The Catholic history of Lafayette, Louisiana:
Located in Southwest Louisiana, the first immigrants to the area were from Spain, France and Germany in the mid-1750s. Predominantly Catholic, many of these immigrant groups were accompanied by priests. Also, in the 1750’s England expelled the French colonists from Eastern Canada. Many of these French Catholics came to south Louisiana, which was a French colony and where there was already a Catholic presence. The first church parishes in what is now the Diocese of Lafayette were Saint Martinville (1756), Saint Landry (1776), and later Grand Coteau (1819) and Lafayette in 1821. Until 1918, all of southwest Louisiana then belonged to the Archdiocese of New Orleans.
Louisiana had been a French colony: it would not become part of the United States until 1812 as a result of the War of 1812. The town was re-named Lafayette, after Marquis de Lafayette, a French military officer and politician who volunteered to join the Continental Army, led by General George Washington, in the American Revolutionary War. The town became the central hub of Acadiana (historically part of French Louisiana), with a railroad stop, a dynamic population, and a bustling business district.
Within the Diocese of Lafayette are many religious orders; including the Discalced Carmelite Sisters (OCD), Eucharistic Missionaries of St. Dominic (OP), Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady (FMOL), School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND), Missionaries of Charity (MC), Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows (OLS), Sisters of Providence (SP) and Sisters of the Holy Spirit (SHSp).
Catholic places of interest in Lafayette, Louisiana:
There are 121 Catholic parishes in the Diocese of Lafayette, we are mentioning just a few here. (Note, the term parish can be confusing. Louisiana does not have counties…these are called parishes in the state).
The Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist
Catholic places of interest near Lafayette, Louisiana:
Church Point, Louisiana: Grave of Servant of God Charlene Richard
Traveling to Lafayette, Louisiana:
Lafayette is located approximately 135 miles (217 km) west of New Orleans and 59 miles east (95 km) of the state capital of Baton Rouge.
By car: Interstate Highway 10 and Interstate Highway 49 intersect just north of Lafayette.
By plane: Lafayette regional airport (Code LFT) with frequent flights by several airlines.
By train: AMTRAK’s “The Sunset Limited” that travels from Los Angeles to New Orleans stops in Lafayette.