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October 15, 2015
Cardinal Gerald Cyprien Lacroix, Archbishop of the Diocese of Quebec, Canada to Preside
Cardinal Gerald Cyprien Lacroix, Archibishop of the Diocese of Quebec, Canada will celebrate the Saint Martin de Tours Catholic Church 250th Church Anniversary Mass on November 11, 2015, closing out the year long celebration of the 250th Church anniversary. The mass will begin at 7pm followed by a reception in the Parish Presbytere and at Maison de Tours in St. Martinville.
Saint Martin de Tours Catholic Church Pastor Father Rusty P. Richard announced the attendance of Cardinal Lacroix, stating, "We are deeply honored to have Cardinal Lacroix celebrate the concluding mass of our 250th Church anniversary year and for the great significance of his representing Canada, the original home of the Acadians who came to Louisiana in 1765." Cardinal Lacroix will preside and deliver the homily during the Wednesday, November 11 mass which coincides with the Feast Day of Saint Martin de Tours, the patron saint of Saint Martin de Tours Catholic Church."
Cardinal Gerald Cyprien Lacroix was born on July 27, 1957 in Saint-Hilaire de Dorset in the Archdiocese of Quebec, Canada and spent his youth in New Hampshire in the United States. He was ordained into the Priesthood on October 8, 1988 at the Parish of Notre-Dame-de-la-Recouvrance, Quebec and was elected titular bishop of Lita and appointed auxiliary of Quebec on April 7, 2009. Cardinal Lacroix was consecrated May 25, 2009 in the Shrine of Saint Anne de Beaupre and became Archdiocesan Administrator of Quebec on August 26, 2010. He was promoted to the metropolitan and primatial see of Quebec on February 22, 2011 and received the pallium from Pope Benedict XVI on June 29, 2011 at the papal Vatican basilica. On February 22, 2014, he was elevated to the College of cardinals at the consistory, receiving the red biretta, the cardinalitial ring and the title of S. Guiseppe all'Aurelio in the same consistory. He took possession of his title of Cardinal on Sunday, June 22, 2014. Cardinal Lacroix is fluent in French, English, and also speaks Spanish.
Saint Martin de Tours Catholic Church parish is one of the oldest Catholic Churches in America and the third oldest in the state of Louisiana. It was founded in 1765 by a group of Acadian exiles who arrived that same year, the first of many of the refugees driven from Canada by the English. The current church structure was built in 1836 on the site of the original church and was dedicated on June 2, 1844.
The public is invited to the 250th Anniversary mass and reception on November 11 and while all tickets to the event are entirely free, they must be reserved in advance by contacting the Church office at 337.394.6021. Seating is limited and tickets will be given on a first come/first served basis until all seats are taken.