainly a significant figure in our church parish history and a part of our spiritual patronage that we should all cherish. Let us enjoy the celebration of his life this weekend, become inspired by it, and try to imitate the Christ-like virtues he modeled for us.
Fr. Lafleur came from Ville Platte to Opelousas and St. Landry Church as a child and spent some of his formative years here. Shortly after his arrival, Fr. Lafleur was sitting at our sacristy steps and met Msgr. Colliard, our pastor from 1919 to 1950. The rest is history!
After serving as an altar server here at St. Landry, he left for the seminary under the sponsorship of Fr. Colliard and St. Landry Church. After being ordained a diocesan priest for the diocese of Lafayette, he served a short time in the Lafayette Diocese at St. Mary Magdalen Church in Abbeville (where he is still fondly remembered for his piety and work with the youth there). He then began to serve as a chaplain in the United States Army in the Pacific Theatre during World War II. Fr. Lafleur was captured by the Japanese and was imprisoned, where he ministered to his fellow prisoners. The story of Fr. Lafleur's life is extraordinary, especially in his selflessness, kindness and bravery, all the while he himself was being treated cruelly. In the end, he specifically gave his life on a sinking ship so that others could live. His life story has been published in a book titled "But He Dies Not," which will be available for purchase from the Friends of Fr. Lafleur at the Memorial Mass.
Of course, there is great devotion to Fr. Lafleur in our parish, including the beautiful monument in the front of the church. To this day, family members of Fr. Lafleur remain active members of our parish. Fr. Lafleur is certainly a significant figure in our church parish history and a part of our spiritual patronage that we should all cherish. Let us enjoy the celebration of his life this weekend, become inspired by it, and try to imitate the Christ-like virtues he modeled for us.
God Bless
Father James Brady
The bulletin for the week of September 07, 2014 has been posted. Click here to see it.The calendar on the website has been updated with all events for the coming week along with prayer intention information and information on the second collection for all of the masses. Take some time to look at our calendar here.
Updates are also being made to our St. Landry Catholic Church blog. You can get to the blog from the church home page under the Bulletins and News section or you can just click here to go to it.
Don't forget, we're also sending out live updates via Twitter. Our Twitter name is StLandryCath. You can see updates by clicking here.
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