A New Year’s message from the Diocese

On behalf of the Diocese of Lafayette, Fr. Rusty Richard (Pastor, St. Martin de Tours Church, St. Martinville) would like to convey the following New Year’s message to the people of Acadiana:
“Seeing the great need for mercy and healing in this world, our Holy Father Pope Francis has called for this New Year to be a Jubilee Year of Mercy. He is asking all people of goodwill to focus on healing and forgiveness.
We can be witnesses of mercy by reflecting on and practicing works of mercy throughout this New Year. It is my hope that by doing this, we will encounter a merciful God who has the power to transform our lives.
I’m Father Rusty P. Richard, the Pastor of St. Martin de Tours Catholic Church in St. Martinville, Louisiana, affectionately known as the Mother Church of the Acadians and one of the designated pilgrim shrines for this Jubilee Year.
I want to wish you and all of your loved ones a Happy and Holy New Year—a year full of grace, a year full of mercy.”