Donation for Saint Edmond

1974 by Gerard L. Frey, Bishop of Lafayette. The parish was formed from the surrounding church parishes of Our Lady of Fatima, St. Jules, Holy Cross and Sts. Peter and Paul in Scott. The bishop had appointed a special committee to ascertain the needs of the people on the west side of Fatima Parish. In view of the many new housing developments and the rapid development in the area of Prairie Elementary and Acadiana High schools, the committee decided that a new religious center should be formed and a new parish created. The property that was dedicated for the new parish was owned by Fatima Parish and was comprised of twelve acres; ten acres purchased from the Edmond A. Orgeron family in 1960 for $2000 per acre and two acres donated by the Orgeron family. However, the donated property came with the stipulation that the parish would be named St. Edmond in honor of Edmond A. Orgeron. Bishop Frey placed the care of the parish with the Marist Fathers who assigned Father Thomas C. Dowling as the first pastor and Father Patrick Mallinson as the associate pastor effective April 1, 1974. The two priests' first Lafayctte residence was an apartment in the Villa Maria complex. The Lafayette Parish School Board allowed St. Edmond Parish to use the cafeteria at Prairie Elementary as a temporary church. Five Masses were scheduled cach weekend. The Mass was celebrated June 22, 1974.  

For many of the parishioners it was a challenge trying to sit in the small chairs. Weekday Masses were held in parishioners' homes or at Villa Maria. The census started by seminarians from the Society of Mary estimated 750 families were in the boundaries of the parish. One of the seminarians was Michael Conner who came to St. Edmond to begin his apostolic year.    

About Our Patron Saint  

The name of the Patron Saint of St Edmond Catholic Church is St. Edmund. Edmund is correctly spelled with a “u”. However, the name was changed in Lafayette, Louisiana to “Edmond” which is the French version of Edmund and in honor of Mr. Edmond Orgeron, who was the owner of the land on which the present church was built.  

ST. EDMUND RICH was the eldest son of Reynold and Mabilia Rich, of Abingdon in Berkshire, England. The saint performed the first part of his studies at Oxford, in which he gave very early indications of being a genius. It is indeed easy to understand with what ardor and perseverance a person of good abilities, and deeply impressed with a sense of religion, always applies himself to study, when this becomes an essential part of his duty to God. An uncommon fervor and assiduity in all religious exercises, and a genuine simplicity in his whole conduct, discovered his internal virtues, and betrayed the desire he had of concealing them. Prayer was his delight, and he was young when he and his brother Robert were sent to finish their studies at Paris.  

“ To embrace a religious state is part of perfection, but to live imperfectly in it, is the most grievous damnation.”     

 St. Edmund