Roman Catholic Diocese of Lake Charles

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Lake Charles (Latin: Dioecesis Lacus Carolini), is a diocese of the Catholic Church in southwestern Louisiana in the United States. It is a suffragan see of the metropolitan Archdiocese of New Orleans.

Diocese of Lake Charles

Dioecesis Lacus Carolini
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Coat of arms
Location
Country United States
TerritoryThe Civil Parishes of: Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, and Jefferson Davis
Ecclesiastical provinceArchdiocese of New Orleans
Deaneries4
Statistics
Population
- Catholics
80,519 (29%)
Parishes37
Schools6
Information
DenominationCatholic
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
EstablishedJanuary 29, 1980
CathedralCathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Patron saintMary Immaculate, Mother of Jesus
St. Peter Claver
Secular priests46[1]
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopGlen John Provost
Metropolitan ArchbishopGregory Michael Aymond
Archbishop of New Orleans
Map
Website
lcdiocese.org

The Diocese of Lake Charles includes the civil parishes of Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, and Jefferson Davis. The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Lake Charles is its cathedral church, and Glen John Provost is the current bishop.

History

1800 to 1980

After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, all of present-day Louisiana became part of the United States. At that time, the new State of Louisiana was part of the Diocese of Louisiana and the Two Floridas, with its see city as New Orleans. In 1825, the Vatican renamed this diocese as the Diocese of New Orleans. The first Catholic church in Lake Charles was Saint Francis de Sales, a mission chapel built in 1858.[2][3] The City of Lake Charles was incorporated in 1867.The first parish in Lake Charles was organized in 1869.

Pope Benedict XV erected the Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana on January 11, 1918, with territory taken from the Archdiocese of New Orleans. The new diocese included the Lake Charles area. The Church of the Immaculate Conception in Lake Charles was built in 1913.[4]

1980 to present

Pope John Paul II erected the Diocese of Lake Charles on January 29, 1980, taking its territory from the Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana.[5] He named Reverend Jude Speyrer as the first bishop of Lake Charles.[6] Speyrer designated the Church of the Immaculate Conception as the diocesan cathedral. Speyrer retired in 2000 after 20 years as bishop.

The second bishop of Lake Charles was Auxiliary Bishop Edward Braxton of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, named by John Paul II in 2000.[7] The same pope selected Braxton in 2005 to serve as bishop of the Diocese of Belleville.

The current bishop of the Diocese of Lake Charles is Glen Provost, from the Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana. He was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007, two years after Braxton moved to Belleville.[8]

Sexual abuse

In April 2019, the Diocese of Lake Charles released a list of 11 clergy with credible accusations of sexual abuse of minors.[9]

Calcasieu Parish authorities arrested Reverend Mark Broussard in 2012 on charges of sexually abusing three boys as young as eight years old. He was serving at Our Lady Queen of Heaven and St. Henry's Parishes in Lake Charles when the crimes took place. Broussard's personnel file from the Diocese of Lake Charles show that diocesan officials knew he had had sexual contact with at least four other children, but never reported the crimes to law enforcement.[10] Broussard was ultimately charged with ten counts of abuse. Three additional victims declined to pursue charges against him.[11] Broussard was convicted in 2016 and sentenced to life in prison.

Bishops

Bishops of Lake Charles
  1. Jude Speyrer (1980-2000)
  2. Edward Kenneth Braxton (2000-2005), appointed Bishop of Belleville
  3. Glen John Provost (2007–present)

Other priests of this diocese who became a bishop

Mission statement

The mission statement of the diocese reads as follows:

The Diocese of Lake Charles embraces fully the mission of the Roman Catholic Church to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the teachings of the Church in Southwest Louisiana by entering into the Mystery of the Life, Death, and Resurrection of Christ in the sacramental nature of the Catholic Church and with particular emphasis on the call to holiness, service to the poor and marginalized, the education of young people, the promotion of natural marriage and the family, fostering a respect for human life at all stages, responding to the needs of victims of violence and abuse, and witnessing faithfully to the Truth of Jesus Christ in local society and daily life.

Schools

The diocese operates six schools, including a high school, St. Louis Catholic High School.

References
  1. Cheney, David. "Lake Charles (Diocese)". Catholic Hierarchy. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  2. National Register Staff (July 1994). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception". National Park Service. Retrieved April 19, 2018. with nine photos from 1994.
  3. "Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception" (PDF). State of Louisiana's Division of Historic Preservation. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 19, 2018. Retrieved April 19, 2018. (with three photos and two maps Archived 2018-04-19 at the Wayback Machine)
  4. National Register Staff (July 1994). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception". National Park Service. Retrieved April 19, 2018. with nine photos from 1994.
  5. "Lake Charles (Diocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]".
  6. "Bishop Jude Speyrer [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
  7. Cheney, David M. "Lake Charles (Diocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2018-11-03.
  8. Catholic Hierarchy, "Bishop Glen John Provost"
  9. Daigle, Hannah; Schmidt, Theresa (2019-04-12). "Diocese of Lake Charles releases list of credibly accused clergy". https://www.kplctv.com. Retrieved 2023-04-07. {{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help)
  10. "Former priest re-arrested, bond set at $3.42M", "KPLC"
  11. "Sex abuse charges against former priest adjusted", "Lake Charles American Press"

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