DIOCESAN NEWS RELEASES

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND CHANGES
November 17, 2018
 
Effective Immediately - Change of Address:
Reverend Paul Onuegbe
Saint Mary Mother Catholic Church
419 Doucet Road
Lafayette, Louisiana  70503
 
Effective November 9, 2018:
Deacon Joseph Thomas after many years of service to the Church, has been released from his appointment at St Peter in Four Corners due to health reasons.
 
Effective November 16, 2018:
Reverend John Richard Fabre retired as Pastor of Saint Rita Catholic Church in Catahoula and will be in residence at Saint Peter Church, Post Office Box 12507, New Iberia, Louisiana  70562.
 
Very Reverend William C. Blanda, VF, appointed Temporary Administrator of Saint Rita Catholic Church in Catahoula, in addition to his current pastoral duties.
 
Effective December 31, 2018:
 
Please Note:  Effective December 31, 2018, the only address for the Diocese of Lafayette (Immaculata Center) will be the physical address, 1408 Carmel Drive, Lafayette LA 70501-5298.  If you currently correspond with the diocesan central office via the post office box (Post Office Box 3387), please update your records accordingly. 
 
 
Update on Jesuits in the Diocese of Lafayette–some addresses have changed:
 
Reverend James Bradley, SJ, is the Director of the Pavilion, but is located at St. Charles College:
Reverend James Bradley, SJ
Saint Charles College
Post Office Box C
Grand Coteau, LA  70541
 
These Jesuits are now residing at the Pavilion: 
St. Alphonsus Pavilion
Post Office Box C
Grand Coteau, LA  70541
Father Joseph Nasser, SJ
Father Francis Renfroe, SJ
Father John Stacer, SJ
 
 
Residing at Prompt Succor Nursing in Opelousas, but wishes the mail be forwarded to St. Alphonsus Pavilion.
Father Paul Osterle, SJ
Father John Paul , SJ
 
Other information: 
Father Frank Reale, SJ, has left the St Charles College on June 7, 2018.
Father Nicholas Schiro, SJ, died August 4, 2018
 

By Julie Mire

“I was dead like Lazarus and Jesus called me forth and gave me a new life!” 

Father Dan Edwards is celebrating his “new life” by jumping out of airplanes. A life-saving operation has allowed this 60-year-old Catholic priest to make a dream that he’s had since the night before his ordination, become a reality.

Father Dan Edwards, pastor of St. Jules Catholic Church in Lafayette, never imagined his dream of skydiving would come true. A traumatic childhood and a lifetime of illness made his dream of skydiving seem to be just that, a dream. But that dream became a reality earlier this year.

For as long as he can remember, Father Dan has been sick. He has spent most of his life in and out of hospitals, having surgery after surgery in a fight against Osteomyelitis, a rare but serious bone infection that began when he was in grade school.

“The first time I got sick I was in the fourth grade. I developed tumors on my right foot. The doctor said it was genetic. I had two major surgeries but the tumors came back. The third time, it came back with a vengeance. That time it was treated with chemo and it didn’t come back, at least not for a while.”

When Father Dan turned 41 he noticed tumors developing on his left foot, his “good” foot. That was the beginning of 14 years of nonstop, level-ten pain. After several painful surgeries, countless rounds of radiation, hyperbaric and PICC line therapy, Father Dan’s health only got worse. He developed painful open wounds on his foot and his weight ballooned to 350 pounds. At one point, he was only given a week to live. The doctors told him if he wanted to survive, he would have to have his foot amputated.

“I cried for three or four hours but ultimately decided to have the amputation.” 

The next day, Father Dan had a partial amputation of his foot. The recovery process did not go well. With his health continuing to decline, doctors recommended a full amputation. That’s when he learned about a radical new surgery available in Sydney, Australia. 

“I told the doctor, I’m just worn out. I just want to die. I don’t want to live anymore.” And the doctor’s response shocked him.

“He said Father, why do you want to die? I can just cut off your leg, put a titanium rod into your tibia bone, give you a new foot and your life will change.”

At that point, Father Dan felt like he had nothing to lose. He mortgaged his house and in April of this year, he flew 10,000 miles to Sydney, Australia to have the radical operation. He spent 7 weeks there in recovery. Within a month he was off all pain medication. Within two months, he was walking again. His health began to dramatically improve. He began exercising, swimming, and riding a bike. The weight began to fall off and his phantom pains disappeared.

“It was like a mini-resurrection! I never thought I would have this life at this age!”

Six weeks ago he decided to fulfill his dream to become a certified skydiver. It was a dream he had since seminary.

“The night before I was ordained, I was really anxious. I was concerned about the responsibility of being a priest and the Lord judging me at my death about whether I did a good job of serving his people. I almost backed out.” 

But that night, Dan had a dream that would change his life.

“I had an out of body experience when I went to sleep. My spirit came out of my body and I was taken up above the Earth and I remember this freeing sensation. I was between the earth and the moon and Jesus was standing right next to me. He stood behind a frosted glass so I could see his image but he would not allow me to see his glory. And I said Lord I don’t want to go back. I’m so free right now and I want to be with you. And the Lord said this is not your time. You have to do something for a little while, and he pointed back to the earth. I saw a huge round table. At one end was John Paul II, and at the other, was all the priests and the bishops of the whole world, all saying mass together. And there was this one open spot that was for me. And Jesus said you have to go into that spot and do that for a little while, then you’ll be able to see me in my glory and you can come back and be with me. And I said okay Lord, if that’s what I have to do, then that’s what I have to do. And I remember flying back into my body, going through the clouds and how awesome it was. And that’s why I wanted to start skydiving.”

On October 10, 2018, less than six months after his last surgery, at 19,000 feet above the ground, Father Dan Edwards became a certified skydiver.

“I could not have done what I’ve been through and survived if I did not have a profound relationship with the Lord. God has given me my life back. Six months ago I died, and now my parishioners see this remarkable resurrection in my life and it just tells them how awesome God is!”

Father Dan has become an inspiration for anyone who suffers physically or mentally.

“You must never give up hope. Never! No matter how dark it gets. One of two things will happen to you. You’re either going to die and go be with God and you’re going to have glory. Or he’s going to give you a new life. You’ve got to trust and persevere to the very end. It doesn’t mean you’re not going to be depressed. It doesn’t mean you’re not going to experience a lot of darkness in your life. But have faith and trust in the mercy of Jesus. He empowers your will with His spirit which gives you an incredible strength to persevere.”

There are only about 40,000 skydivers in the United States. About one million in the whole world. How many of those can say that they are a 60-year-old Catholic priest who also happens to be an amputee?

 

   Bishop J. Douglas Deshotel has appointed the Very Reverend Vinh Luu, JCL as the Adjutant Judicial Vicar of the Diocese of Lafayette.
     Father Vinh Dinh Luu was born in Vietnam in 1975.  He immigrated to New Orleans when he was a few months old, and attended primary and secondary school in New Orleans.  He earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance & Computer Information Systems at Manhattan College and a Master of Arts in International Affairs from George Washington University.  Fr. Luu received a Master of Divinity from Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans in 2003, and was ordained to the priesthood on June 7, 2003 in New Orleans.
     He served as Parochial Vicar at St. Rita Church in Harahan, St. Luke Church in Slidell, and St. Joan of Arc Church in LaPlace.  Fr. Luu received his Canon Law degree from St. Paul University in Ottawa, Canada in 2012. 
     Along with his service to the Diocese of Lafayette,  Fr. Luu currently serves as a Judge in the Metropolitan Tribunal at the Archdiocese of New Orleans.  The appointment by Bishop Deshotel is effective immediately and continues through January 1, 2019.
   Please join us giving a warm welcome to Father Luu!
 

                                                                           
              Funeral Services Announced for Father Charles Patrick Moffatt, S.S.J.
 
   Josephite Father Charles Patrick Moffatt died at Stella Maris Nursing Home in Baltimore, MD on August 7. He had been a patient there for the last three months. He was 92 years old and a priest for 61 years.
 
   A proud native of Detroit, Michigan, he was baptized in Nativity of Our Lord Catholic Church and educated in its parish school. Charles attended St. Anthony High School and University of Detroit, in the Motor City. He served seven months in Germany with the U.S. Army Infantry during World War II, as a Corporal and received an ETO, Rhineland Campaign medal. Upon completing college, Charles worked as an Investigator with the Detroit Welfare Dept. He entered St. Joseph’s Seminary in 1951 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1957.
 
   Fr. Moffatt’s first assignment was as an assistant at St. Francis Xavier parish in Baltimore, MD and two years later was sent as an assistant at Our Mother of Mercy Church in Beaumont, Texas where he served for five years. He was assigned to Epiphany Church in New Orleans for another two years when he was appointed to his first pastorate at St. Philip Church, also in the Crescent City.
 
   After overseeing the building of a new church at St. Philip’s following the destruction of Hurricane Betsy. Fr. Charles was assigned in 1968 as pastor to the only Josephite parish in his native Detroit at St. Benedict the Moor Catholic Church. In 1973 he was assigned back in New Orleans to St. Raymond Church where he administered the building of a new church, he left in 1981 for further studies at the University of Notre Dame, IN.
 
   In 1982 he served one year at St. Joseph’s in Welch, La, and then was assigned to an eight-year term as pastor at Our Mother of Mercy parish in Houston, TX. He was then assigned an eight-year term as pastor in 1991 to Most Pure Heart of Mary parish in Mobile, Alabama.
 
   Fr. Charles served in the vocation department, then in 2005 another four-year ministry as pastor of St. Luke Catholic Church in Washington, DC.
 

    In Fr. Moffatt’s final active five years of ministry,
he served as clergy fill-in, while residing at
St. Francis of Assisi parish in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. 

     Failing health brought him to St. Joseph Manor in 2014.
 
A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, 1501 Oliver Street, Baltimore, MD 21213, on Tuesday, August 14 at 11:00am with viewing beginning at 9 a.m. until Mass time. Burial will follow at New Cathedral Cemetery, Baltimore, MD.
 
Preceded in death were Fr. Moffatt’s parents Patrick and Christina, his sister Maureen (Bill) Mott and his brother Gerald Moffatt.
 
Surviving is his sister Gertrude White, nephews Mark (Teri) White and Brain White, Peter (Carol) Mott, Kevin (Kathy) Mott, Bill (Nadine) Mott Jr., Tom (Pam) Mott, Michael (Jill) Mott and David (Heather) Mott. Also survived by his niece Kathleen (Ken) Mott-Crossman, 29 great nephews and nieces and several great -great nephews and nieces.
 

Father Kenneth A. Buddendorff, SJ,
Campus Minister, Vocations Promoter and Priest,
Dies in Southern Louisiana

Father Kenneth A. Buddendorff, SJ, died Friday, Aug. 3, 2018, in Grand Coteau, La. He was 88 years old, a Jesuit for 70 years and a priest for 57 years.

Remembered by his Jesuit brothers as joyful and enthusiastic, his life will be celebrated in a Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 18, in the St. Charles College Chapel in Grand Coteau. The visitation will be immediately beforehand, beginning at 10:00 a.m. in the same location. Burial will be in the Jesuit Cemetery at St. Charles College.

Born in New Orleans on Sept. 9, 1929, he was the son of Kenneth Buddendorff, Sr. and Marguerite Mumme Buddendorff. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brother, James, and his sister, Doris Buddendorff White. He is survived by a sister-in-law, Shirley Buddendorff Sanders and other family, as well as his brothers in the Society of Jesus.

After graduating from Jesuit High School in New Orleans in 1947, he attended Loyola University in New Orleans for one year (1947-48) before entering the Society of Jesus on July 1, 1948 at St. Charles College in Grand Coteau. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 14, 1961, in the St. Joseph Chapel on the Spring Hill College campus in Mobile, Ala.

Fr. Buddendorff’s ministry included work in secondary and higher education, as well as provincial administration for the former New Orleans Province. He had a special interest in promoting the Christian Life Community, an international association of lay Christians who use the teachings of St. Ignatius Loyola as the basis of their spiritual lives. His interest in and success with vocation promotion led him to be appointed the first full-time vocation director of the New Orleans Province, a post in which he served off-and-on from 1966 to 1991.

“Father Bud,” as he was known, was popular with students as a campus minister at both Jesuit high schools in New Orleans and Dallas and at Loyola University, where he served on the campus ministry team for many years. He served for briefer periods as campus minister at Spring Hill College and at Southern University in Baton Rouge.

He served for two years (1970-72) as executive assistant for the first vice-provincial for formation in the New Orleans Province. He served as rector of the Jesuit community at Jesuit College Prep in Dallas (1991-97); director and superior at Our Lady of the Oaks, a retreat house in Grand Coteau (1997-2008); and assistant director of a community for senior Jesuits in New Orleans. At Our Lady of the Oaks he helped develop a program to train directors of the Spiritual Exercises, reflecting his keen interest in making them available as widely as possible.

In his work with men entering the Society of Jesus, his buoyant and reassuring manner eased the concerns of both Jesuits and parents alike. He was a strong believer in the Gospel’s message of justice and compassion, and these were often in his preaching. Above all, he was available for many works of the Society, embracing every mission given him to the best of his ability. In the reflection that he wrote for the observance of his 70 years as a Jesuit this year, he notes the various ministries in which he served and he concludes: “Joy and love filled my life in each of these ministries.”

Following First Vows Fr. Buddendorff studied humanities in Grand Coteau. He continued his studies at Spring Hill College earning a Bachelor of Arts in English and completing his philosophy requirements. His studied theology at St. Mary’s College in St. Marys, KS (1958-62) where he earned the S.T.L. (1962). During a sabbatical at the Institute of Spirituality and Worship at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, CA (1976-77), he earned a Certificate in Theology Studies.

We remember with gratitude all that God has done through his life of service to God and God's people. Memorial gifts may be made to the USA Central and Southern Province of the Society of Jesus at 4511 West Pine Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63108 or online at http://jesuitscentralsouthern.org