There is no secret that Catholicism in southern Louisiana is very well represented. In fact, a study published in 2018 named Lafayette as the “most Catholic city” in America, with 50% of the population claiming Catholicism as their religion. The surrounding areas also have strong Catholic ties, such as the Academy of Sacred Heart in Grand Coteau. The Academy, founded in 1821, has been continuously providing an education to young women, and has connections to a couple Saints including St. John Berchmans, who was canonized based off of a miracle performed at the Academy.
For the most Catholic city in America, we have yet to produce a Saint. In fact, Louisiana as a whole has not produced a Saint. While we have connections to many, we have not yet had one home-grown.
Hopefully that will be changing soon. Many people already know by now, but two local people have been moving forward in the process to Sainthood. Charlene Richard, who was born in Richard, LA and Auguste “Nonco” Pelafigue who was born in France in 1888 and moved with his parents to Arnaudville, LA in 1889, have both been advanced in their steps toward canonization.
Charlene Richard is a more well-known name in these parts of course. She died from leukemia when she was just 12 years old in 1959. She spent her last days offering up her suffering for others’ benefit. Nonco spent his life in the service of others, teaching and evangelizing to people in his community. He died in 1977 at the age of 89. More information can be found below at the websites dedicated to advancing their causes.
This is such an exciting time for the local Catholic congregations. I myself often think of Saints as older, foreign people who made their name one way or another, and it’s sometimes hard to remember that Saints are among us all the time. It’s another thing to know that they are geographically close to us. People like Charlene and Nonco are reminders that Sainthood is a possibility for all of us. You don’t have to be 300 years old and Italian to make the cut.
Our world has been so crazy in the past couple of years, and Lafayette continues to have its own problems. A break is nice, and thinking about these two folks is certainly a great way to stay positive and grounded.
Sources:
www.charlenerichardfoundation.com
https://apnews.com/article/religion-louisiana-lafayette-sainthood-6c19bc19f909f2b7125df8ec4c703e55
Bayou Observant 