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Local Church's 150th Anniversary

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Catholicism is at the heart of Cajun culture and traditions. The Cajun city of Abbeville grew up around a Catholic church. Father Antoine Megret of France, a visionary priest, was the founder and driving force for the town's early growth in the 1840's. Recently, in July 2001, the community of Saint Mary Magdalen Catholic Church joyously and reverently celebrated their 150th anniversary.

Although responsible for the establishment of Abbeville and its first church, Abbe Megret was never the pastor there. Known by his French title "Pere," Father Megret was pastor of St. John's Church in Vermilionville (now Lafayette). He traveled down the bayou to serve various Cajun settlements, including one known as La Chapelle. Soon it was called "Abbeville," meaning the priest's town.

The first church in Abbeville was actually the renovated home of the Joseph Leblanc family, and it was dedicated in 1844 as La Chapelle de Sainte Marie Madeleine. By 1851, Vermilion Parish was established as a separate parochial jurisdiction and St. Mary Magdalen was officially recognized as the parish church.

Unfortunately, the new church was demolished during a major hurricane only five years later. Its replacement was quickly outgrown and another building was in place by 1884. This third structure included the stained glass windows and high steeple which have become recognizable attractions of Abbeville's most famous landmark.

Another disaster struck in 1907 when fire destroyed most of the church. Undaunted, the Catholic faithful again resurrected a new building in 1911 and its beautiful red brick facade contines to grace downtown Abbeville. Tour guides point out a cornerstone whose inscription indicates an attempt to rename the church as St. Ann's but the tradition of St. Mary Magdalen prevailed. Seventy years later, there was another fire which badly damaged the church's interior but cleanup and remodeling were done with spectacular results.

The adjacent rectory, or priests' residence, has its own remarkable history. According to local legend, the rectory may be haunted by the benevolent ghost of Father Edmund Daull. Pastor of St. Mary Magdalen Church from 1930, Father Daull died suddenly in 1949 at the rectory on the 96th anniversary of Pere Megret's death. His tomb is at the foot of a tall cross which marks the historical Old Catholic Cemetery behind the church.

In 1951, the east side of Abbeville had increased in population to warrant the establishment of "the little chapel" of Saint Theresa. The stated intent was to make it easier for Catholics who had to travel long distances to reach the "big church" but the two places of worship are actually within a couple of miles of each other. Although originally associated with the image of less affluence, St. Theresa has grown into a thriving church parish of its own.

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