Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 17.djvu/461

 lA 0B088B 445 LAFAYETTB

Mgr. Tache in the mission of the Northwest. He Archdiocese of New Orleans, and comprises all the

evangelized the Pembina metia and the Crees in civil parishes (counties) of the State of Louisiana,

the mission of Lake St. Anne, and in 1855 he joined west of the Atchafalaya Biver, i. e., St. Mary,

the Oblates of Mary Immaciilate. In 1S60 he was Iberia, St. Martin, St. Landry, Evangeline, Acadia,

among the Blackf eet, and three years later founded Lafayette, Vermilion, Cameron, Jefferson Davis,

a mission, which he named Albert after his patron Calcasieu, Allen, and Beauregard, these parishes

saint and which has since given its name to the forming the southwestern part of the State. Rt.

province of Alberta. About this time he went Hev. Jules B. Jeanmard was appointed its fir§t

among the nomadic Crees and established the mis- bishop and consecrated in New Orleans 8 Decem-

sion of St. Paul on the Saskatchewan in 1866; ber, 1918. He was bom on 15 August, 1879, in the

later he gave himself up to the wandering Black- territory of his future diocese, and therefore has

feet; among both tribes his efforts met with great the distinction of being the first Louisianisin to be

success. In 1876 he became the agent for Catholic elevated to the episcopal dignity,

and French immigration into Manitoba; and a Possibly nowhere in the continental United States

few years later he devoted himself to the spiritual can there be found a population so homogeneous

interests of the workers engaged in constructing in racial character and religion as one finds in this

the Canadian Pacific railroad. In 1882 he was again part of Louisiana. The vast majority of the 170,000

laboring for the Indians around Calgary, Mcleod, Catholics of the territoiy are descendants of the

and Pincher Creek. He rendered great service to Acadian refugees, who were driven out of Nova

the Government by securing the neutrality of the Scotia and who, after many vicissitudes and migra-

powerful Blackfeet tribe during the Rebellion of tions, found new homes in southwest Louisiana,

1885. He was sent to Europe many times in the where they gradually congregated in the latter half

interests of his congregation, and visited Austria of the eighteenth century (1764-1788). There were

in 1900 and 1904 in belmlf of the Ruthenian Cath- then a few IVench settlements in this territory

olics. Father Lacombe was a master of several and while the Acadians built their habitations

Indian languages, and among his works are a Cree around the existing points of civilization, they did

grammar and lexicon, a New Testament and a not hesitate to found villages of their own, and

prayer-book in Cree, and a catechism and prayer- gradually spread along the water courses (bayous)

Dook in Santeux. and throughout the vast prairiea Hence very early

XaA Cfrosse, Diocesb VIII-735b), in State

sucre^d^d brm" RerXlexaTd^^^ ^^^ Coteau (1819) and I.fayette( 1821) have

ouvv^^vi^ wjr xfcw. A*c ». ^^^^u^A^^i. w. * a^^v^cm*^^, £ couals m thc Unitcd StateSk m historical value ap, who was appointed to the see 21 November andTnterest. Acadian familiS are usually venr I^Vh»°SiI5?f.?°^wP^rJr??.f T!^/°^l^^f 4r knje. and so we need not wonder that the dlecenZ v^^ Ji^fr". rSwf ^?nvl J Til wL ™*i nL^ ««to of the original few thousand settlers form

Si^^itS"lShJ^'^'MaVcSoH»^L.nuS^ ML'in'^i *S%Sy' (^SStiir '°^'**"'' to the Bishop of Chicago on 1 May, 1899. He a of^ateea civil panshea (counties), the author of "Some Incentives to 6igM living." .??« ii«piMe of the people » mostly French, By present sUtistics the CathoUc population of ^*'» » ^'^ ^T^i^^ of English m the larger

this diW^is apprcSmately 116.608. aSd the fol- P'^^^^ fi°tiZ?'i^/«1„.T^^oJ?niidllhU Tnfl^x i^»:*««» «.^i«*^^«ia Ji^r^,nr>i^:^'^^w>}J «m/%«i<* *\%^ fixi^h ^ tfao eighties and nineties a considerable umux

Tmenf KtrSrSk^fe^^^S hS "^ settlers' from the Middle West, it iB only in the

Ghost, and Misribnarf FatheS of the Sacred Heart; °ew towns that. English has superseded the Ian-

women: Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration. 8^« ™ *?? ^«SJh^«V^»^h^„l. r„.r~.»,;»l « Sisters of the Third Order of St. Dominic, of the ^le rapid growth of the schools, parochial as Sorrowful Mother, Hospital SiS^is of St. Francis. T" "^ P"Wic, and commercial necessi^ have also School Ksten of N^ DamerS^is of St. Dom^ l>««1 ^sponsible for the gradual spread and pt)W. Sc Franciscan Sisters of ClLirity. School Sisters •X'.WJ**"'* <>* ^nglisfi in church and mart.

of St. Francin Sisters of the TlJild Order of St. ,hS*il*X^fh'S,^'L^i.frwL «T5,.1r

Francis of Afflisi, Sisters of St. Benedict, Polish i^^*?, ancestor^ although pnests were fewand their

Sistere of S^XjeplTand Sifters of the Soci^ territory so extended that the outlying districts saw

of the Divine Sav'lour. There are 156 parishe^: '^^^^^J^^'^^^^f^^^^^'S

^iJ. ?„r T;»„ Jrh ZZlZrZr,A7^.f^^.^ t«nr whose weU cuTtivatea rice fields aJe mosUy n? Sn 9 nSw«^r.^-^^7!^ ISjl&riasticaily the new diocese is weU organised.

l??hfdi^lS^Sr±^s^tlS^K:^ SCX't man^orfh^X^ ticgSSS Sh^iS^tSriX '^^^^^^^^^^ a~ so favorable that only the dearth of priests lunea among uie la ly. prevents their being made parishes with resident

Lafayette, Diocbsb of (Lafattotknsib), was pastors. Since the creation oi the diocese seven new erected by Pope Benedict XV on II January, 1918. parishes have been erected. More priests is the The territory assigned to it was takoi from the crying need of the Diocese of Lafayette, and there-