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Fr. Louis Richard

Fr. Richard is Cattle Festival’s Citizen of the Year

This year’s honoree for Citizen of the Year for the 71st Annual Louisiana Cattle Festival is Fr. Louis J. Richard.
The Cattle Festival will be held in Abbeville on Oct. 10-13. The Rotary Club will be among honorees recognized at the Honoree Social and Banquet this Saturday, Oct. 5. The event will begin at 6 p.m. at Magdalen Place in Abbeville.
Richard, the current pastor at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church, was born and raised in Abbeville. The son of Joyce and the late A.J. Richard, he attended Mt. Carmel. In 1970, Richard entered Immaculata Seminary in Lafayette to begin his studies for the priesthood. He then
completed his undergraduate studies at St. Joseph Seminary College in St. Benedict, La., in 1977, earning at B.A. in Psychology and also Philosophy.
Richard then went to Louvain, Belgium, where he received a STB/MA. in Theology from the Catholic University of Louvain.
He was ordained a priest on Aug. 7, 1981, at 38 years old, at St. Mary Magdalen, the church of all his previous sacraments.
Richard has had assignments at St. Genevieve and St. Pius X in Lafayette, St. Joseph in Milton, St. Michael in Crowley and then Sacred Heart of Jesus in Broussard, until his current assignment back here at St. Mary Magdalen Church in 2014.
Richard also serves as the Chaplain for Acadian Ambulance Service, Inc. Additionally, he is a founder and charter board member of Hospice of Acadiana, the region’s first and only non-profit Hospice program serving those in need of quality end-of-life care.
In 2016, Fr. Richard was appointed as an Episcopal Dean, Representative for the Bishop for the West Region of the Diocese of Lafayette, including all church parishes in Acadia and Vermilion civil parishes. He serves on the Board of Directors for Catholic Charities of Acadiana. He is also the Chancellor for Vermilion Catholic High School.
“It has been a great joy to return home to Abbeville,” Fr. Richard said, “to serve at St. Mary Magdalen, where I grew up. I am touched and deeply honored for this recognition as Citizen of the Year for the 71st Louisiana Cattle Festival.
“I continually ask God to watch over and bless our wonderful community.”

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