Priests, a Brother, a Deacon ~ from the Arnaudville area

Monsignor Robert Angelle; Father Daniel Schexnauder, Deceased; Father Gary Schexnayder, Pastor of St. Elizabeth Seton, Lafayette; Father Michael Arnaud, Pastor Our Lady of Prompt Succor Church (Coteau) New Iberia.  Picture from:  ONE HUNDRED YEARS of the UPPER TECHE, page 121. Click on the links to read more.
Arnaudville is a community rich in Catholic faith.  With Saint John Francis Regis Church and Saint Catherine of Alexandria to minister to the needs of the faithful, it seems the natural order of things to have had many who have chosen to serve.  There have been priests, a brother, a deacon and several religious from the Arnaudville area.

Pastors such as Monsignor Louis Massebiau and Monsignor Daniel Bernard were wonderful examples and many young men chose to follow their lead.  With the presence of the  Marianite Sisters of the Holy Cross at Little Flower School, several young women chose to follow in their footsteps.

All Pastors of St. John Francis Regis Church--even when it was a just a mission are listed below. At first, the Jesuits of St. Charles of Grand Coteau were dedicated to keeping Faith alive in the area of the Upper Teche.  The Jesuits Fathers who were responsible for the spiritual welfare of La Jonction, now Arnaudville, were:

Reverend Louis Rocoffort, S.J., 1852 - 1855
Reverend F. Nachon, S.J., 1854, 1867
Reverend F. Roduits, S.J., 1855    1856, 1858, 1862
Reverend James C. Bruehl, S.J., 1855 - 1856
Reverend Joseph Francis Abbadie, 1837, 1856
Reverand Joseph Anthonioz, S.J., 1856, 1858, 1859, 1860, 1862, 1875
Reverend Antone deChaignon, S.J., 1856 - 1858, 1866 - 1867
Reverend J. B. Dechambenoit, S.J. 1860 - 1862
Reverend F. Benausse, S.J., 1862
Reverend P.A. Vialleton, S.J., 1862 - 1865, 1866 - 1867, 1868 - 1871
Reverend Anthony Boven, S.J., 1875
Reverend J. Lafarge, S.J., 1875
In 1871, the Archbishop of New Orleans, Monsignor Perche, removed the mission church from the care of the Jesuits and assigned them to the Diocesan Priests. The pastors of St. John Francis Regis Church were:

Reverend Christophe Cuny, 1871 - 1873
Reverend Yves Rivoallan, 1873 - 1874
Reverend T. Guillet, 1874 - 1875
Reverend A. Blanc
Reverend Charles Denoyel, 1875 - 1894
Reverend Jean Baptiste Morin, 1894 - 1909
Reverend Antoine Maisonneuve, 1909 - 1914
Reverend Simon Catherin, 1914 - 1915
Right Reverend Monsignor George Mollo, 1915 - 1924
Reverend Desire Sarrazin, 1924 - 1930
Reverend Antoine Verhoeven, 1930 - 1934
Right Reverend Monsignor Justin Maurice Louis Canon Massebiau, J.C.D., 1934 - 1944
Right Reverend Monsignor Daniel Lucas Bernard, 1938 - 1968
Reverend Monsignor Lawrence Fournet, 1968 - 1972
Reverend Whitney LeBlanc, 1972 - 1974
Reverend James Doiron, 1974 - 1976
Reverend Donald Hebert, Associate
Reverend William Havenar, Associate
Reverend P. Austin Leger, 9-1-1976 - 7-1-1987
Reverend Gregory P. Cormier, 1990 - 1994
Reverend William Ruskoski, 1994 - 2002
Reverend Jules Arceneaux, 2002 - 2004
Reverend Keenan W. Brown, 2005 - 2017
Reverend Father Travis Abadie, July, 2017

The Auguste "Nonco" Pelafigue Foundation honors all of the priests, brothers, deacons and religious who have ministered and are ministering  to the needs of the faithful.  Thank you!
From the 1978 St. John Francis Regis Church Directory
The younger generation of Priests from the Arnaudville Area
Father Brian Taylor pictured with his proud parents, Vickie and Howard Taylor

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Father Michael Champagne, son of Howard and Sadie Champagne, from the neighboring parish of St. Leo's Catholic Church in Leonville



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