As I said at all the Masses this past weekend, I ask your prayers for Father David Broussard, the former Pastor of St. Bernard Church in Breaux Bridge. Father David was arrested last week for possessing child pornography on his personal computer. Bishop Douglas Deshotel immediately relieved Father David of his pastoral responsibilities. This past weekend (July 30-31), the Bishop spoke at all the Masses to the parishioners at St. Bernard. During his homily, the Bishop brought an apology from Father David expressing his deep feelings for the pain and the embarrassment he had caused everyone. The Bishop assured the people of St. Bernard that Msgr. Curtis Mallet would be the Administrator of the Parish and Father Stephen Ugwu, the Associate Pastor, will care for them.

As a fellow Priest, I was very disappointed at Father David’s possession of child pornography and at the same time, I know Father David Broussard to be a good, devoted, faithful and committed Priest. Father David has been in Breaux Bridge for the past two years. I have known him very well for the past twelve years. While I was Pastor at St. Michael Church in Crowley, Father David was a neighbor at St. Joseph in Iota. The people there loved Father David, and he served them generously and sincerely. He was a caring person and available to his parishioners.

May we all pray for Father David at this difficult and sad time in his life. During this Year of Mercy, may he come to know the mercy, the healing and the forgiveness of Jesus Christ, the merciful, gentle and humble High Priest. May the Lord help Father David face up to his actions and his behavior and own up to the consequences of what he has done personally, spiritually, pastorally and legally. As fellow humans and as fellow Catholics, may we pray for and accept Father David with understanding, honest and compassionate hearts. May we also pray for ourselves that the Lord would help us accept in ourselves our good qualities as well as our issues and our weaknesses. May we all stand before the Lord our Savior humbly, as we are, sincerely and contritely.

For several months, St. Elizabeth Seton Church Parish has been participating in the Diocese of Lafayette Centennial Campaign to commemorate the one hundred year anniversary of the establishment of the Diocese in 1918. To prepare for this momentous occasion in 2018, each church parish of the Diocese is being asked to pledge financial support to the Diocese of Lafayette over the coming five years. As a Church Parish, we here at St. Elizabeth Seton have pledged $763,530! We have surpassed our assigned goal of $680,000. The amount pledged comes from 150 families and persons. I thank and I commend all who have pledged; I appreciate the many volunteers who have made visits, calls and promoted the Campaign. The response has been wonderful. As your Pastor, I had hoped that at least 250 families and individuals would have participated with a pledge and donation to the Centennial Campaign. I ask those who have not yet made a pledge to consider doing so. In a few weeks, we will have another opportunity as a Church Parish to have an update on the Campaign. The money raised by the Campaign will be for the education of our seminarians (this year we will have fifty young men in the Seminary), the support of our retired Priests, to help Our Lady of Wisdom at UL and to help the groups in the Diocese who help the poor and the needy.

On Wednesday, August 10, we celebrate the Feast of St. Lawrence who was a Martyr and a Deacon around the year 250 in Rome. He was known for his kindness and service to the poor, for his courage in his suffering and for his sense of humor as he is being martyred. The role of the Deacon has been so important in the history of our Church and especially in the past forty years in our Diocese. I want to acknowledge the invaluable ministry of our three Deacons here at St. Elizabeth Seton Church Parish: Deacon Nelson Schexnayder, Deacon Michael Morrison and our youngest Deacon, Ron Chauvin. May the Lord bless them and their wives for their willingness to serve, for their availability and for their good spirit. May St. Lawrence inspire our Deacons in their ministry!

My prayers, good wishes, gratitude and love to you and to your loved ones for who you are, for all you do for the Lord and for the good of St. Elizabeth Seton Church Parish. “Our soul waits for the Lord, who is our help and our shield. May your kindness, O Lord, be upon us who have put our hope in you.” (Psalm 33)

SHALOM! Fr. Gary