Blessing of St. Francis de Sales Statue at Cathedral

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Diocese of Lake Charles

LAKE CHARLES — The connection St. Francis de Sales has to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception dates all the way back to 1858 as the first Catholic church in Lake Charles — first as a mission, then later as a parish in 1869. Now, more than 160 years later, a statue serves as a visible reminder of that connection as the church’s first patron saint.

On Sunday, January 24, the Most Reverend Glen John Provost, Bishop of Lake Charles, blessed a newly installed statue of St. Francis de Sales outside the Cathedral following 9:30 a.m. Mass. Among those present included the Very Rev. Rommel Tolentino, pastor of Immaculate Conception, the Rev. Sam Bond, Master of Ceremonies; the Rev. Canon Jean Marie Moreau, a priest from the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest; and Deacon Christopher Fontenot.

The blessing and dedication of the statue was originally planned as part of the Cathedral’s parish sesquicentennial (1869-2019) celebration in 2019. Because of unforeseen delays, followed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and then two hurricanes, the dedication finally took place more than a year later coinciding with the feast day of St. Francis de Sales. His feast day is also celebrated on January 29 in the Extraordinary Form.

The statue of the “Gentleman Saint” was dedicated by the Knights of Columbus Council 1207 and Catholic Daughters Court Lady of the Lake 695 to the parishioners of Immaculate Conception. Made of marble, the statue is 48 inches tall and weighs approximately 1,800 pounds. The Knights of Columbus also donated the plaque placed on the base on which the statue stands.

At the foot of the base is a marker representing the approximate location of the first Catholic Church in Lake Charles. It reads:

This marks the approximate location of the first Catholic Church in Calcasieu Parish. Built by — Fr. Francois Raymond, first pastor, a missionary from Opelousas, La. — Dedicated Sept. 26, 1858.

Through the efforts of Father Raymond, a lot on the corner of Ryan and Kirby streets was purchased in 1857 for $375, and a chapel was built. The church, constructed for $900, was dedicated to St. Francis de Sales on Sept. 26, 1858, thus making Lake Charles a mission of St. Landry Parish in Opelousas.

On Dec. 8, 1869, missionary status came to an end when The Most Reverend Jean-Marie Odin, Archbishop of New Orleans, established the Parish of St. Francis de Sales. The region — recognized today as the Diocese of Lake Charles — encompassed the present civil parishes of Allen, Beauregard, Jefferson Davis, Cameron and Calcasieu.

A new church was built and dedicated under the name Immaculate Conception on Oct. 2, 1881. Following the Great Fire of 1910, a third church was built and dedicated on Dec. 18, 1913, by Archbishop James Blenk of New Orleans. This is the church that stands today on the corner of Kirby and Bilbo streets.

One of the first priests who helped parish life flourish at Immaculate Conception was Monsignor Hubert Cramers, a Dutch priest assigned to the parish in 1902. He would spend the remainder of his life there as pastor. He died on Aug. 10, 1935, and his body is interred in a special vault just outside the sanctuary in the main aisle of the Cathedral.

Other key figures include Monsignor J. A. Vigliero, assigned as pastor in 1935; and Monsignor Louis H. Boudreaux, the first native-born priest, serving Immaculate Conception from 1940-1974.

Following the blessing of the statue, an open house of the Cathedral rectory, built in 1913, was held. Refreshments were provided by the Knights of Columbus and Catholic Daughters. Free copies of the book, “Introduction to the Devout Life,” by St. Francis de Sales, were available for guests.