Bulletin for the Week of June 30, 2013 - and the Pastor's Corner

The Pastor’s Corner 

This weekend brings an end and a beginning. Last week was the last week of my term as administrator at St. Peter's in Grand Prairie, so my work there comes to an end. St. Peter's new pastor, Fr. D. Blaine Clement, begins his service there Monday, July 1. Please keep him and the people of St. Peter's in your prayers for a smooth transition. Also on Monday, July 1, I begin my annual vacation, and will be out of the parish next weekend and the weekend of July 21/22 (I will be here the weekend of July 13/14). During the time of my absence, the parish will be sacramentally ministered by the capable hands of Msgr. Melancon and Fr. Leger. My heartfelt gratitude to them for taking on the extra duties in my absence.

Last weekend also marked the third anniversary of me being your pastor. As with any parish, we've had our joys and sorrows over the last three years, as well as our successes and bumps in the road. I want to thank all of you for making my job as pastor a joy. St. Landry has been a great blessing to me, and it is because of you. Your patience and support is very much appreciated, and you all have made me a better person and priest. Our parish has changed over this time, and my hope is that St. Landry as a community will continue to adapt to meet all your spiritual needs. Thanks again!

           God Bless!

           Father James Brady


The bulletin for the week of June 30, 2013 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.

And we're also on Facebook --- friend us! You can see our updates on our page SaintLandryCatholicChurch.

Homily for the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Homilies are now available to download and listen to!

As part of our answering the challenge of the Holy Father to go out and evangelize utilizing new technologies, we're now offering the homily each week for download. Clicking the link to the homily should download it and automatically start it playing in whatever music player your computer is set up with.

On the technical side, the file sizes are about 5 megs which means it may a minute or two to download on slower Internet connections. It is also an MP3 formatted file which means that these are essentially podcasts. Don't worry if all the technical words don't mean much to you. It means we're using the latest in technology in order to make sure our church parish can reach the most people.

The current week's homily is available on a link on the front page of the website next to the link for the current week's bulletin. On the page with the prior bulletins, the corresponding homily will be sitting side by side with its bulletin. We started on the anniversary of the start of the Catholic Church, Pentecost Sunday --- four years ago. This week, the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time, is our two hundred sixty ninth!! podcast to be posted. The homily is given by Monsignor Louis Melancon.

So, take a listen and let us know what you think. Click here to download the homily from St. Landry Catholic Church, Opelousas, Louisiana.

Bulletin for the Week of June 23, 2013 - and the Pastor's Corner

The Pastor’s Corner 

Once again this year, the Fortnight for Freedom program will be held in Opelousas at Our Lady Queen of Angels’ parish hall. Fortnight for Freedom is a two week daily group prayer for our country leading up to the celebration of it's founding on July 4. The program began last year in response to regulations in the health care act that require health insurance policies to provide coverage for “health care” that our Church teaches are morally wrong and in some cases a violation of human rights. These “health care services” include abortion, sterilization and the provision of contraceptives. An explanation of the program and the prayers are provided in the bulletin insert contained herein.

      Schedule of Fortnight for Freedom Prayer Meetings
       Friday, June 21, 2013 – Thursday, July 4, 2013
 
      Times of Prayer Meetings
      All evenings will be at 6:00 p.m.
      … except Sunday (June 23) and Sunday (June 30) will be at 7:00 p.m.

As we have discussed in our homilies over the past months here at St. Landry, the health care act is further evidence of the separation of our country’s secular morality from our Christian morality. This separation has been occurring gradually for quite some time, but especially in the last 50 years. We should all remain vigilant in living our lives according to Christian values, those taught to us by God the Father Himself in the life of His Son, Jesus. Jesus’ teaching remain the same; it is our society that is changing, and in some cases, not for the better. Parents should be vigilant in making sure their children are taught these Christian values, which is more difficult to do when societal morality is inconsistent with them.

In the health care act, the government is attempting to force this secular morality on Christians and those of other faiths by requiring them to provide and fund these “health care” services, and in doing so are violating our religious liberty individually and as a Church. The Fortnight for Freedom prayers are for respect of religious liberty as espoused in our Constitution and taught by our Church. The prayer lasts about one-half hour and begins each night at 6pm (except Sundays, on which it begins at about 7pm following the 6pm Sunday evening Mass). All are invited and encouraged to attend any nights possible. If you are unable to attend, the prayers are provided in the insert for your individual and family prayer during these two weeks. Let our prayer be also that our wonderful country, in which we were blessed to be born, can live as “One Nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all!”

           God Bless!

           Father James Brady


The bulletin for the week of June 23, 2013 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.

And we're also on Facebook --- friend us! You can see our updates on our page SaintLandryCatholicChurch.

Homily for the 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Homilies are now available to download and listen to!

As part of our answering the challenge of the Holy Father to go out and evangelize utilizing new technologies, we're now offering the homily each week for download. Clicking the link to the homily should download it and automatically start it playing in whatever music player your computer is set up with.

On the technical side, the file sizes are about 5 megs which means it may a minute or two to download on slower Internet connections. It is also an MP3 formatted file which means that these are essentially podcasts. Don't worry if all the technical words don't mean much to you. It means we're using the latest in technology in order to make sure our church parish can reach the most people.

The current week's homily is available on a link on the front page of the website next to the link for the current week's bulletin. On the page with the prior bulletins, the corresponding homily will be sitting side by side with its bulletin. We started on the anniversary of the start of the Catholic Church, Pentecost Sunday --- four years ago. This week, the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, is our two hundred sixty eighth!! podcast to be posted. The homily is given by Father James Brady.

So, take a listen and let us know what you think. Click here to download the homily from St. Landry Catholic Church, Opelousas, Louisiana.

Details of a Monstrance and photos from Corpus Christi

On Corpus Christi Sunday, we had day long adoration at St. Landry Catholic Church followed by benediction. The monstrance used is very ornate and includes what looks to be limoges hand painted porcelain pictures of the four gospel writers along with St. Peter and St. Paul.

The monstrance draws its name from the Latin word "monstrare" which means "to show".

First, here is a link to a 3D Photosynth of the monstrance. Clicking at various points on the monstrance will zoom in, bring in more detail, or zoom out. Click here for the 3D monstrance.

There are details of the monstrance within the photo gallery. And there also details of the cope worn by Father Brady during the procession. Click here for the photo gallery.

Men's Mass - Next Tuesday, June 18, 2013 at Our Lady of the Oaks Retreat House 6:30 PM

Men's Mass at the Retreat House - Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Come out and join us on Tuesday - 6:30 PM!

For some years, Keith Hebert has organized a monthly Men's Mass for guys in the Opelousas area. This mass has moved from place to place, home to home, business to business. The hope is that by bringing the mass out to men everywhere, there is an opportunity to bring men both closer to God and to bring men back into the Church.

On Tuesday, June 18, 2013, that monthly Men's Mass will be hosted at Our Lady of the Oaks Retreat House, 214 Church St., Grand Coteau, Louisiana . Jimmy Dauzat, the director at the retreat house, has been gracious enough to host this month's event. Following the mass, a meal of red beans and rice will also be served ... a long time favorite of folks who have attended the retreat.

The mass will be celebrated by our own Monsignor Louis Melancon. Monsignor just recently celebrated 50 years as a priest! When you shake his hand on Tuesday night, just think of how many times those hands have participated in the consecration of the body and blood of Christ over those many years.

If you plan to attend, please RSVP to me so we can get a head count. I would also encourage you to invite friends and family who you think might be interested in attending a retreat. This is a wonderful opportunity for your friends and family who are curious about the retreat house to get a chance to visit and look around in a fun atmosphere.

Don’t hesitate to call or email me. 

Andrew Guidroz II                      cell phone: (337) 351‐0732
213 N Main St
Opelousas, LA 70570                 email: andrew@thecajun.com

To see a video about the retreat house: click here.

To visit the retreat house website, click here: http://www.ourladyoftheoaks.com
  

Bulletin for the Week of June 16, 2013 - and the Pastor's Corner

The Pastor’s Corner 

This weekend we celebrate Father's Day. Many thanks for all our devoted fathers who lead and guide their families by teaching and example through the ways of the world to the presence of Christ, and thus to God, The Father. We pray that in their fatherly vocation they may always stay focused on the true good for their families, the salvation of the souls entrusted to their care. Happy Fathers Day!

At St. Landry Church, our patron serves as a father to us as a church family.  We celebrate the feast of our patron, St. Landry, today (St. Landry's actual feast day is June 10, but we celebrate it today as a full community since he is our patron).  He is a wonderful patron for us in both his teaching and example, and as we learn more about him, we can learn more about what our goals should be as a church community.  His life has a great similarity to what Pope Francis is calling us to be, and the homily this weekend will focus on St. Landry and how we can respond to his example individually and as a church community.

Please note that in the bulletin this week is a survey regarding Opelousas Catholic.  It is the last sheet of the PDF file. An explanation is provided below.  We hope that you are able to take the time to provide the Board of Pastors input on how we can improve the services Opelousas Catholic provides our families.

           God Bless!

           Father James Brady

Opelousas Catholic Survey 

In this bulletin is an insert containing a short survey regarding Opelousas Catholic.  Msgr. Keith DeRouen was recently appointed Chancellor of OC and has asked the members of all "owner parishes" to provide feedback regarding our school.  For your information, there are five "owner parishes" of OC:  Holy Ghost, Immaculate Conception (Washington), Our Lady of Mercy, Queen of Angels and St. Landry.  The pastor of each owner parish is a member of the Board of Pastors, which is charged with leading and guiding OC.  The Chancellor is appointed by the Bishop to be the head of the Board of Pastors and the primary contact of school personnel with the Board.

After being appointed Chancellor, Msgr. DeRouen asked for input regarding the administration of OC so that the Board of Pastors can effectively address any needs at OC.  We ask that you use the survey inserted in this bulletin for this purpose.  The survey is not limited to families who send their children to OC.  All parishioners are invited to respond, including current OC families, alumni, and families with children who chose other ways to educate their children.  In short, we seek input from our entire community.

The survey is short and should not take too much time to answer.  Msgr. DeRouen asked that all surveys be signed.  Be assured that confidentiality will be maintained, as only the pastor of each parish will know the identity of the respondent.  For tabulation and discussion by the Board of Pastors, the names of the respondents will be removed.  Next weekend, there will be a basket in the back of the church for responses, or if you prefer they can be dropped off at the parish office during business hours.  We ask that responses be received by Monday, June 24.

Thank you in advance for your participation.  We hope this survey will help the Board of Pastors in continuing to make OC a place where our children can be educated and formed in our Catholic Faith while developing to the fullest potential the natural intellectual and physical abilities God has given them.

The bulletin for the week of June 16, 2013 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.

And we're also on Facebook --- friend us! You can see our updates on our page SaintLandryCatholicChurch.

Photos from Monsignor Louis Melancon's 50th Anniversary of Ordination Party

May 25th was the 50th anniversary of the ordination to the priesthood of our own Monsignor Louis Melancon as well as Monsignor Paul Metrejean.  There was a wonderful reception held at the Opelousas Catholic cafeteria after the 10 AM Sunday mass. Monsignor began his priestly ministry here at St. Landry in 1963, serving as a teacher at AIC, and now is in residence here. He has spent, altogether, some 23 years of his priestly ministry serving the Opelousas area, including stays not only here at St. Landry, but also at St. Peter in Grand Prairie and at Our Lady Queen of Angels in Opelousas. Monsignor has been a great gift to our community, and he continues to be a vital part of it in his continued service, especially to our children at Opelousas Catholic. Words cannot adequately express the value of Monsignor's presence to our community or the gratitude that we have. However, knowing Monsignor, a simple "thank you" more than suffices. So let us all "thank" him and celebrate God's gift to us by his presence in, and his service to, our community.

You can click here for dozens of more photographs ...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thecajun/sets/72157633772673177/

Homily for the 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Homilies are now available to download and listen to!

As part of our answering the challenge of the Holy Father to go out and evangelize utilizing new technologies, we're now offering the homily each week for download. Clicking the link to the homily should download it and automatically start it playing in whatever music player your computer is set up with.

On the technical side, the file sizes are about 5 megs which means it may a minute or two to download on slower Internet connections. It is also an MP3 formatted file which means that these are essentially podcasts. Don't worry if all the technical words don't mean much to you. It means we're using the latest in technology in order to make sure our church parish can reach the most people.

The current week's homily is available on a link on the front page of the website next to the link for the current week's bulletin. On the page with the prior bulletins, the corresponding homily will be sitting side by side with its bulletin. We started on the anniversary of the start of the Catholic Church, Pentecost Sunday --- four years ago. This week, the Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, is our two hundred sixty seventh!! podcast to be posted. The homily is given by Monsignor Louis Melancon.

So, take a listen and let us know what you think. Click here to download the homily from St. Landry Catholic Church, Opelousas, Louisiana.

Photos from Memorial Day - Patriotic Rosary

St. Landry Catholic Daughters Court 119 sponsored a Patriotic Rosary on Monday, May 27 inside St. Landry Catholic Church. The rosary was led by veterans and members of the Catholic Daughters.

A Prayer for Those Serving in the Military

Almighty God, send your blessing upon all who serve in our armed forces.

 Shield them from all harm. 

Let peace be the sentry that stands guard over them. 

Look with compassion on all victims of war;

 ease their sufferings and heal their wounds. 

Put an end to wars over all the earth, and hasten peace. 

Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, now and forever. 

Amen.

You can click here for dozens of more photographs ... http://www.flickr.com/photos/thecajun/sets/72157633773686346/

Bulletin for the Week of June 9, 2013 and the Pastor's Corner

The Pastor’s Corner 

Last weekend, we welcomed seminarian Blake Dubroc at all our Sunday Masses. Blake is originally from Marksville and just finished his junior year of philosophy at St. Joseph's Seminary College at St. Benedict, Louisiana. He will be with us until July 15. We certainly appreciate him being here, and we hope he has a pleasant stay while living here at St. Landry. Below is a short biography for Blake.

In our Corpus Christi celebration last Sunday, we included a Eucharistic procession and adoration after the 10am Mass until the 5pm Mass. Adoration was well attended throughout the afternoon. Adoration provides an opportunity for quiet prayer in the presence of God. Although it is important that we bring our needs to God and give Him thanks for the blessings He has given to us, it is even more important that we make the time in our prayer to listen to God in the promptings of the Holy Spirit. This is best done in quiet reflection, especially in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament.

In Opelousas, we have many opportunities for reflection and prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. Besides the times when the big church is open, here at St. Landry the Valentin Hall chapel is open during business hours during the week, and we have 24 hour adoration every First Friday beginning at 7am and continuing until the 8am Mass Saturday morning. Queen of Angel's adoration chapel is open perpetually, so it is always available for prayer. Our Lady of Mercy also has a visitation chapel (code is needed, just call the office) which is always available. We are blessed in our community to have so many opportunities for quiet prayer with Our Lord. Families that pray together, especially those with children, experience a greater peace and unity that only God can give, especially when we remove the distractions of our daily lives for just a short period of time. Let us all make a renewed effort to increase our prayer so as to better serve God and our community!

           God Bless!

           Father James Brady


To the St. Landry Parish Family

It is a great privilege to serve you this summer as your parish seminarian. My name is Blake Steven Dubroc, and I am originally from Marksville, Louisiana. I am a graduate of the 2002 Class at Marksville High. I then moved out to Baton Rouge in 2002 to pursue my Bachelors of Arts in Political Science at Louisiana State University, graduating in 2006. In January 2008, I decided to move to Lafayette, Louisiana to begin a new career. For four years, I operated my own independent insurance agency, BSD Solutions, LLC. When I initially came out to the Lafayette area, I had no idea I was in the beginning stages of an “internal conversion” back to the Catholic faith, and as I progressed in my discernment, I began to open myself up to the possibility that God may be calling me to the priesthood. With the vocational call everpresent in my mind, I decided to apply to St. Joseph Abbey Seminary College in Covington, Louisiana. In January 2012, I entered the Seminary Priestly Formation.

This fall I will be entering my final year of Philosophy studies. So God-willing, I will be able to serve in the near future as an ordained minister. Please keep me in your prayers as I continue in formation and be assured of my continued prayers for you. God bless you!

Devotedly Yours in Christ,

Blake Dubroc


The bulletin for the week of June 09, 2013 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.

And we're also on Facebook --- friend us! You can see our updates on our page SaintLandryCatholicChurch.

Homily for Corpus Christi

Homilies are now available to download and listen to!

As part of our answering the challenge of the Holy Father to go out and evangelize utilizing new technologies, we're now offering the homily each week for download. Clicking the link to the homily should download it and automatically start it playing in whatever music player your computer is set up with.

On the technical side, the file sizes are about 5 megs which means it may a minute or two to download on slower Internet connections. It is also an MP3 formatted file which means that these are essentially podcasts. Don't worry if all the technical words don't mean much to you. It means we're using the latest in technology in order to make sure our church parish can reach the most people.

The current week's homily is available on a link on the front page of the website next to the link for the current week's bulletin. On the page with the prior bulletins, the corresponding homily will be sitting side by side with its bulletin. We started on the anniversary of the start of the Catholic Church, Pentecost Sunday --- four years ago. This week, Corpus Christi Sunday, is our two hundred sixty sixth!! podcast to be posted. The homily is given by Father James Brady.

So, take a listen and let us know what you think. Click here to download the homily from St. Landry Catholic Church, Opelousas, Louisiana.

Bulletin for the Week of June 2, 2013 - and the Pastor's Corner

The Pastor’s Corner 

This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, commonly referred to as Corpus Christi. Our formal celebration of Easter concluded two weeks ago with Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit into the world, and to each one of us, to lead and guide us in our imitation of Christ in the particular mission God has given to us. Last weekend we celebrated Trinity Sunday, thanking God for revealing Himself, in the life of Jesus, as the Triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Today, we celebrate the gift of the Eucharist, the sacrament Jesus instituted at the Last Supper which fulfills His promise to be with us until the end of time and strengthens us to follow the leadership and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Sunday after the 10:00am Mass we will have a special devotion to the Eucharist in celebration of this feast. Following Mass we will have a Eucharistic procession in the church and then Eucharistic adoration for the afternoon. Benediction and reposition will take place just prior to the 5pm Mass. I hope everyone is able to spend some time in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament Sunday afternoon. The Eucharist is the "source and summit" of our sacramental faith, and our devotion to Jesus cannot be complete without devotion to His presence in the Blessed Sacrament.

This past week also marked the end of the school year for most of our students, and we wish them a safe and happy summer. Many of us will be taking vacations during this time. A reminder that our worship of God is not suspended when we are on vacation. We all make vacation plans for travel, food, housing, etc. We should include making plans for Sunday Mass (this especially teaches our children the importance of our faith and practicing it at all times). If your vacation plans make it impossible to attend Sunday Mass, it would be good to reconsider the plans to make attendance at Mass possible. If not, then you should consult your pastor regarding the availability of a dispensation prior to your departure.

           God Bless!

           Father James Brady

The bulletin for the week of June 02, 2013 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.

And we're also on Facebook --- friend us! You can see our updates on our page SaintLandryCatholicChurch.

Homily for Trinity Sunday - Celebrating Monsignor Melancon's 50th Jubilee

Homilies are now available to download and listen to!

As part of our answering the challenge of the Holy Father to go out and evangelize utilizing new technologies, we're now offering the homily each week for download. Clicking the link to the homily should download it and automatically start it playing in whatever music player your computer is set up with.

On the technical side, the file sizes are about 5 megs which means it may a minute or two to download on slower Internet connections. It is also an MP3 formatted file which means that these are essentially podcasts. Don't worry if all the technical words don't mean much to you. It means we're using the latest in technology in order to make sure our church parish can reach the most people.

The current week's homily is available on a link on the front page of the website next to the link for the current week's bulletin. On the page with the prior bulletins, the corresponding homily will be sitting side by side with its bulletin. We started on the anniversary of the start of the Catholic Church, Pentecost Sunday --- four years ago today. This week, Trinity Sunday with thoughts celebrating Monsignor Louis Melancon's 50th Jubilee, is our two hundred sixty fifth!! podcast to be posted. The homily is given by Father James Brady.

So, take a listen and let us know what you think. Click here to download the homily from St. Landry Catholic Church, Opelousas, Louisiana.

Patriotic Rosary on Monday, May 27, 2013 - Memorial Day

St. Landry Catholic Daughters Court 119 is sponsoring the Patriotic Rosary on Monday, May 27 inside St. Landry Catholic Church at 5:30 pm. The public and all Veterans are invited to participate in the rosary. For more information, contact Yvonne L. Normand at 337-308-3474.

A Prayer for Those Serving in the Military

Almighty God, send your blessing upon all who serve in our armed forces.

 Shield them from all harm. 

Let peace be the sentry that stands guard over them. 

Look with compassion on all victims of war;

 ease their sufferings and heal their wounds. 

Put an end to wars over all the earth, and hasten peace. 

Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, now and forever. 

Amen.

Pray for our Troops

Christopher Briley; Dr. John Cason; Jacob DeKerlegand; Brian James Dendy; Daryl Brooke Deville; Dakin Doyle; Hunter Dubuc; Chad Guthrie; Eric Hart; A.J. Korn; Garrett Ryan Lanclos; Andre Ledoux; Danny Pitre; Trevor Reilly; Zach Reilly; Joshua Thomassee; Hunter Zerangue

St. Jude, Patron Saint of Hope, keep watch over America and all who defend our flag. Protect all who fight in the name of freedom and liberty!

Photos from the Parish Picnic - May 19, 2013

Here are photos from our annual Parish Picnic that we celebrated last Sunday, May 19, 2013. It was a wonderful day with great weather and lots of fun for everyone.

Click here to see the gallery.

Bulletin for the Week of May 26, 2013 and the Pastor's Corner

The Pastor’s Corner 

As mentioned last weekend, this weekend we celebrate Monsignor Melancon's and Monsignor Metrejean's 50th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood. Congratulations to them both! Monsignor Metrejean's anniversary was celebrated Friday evening at Our Lady Queen of Angels, and we celebrate Monsignor Melancon's anniversary today at the 10am Mass followed by a reception at Opelousas Catholic.

Monsignor began his priestly ministry here at St. Landry in 1963, serving as a teacher at AIC, and now is in residence here. He has spent, altogether, some 23 years of his priestly ministry serving the Opelousas area, including stays not only here at St. Landry, but also at St. Peter in Grand Prairie and at Our Lady Queen of Angels in Opelousas. Monsignor has been a great gift to our community, and he continues to be a vital part of it in his continued service, especially to our children at Opelousas Catholic. Words cannot adequately express the value of Monsignor's presence to our community or the gratitude that we have. However, knowing Monsignor, a simple "thank you" more than suffices. So let us all "thank" him and celebrate God's gift to us by his presence in, and his service to, our community.

Monsignor: Happy Anniversary! Thank You! God Bless You!

           God Bless!

           Father James Brady

The bulletin for the week of May 26, 2013 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.

And we're also on Facebook --- friend us! You can see our updates on our page SaintLandryCatholicChurch.

Homily for Pentecost Sunday

Homilies are now available to download and listen to!

As part of our answering the challenge of the Holy Father to go out and evangelize utilizing new technologies, we're now offering the homily each week for download. Clicking the link to the homily should download it and automatically start it playing in whatever music player your computer is set up with.

On the technical side, the file sizes are about 5 megs which means it may a minute or two to download on slower Internet connections. It is also an MP3 formatted file which means that these are essentially podcasts. Don't worry if all the technical words don't mean much to you. It means we're using the latest in technology in order to make sure our church parish can reach the most people.

The current week's homily is available on a link on the front page of the website next to the link for the current week's bulletin. On the page with the prior bulletins, the corresponding homily will be sitting side by side with its bulletin. We started on the anniversary of the start of the Catholic Church, Pentecost Sunday --- four years ago today. This week, Pentecost Sunday, is our two hundred sixty fourth!! podcast to be posted. The homily is given by Father James Brady.

So, take a listen and let us know what you think. Click here to download the homily from St. Landry Catholic Church, Opelousas, Louisiana.

Bulletin for the Week of May 19, 2013 and the Pastor's Corner

The Pastor’s Corner 

Sunday, we celebrate our re-scheduled parish picnic after the 10am Mass. The picnic had to be postponed last month due to inclement weather. Let’s hope the weather cooperates this time! The picnic is our parish community’s celebration of Easter. Being Pentecost as well, we hope that by the power of the Holy Spirit, we spread the Good News of Christ to all we come into contact. Please join us for the fun and fellowship!

Some good news for our brothers and sisters at St. Peter’s in Grand Prairie. Bishop Jarrell has appointed Fr. D. Blaine Clement as Pastor, effective July 1, 2013. With Fr. Clement becoming pastor of St. Peter’s, my role as administrator will end. We thank all the priests who helped at St. Peter’s over the course of the last year, including Fr. Jerry Mesley, Fr. Austin Leger, Fr. Conley Bertrand, Fr. Sonny Brown, Fr. Joshua Guillory, Fr. Kevin Bordelon, Fr. D. Blaine Clement, and especially Msgr. Melancon. Without these priests, the sacramental work would not have been possible. Thanks to you also for your patience, kindness and support over the last year.

We did not need to conduct our Parish Advisory Board elections lastweekend as there were not as many nominees as open positions. I am happy to announce that Mrs. Lori Briggs and Mr. Howard Fournier have accepted appointments to the board for a three year term. Thanks to both of them for their willingness to serve our parish community in this capacity.

A reminder that next weekend we will celebrate Msgr. Melancon’s 50th Anniversary of priestly ordination. The celebration will take place at the 10am Mass followed by a reception at the Opelousas Catholic cafeteria. All are invited, so please make plans to join us!

Finally, congratulations to the Opelousas Catholic Class of 2013! Our seniors graduate Friday night, May 17 and now embark on their journey into adult life. Please keep them in your prayers, especially for the intention that they bring the Light of Christ to the world in the lives that they lead.


           God Bless!

           Father James Brady

The bulletin for the week of May 19, 2013 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.

And we're also on Facebook --- friend us! You can see our updates on our page SaintLandryCatholicChurch.

Homilies for the Feast of the Ascension - May 12 2013

Homilies are now available to download and listen to!

As part of our answering the challenge of the Holy Father to go out and evangelize utilizing new technologies, we're now offering the homily each week for download. Clicking the link to the homily should download it and automatically start it playing in whatever music player your computer is set up with.

On the technical side, the file sizes are about 5 megs which means it may a minute or two to download on slower Internet connections. It is also an MP3 formatted file which means that these are essentially podcasts. Don't worry if all the technical words don't mean much to you. It means we're using the latest in technology in order to make sure our church parish can reach the most people.

The current week's homilies is available on a link on the front page of the website next to the link for the current week's bulletin. On the page with the prior bulletins, the corresponding homily will be sitting side by side with its bulletin. We started on the anniversary of the start of the Catholic Church, Pentecost Sunday --- nearly four years ago. This week, the Feast of the Ascension, we have our two hundred sixty second and two hundred and sixty third!! podcasts posted. The homilies are given by Deacon Dwayne Joubert at 8AM and Deacon Sammy Diesi at 10AM.

So, take a listen and let us know what you think. Click here for Deacon Joubert and Click here for Deacon Diesi to download the homilies from St. Landry Catholic Church, Opelousas, Louisiana.

Bulletin for the Week of May 12, 2013 and the Pastor's Corner

The Pastor’s Corner 

Happy Mother's Day!! Unfortunately, I will not be here today in person to wish you happy Mother's Day, as I will be handling the weekend schedule at St. Peter's in Grand Prairie.

Today, we celebrate motherhood, a most wonderful vocation dedicated to the nurturing and Christian formation of children (regardless of the age of the children!). The good of children is entrusted to mothers and fathers by God. The vocation of motherhood is first and foremost taught by the life of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and is best exemplified incarnately by Our Blessed Mother, Her being a model of Christian discipleship.

Motherhood is first and foremost a blessing and gift from God. As in all things, God teaches us how to properly respond to the gifts He gives. In other words, what is truly "good" is taught to us by God. Therefore, the standard for being a "good" mother is provided by God in the life of His Son and taught by His Church, as well as the good example of saintly mothers, especially our Blessed Mother.

In every generation there is "conventional wisdom" of what being a "good mother" means. Indeed, the specific circumstances of a mother's life does impact what it takes to be a good mother. However, the core of a mother's mission remains constant in every generation and never changes: Nurturing by word and deed the seeds of salvation God has planted in their children so that their children can one day live in the Communion of Saints in heaven. Any conventional wisdom that is inconsistent with this core mission does not teach "good" motherhood.

Today, we thank all our mothers who have given to each of us true goodness in the lives that they lead. We pray for all mothers who struggle in their vocation through the intercession of our Blessed Mother, the Seat of Wisdom. We pray also, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother, the Mother of Consolation, for mothers whose children have passed from this life into the next. Finally, we thank God for the blessing of children and motherhood in His plan of salvation!!

           God Bless!

           Father James Brady

The bulletin for the week of May 12, 2013 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.

And we're also on Facebook --- friend us! You can see our updates on our page SaintLandryCatholicChurch.

Homily for the Sixth Sunday of Easter

Homilies are now available to download and listen to!

As part of our answering the challenge of the Holy Father to go out and evangelize utilizing new technologies, we're now offering the homily each week for download. Clicking the link to the homily should download it and automatically start it playing in whatever music player your computer is set up with.

On the technical side, the file sizes are about 5 megs which means it may a minute or two to download on slower Internet connections. It is also an MP3 formatted file which means that these are essentially podcasts. Don't worry if all the technical words don't mean much to you. It means we're using the latest in technology in order to make sure our church parish can reach the most people.

The current week's homily is available on a link on the front page of the website next to the link for the current week's bulletin. On the page with the prior bulletins, the corresponding homily will be sitting side by side with its bulletin. We started on the anniversary of the start of the Catholic Church, Pentecost Sunday --- nearly four years ago. This week, the Sixth Sunday of Easter, is our two hundred sixty first!! podcast to be posted. The homily is given by Father James Brady.

So, take a listen and let us know what you think. Click here to download the homily from St. Landry Catholic Church, Opelousas, Louisiana.

Bulletin for the Week of May 5, 2013 - and the Pastor's Corner

The Pastor’s Corner 

My thanks to all of you who kept myself and our pilgrims to France in your prayers over the last two weeks. As we return to St. Landry, my hope is that we will bring with us a renewed spirit of devotion to our patron and to the heritage of our French spirituality, which is so richly illustrated in the depictions of French saints and devotions in the stained glass windows and statues in our church. My personal thanks to all those who helped defray the cost of my trip, especially the Doucet Family, who made a generous donation for it in memory of their beloved sister, Cecilia, who recently passed to the next life. Please keep Cecilia and the family in your prayers.

A busy Spring continues in the upcoming weeks here at St. Landry. Next weekend we will celebrate Mother's Day, a day we celebrate to express our appreciation of mothers and the important work that they do. Prior to Mother's Day, more than 40 mothers will participate in a women's retreat at Our Lady of the Oaks Retreat House in Grand Coteau. Please keep these women in your prayers for a fruitful retreat and renewed spirit in their motherly vocation.

The following weekend, May 19, we have rescheduled our Easter Picnic. Please mark your calendars to join us after the 10am Mass on the parish grounds for food, fun and fraternity for all ages as our parish celebrates the gift of The Resurrection given to us during the Easter Season. Please also pray for good weather!

Finally, please also make plans to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Monsignor Melancon's ordination to the priesthood on May 26 at the 10am Mass, followed by a reception at the Opelousas Catholic cafeteria. Both he and Monsignor Metrejean celebrate their 50th jubilee's this year, and we want to thank them for their service to the Church, especially their service to our Opelousas community. Msgr. Metrejean will have a celebratory Mass at Our Lady Queen of Angels on Friday, May 24 at 6pm followed by a reception in the parish hall. All are invited to participate in these celebrations. If you plan to attend Msgr. Metrejean's jubilee Mass and reception, please RSVP to Elaine Dartez at 942-5628 by May 15.

           God Bless!

           Father James Brady

The bulletin for the week of May 05, 2013 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.

And we're also on Facebook --- friend us! You can see our updates on our page SaintLandryCatholicChurch.

Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Easter

Homilies are now available to download and listen to!

As part of our answering the challenge of the Holy Father to go out and evangelize utilizing new technologies, we're now offering the homily each week for download. Clicking the link to the homily should download it and automatically start it playing in whatever music player your computer is set up with.

On the technical side, the file sizes are about 5 megs which means it may a minute or two to download on slower Internet connections. It is also an MP3 formatted file which means that these are essentially podcasts. Don't worry if all the technical words don't mean much to you. It means we're using the latest in technology in order to make sure our church parish can reach the most people.

The current week's homily is available on a link on the front page of the website next to the link for the current week's bulletin. On the page with the prior bulletins, the corresponding homily will be sitting side by side with its bulletin. We started on the anniversary of the start of the Catholic Church, Pentecost Sunday --- nearly four years ago. This week, the Fifth Sunday of Easter, is our two hundred sixtieth!! podcast to be posted. The homily is given by Monsignor Louis Melancon.

So, take a listen and let us know what you think. Click here to download the homily from St. Landry Catholic Church, Opelousas, Louisiana.

Bulletin for the week of April 28, 2013 and the Pastor's Corner

The Pastor’s Corner 

If all is going well on our pilgrimage to France by Sunday, we will have visited the village of Lourdes, home of St. Bernadette Soubirous, to whom our Blessed Mother appeared some 18 times in 1858. Both St. Bernadette and Our Blessed Mother are depicted in the large stained glass window in the south wing of the church. We will have also viewed her incorrupt body at Nevers. We then will have visited the village of Ars, where St. John Vianney ("The Cure of Ars") was pastor from 1818 to 1859. His incorrupt body is interred in the basilica there. The basilica, for the most part, was constructed under his pastorate in this tiny village. He is the patron saint of parish priests, and his statue is located in the south wing of the church. After Ars, we will have travelled to Paray le-Monial, where Jesus appeared to St. Magaret Mary Alocquet in 1675 and asked that First Fridays be devoted to His Sacred Heart. This apparition is depicted in the large stained glass window in the north wing of the church.

This week we will visit Chartres to tour one of the most beautiful and best preserved cathedrals in the world, built in 1195. We will then travel to Paris where we will visit sites that depict or were founded by our patron, St. Landry. Besides other secular places of interest, we hope to make a trip to Lisieux, home of St. Therese, who is depicted in a statue in the north wing of the church, as well as the Sacra Coeur (Sacred Heart) Basilica. Please be sure to keep our group in your prayers for a safe return home, and know that we are keeping you in our prayers as we visit these holy places. May these holy saints continue to inspire all of us to imitate Jesus in our daily lives!

           God Bless!

           Father James Brady

The bulletin for the week of April 28, 2013 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.

And we're also on Facebook --- friend us! You can see our updates on our page SaintLandryCatholicChurch.

Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Easter and Confirmation

Homilies are now available to download and listen to!

As part of our answering the challenge of the Holy Father to go out and evangelize utilizing new technologies, we're now offering the homily each week for download. Clicking the link to the homily should download it and automatically start it playing in whatever music player your computer is set up with.

On the technical side, the file sizes are about 5 megs which means it may a minute or two to download on slower Internet connections. It is also an MP3 formatted file which means that these are essentially podcasts. Don't worry if all the technical words don't mean much to you. It means we're using the latest in technology in order to make sure our church parish can reach the most people.

The current week's homily is available on a link on the front page of the website next to the link for the current week's bulletin. On the page with the prior bulletins, the corresponding homily will be sitting side by side with its bulletin. We started on the anniversary of the start of the Catholic Church, Pentecost Sunday --- nearly four years ago. This week, the Fourth Sunday of Easter and Confirmation, is our two hundred and fifty ninth!! podcast to be posted. The homily is given by Monsignor Curtis Mallet.

So, take a listen and let us know what you think. Click here to download the homily from St. Landry Catholic Church, Opelousas, Louisiana.

Bulletin for the week of April 21, 2013 - and the Pastor's Corner

The Pastor’s Corner 

This weekend, we will continue our Easter celebration of the Sacraments of Initiation when our Confirmation candidates are confirmed at the 5pm Mass today. Msgr. Curtis Mallet will be the celebrant at the Mass and will administer the sacrament. With grateful hearts we welcome him to our parish for this celebration.

The Confirmation class has been preparing since January for the reception of the sacrament, and we celebrate with joy their new status as fully initiated Catholics. We pray that they will cooperate with the graces received in the sacrament and will live Christian lives in imitation of Jesus as taught by His Church. Please remember the candidates in your individual prayer.

Thanks for a job well done to Deacon Joubert, who led the formation program for our candidates, and to Mrs. Lois Joubert, who administratively coordinated the program. We also want to thank the class itself for their service project to the parish. They painted the retaining wall on the west side of the parking lot as well as the bottom of the church building. The project has made the decorum of our church building more consistent with the architecture and appointments of our grounds, and they did a very good job on the project! Many words of appreciation have come from our community for the job well done.

On another note, this week 37 pilgrims, including myself and many of our parishioners, will be leaving for France on a pilgrimage. We will be touring areas where many of the images in our church building originated, including the tomb of our patron, St. Landry, located in Paris. Know that you will be in my prayers, and please be sure to keep the pilgrims in yours!


           God Bless!

           Father James Brady

The bulletin for the week of April 21, 2013 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.

And we're also on Facebook --- friend us! You can see our updates on our page SaintLandryCatholicChurch.

Homily for the Third Sunday of Easter

Homilies are now available to download and listen to!

As part of our answering the challenge of the Holy Father to go out and evangelize utilizing new technologies, we're now offering the homily each week for download. Clicking the link to the homily should download it and automatically start it playing in whatever music player your computer is set up with.

On the technical side, the file sizes are about 5 megs which means it may a minute or two to download on slower Internet connections. It is also an MP3 formatted file which means that these are essentially podcasts. Don't worry if all the technical words don't mean much to you. It means we're using the latest in technology in order to make sure our church parish can reach the most people.

The current week's homily is available on a link on the front page of the website next to the link for the current week's bulletin. On the page with the prior bulletins, the corresponding homily will be sitting side by side with its bulletin. We started on the anniversary of the start of the Catholic Church, Pentecost Sunday --- nearly four years ago. This week, the Third Sunday of Easter, is our two hundred and fifty eighth! podcast to be posted. The homily is given by Father James Brady.

So, take a listen and let us know what you think. Click here to download the homily from St. Landry Catholic Church, Opelousas, Louisiana.

Bulletin for April 14, 2013 - and the Pastor's Corner

The Pastor’s Corner 

This weekend we continue to celebrate the Easter season with our annual parish picnic. Last weekend we celebrated First Communion with our young children. Next weekend, we will celebrate Confirmation with our young adults at the 5pm Sunday Mass. My hope is that all of us will continue to celebrate and enjoy the Easter Season, as it continues until Pentecost Sunday. We seem to do well in recognizing and responding to the season of Lent and having a spirit of prayer, almsgiving and fasting during the 40 days. Now is the time (and for the next 50 days) to recognize and experience The Risen Christ with great joy because of His Resurrection and the promise of eternal life that it brings. We hope you are able to come and enjoy good food and good company this weekend, and please be sure to keep those who have received and will receive Easter Sacraments in your prayers.

           God Bless!

           Father James Brady

The bulletin for the week of April 14, 2013 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.

And we're also on Facebook --- friend us! You can see our updates on our page SaintLandryCatholicChurch.

Homily for the Second Sunday in Easter

Homilies are now available to download and listen to!

As part of our answering the challenge of the Holy Father to go out and evangelize utilizing new technologies, we're now offering the homily each week for download. Clicking the link to the homily should download it and automatically start it playing in whatever music player your computer is set up with.

On the technical side, the file sizes are about 5 megs which means it may a minute or two to download on slower Internet connections. It is also an MP3 formatted file which means that these are essentially podcasts. Don't worry if all the technical words don't mean much to you. It means we're using the latest in technology in order to make sure our church parish can reach the most people.

The current week's homily is available on a link on the front page of the website next to the link for the current week's bulletin. On the page with the prior bulletins, the corresponding homily will be sitting side by side with its bulletin. We started on the anniversary of the start of the Catholic Church, Pentecost Sunday --- nearly four years ago. This week, the Second Sunday of Easter, is our two hundred and fifty seventh! podcast to be posted. The homily is given by Father James Brady.

So, take a listen and let us know what you think. Click here to download the homily from St. Landry Catholic Church, Opelousas, Louisiana.

Bulletin for April 07, 2013 - and The Pastor's Corner

The Pastor’s Corner 

This Sunday is Divine Mercy Sunday, marking the end of the Easter Octave. The Easter Octave is the eight day celebration of Easter from Easter Sunday until Divine Mercy Sunday. We continue the Easter season until Pentecost Sunday in May. Looking back over the last couple of months, we have so much to be thankful for as a church parish, especially to those who made our Lent and Easter so beautiful and spiritually meaningful. We are blessed to have Msgr. Melancon living in our parish. He took on extra duties during Lent here at St. Landry and at Opelousas Catholic, helping to lead both us and our children through Lent. We are also blessed with three deacons, Deacon Diesi, Deacon Joubert and Deacon Miller, who also did the same joyfully and without reservation. Our parish staff, both office and maintenance, also did an outstanding job in cheerfully handling the extra work that always come during this time of year. If you have the opportunity, please express your appreciation to them.

However, without the support of so many of you, the celebration of Lent and Easter would not have been as beautiful and meaningful as it was. It began with Ash Wednesday and our Altar Society appropriately decorating our church. Many worked long hours to provide our new statue covers for passiontide (both violet and red) and new appointments for Easter (white altar covers and a cover for the crucifix). The Altar Society worked throughout Lent and Easter to make our church look more beautiful for our spiritual benefit. A generous parishioner provided the "Little Black Books" which so many of us found spiritually fruitful in preparing for Easter, and our Parish Advisory Board sponsored a "soup and bread" dinner after Stations of the Cross on Fridays. Our choir and music ministers did an outstanding job during the seasons, but especially during passiontide and the Easter Triduum. Our sacristans, altar servers, readers, and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion served reverently and competently. Our blog was most informative about the meaning of the seasons and what was going on in our church parish. Some cut palms for Palm Sunday, while others cultivated our gardens around the church. Our suppliers ably and competently provided things we needed (obviously, we thank Jim Durio Florist for the beautiful flowers, but we also had a sound system problem and an air conditioner motor breakdown during Holy Week! These things were immediately repaired by Phil Borel and Wayne Bergeron, respectively, in time for the Easter Triduum). So many people helped in so many ways. We thank and appreciate all of you!

I also want to thank all of you who participated in our liturgies and activities during Lent and Easter. It is usual during Lent that attendance at daily Mass and Stations of the Cross increase, especially at the beginning of the season. After a few weeks, however, attendance usually shrinks a bit. This year, not only did attendance not shrink, but it generally increased over the season! Our confessional was busy, enough so that we many times had to hear confessions both before and after our daily Mass! These things indicate a healthy spiritual life within our parish and a living out of the Lent and Easter seasons within our hearts. It also encourages others by example and solidarity in our faith. This is most important to our community, and make for a most joyful Easter in the most important way, in our hearts and souls!

Thanks again to all! May God Bless you during the Easter Season, Alleluia, Alleluia!! God Bless!

           Father James Brady

The bulletin for the week of April 07, 2013 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.

And we're also on Facebook --- friend us! You can see our updates on our page SaintLandryCatholicChurch.

Anniversary of First Mass in current building

Today is the 104th anniversary of the first mass at St. Landry Catholic Church in Opelousas, Louisiana!

In 1900 a temporary church was completed. In 1902 the task of removing and clearing away the old church was started. In 1903 the foundation was formed with concrete and brick from the old church. On August 8, 1908 the cornerstone was laid. During the winter of 1908-1909 construction of the walls continued and was completed and occupied. On April 2, 1909, the first Friday of April and 104 years ago today, the first mass was said in the current St. Landry Catholic Church. The interior of the church was not completed. Father John Engberink was our pastor who built the church. Father Engberink is buried in the floor of the church near the sanctuary. Monsignor Albert Benedict Colliard followed Father Engberink as Pastor. Monsignor Colliard completed the interior. Monsignor Colliard is buried in St. Landry Cemetery near the cross. Monsignor Broussard was the pastor following Monsignor Colliard. Monsignor Broussard in 1963 had the interior of the church redecorated and air conditioned.

Photos from the Easter Vigil

Photos from the Easter Vigil are now up on Flickr.

Click here to see them.