an ACADIA PARISH article

Cultures of Acadiana
a look at the French, Cajun, Creole, and Native American cultures of south Louisiana
(a project of Carencro High School - 721 West Butcher Switch Road, Lafayette, LA 70507)

Lafayette (LA) Daily Advertiser, August 26, 1997

Le Vieux Prèsbytere will become museum

by Jim Bradshaw

A community effort to restore Le Vieux Prèsbytere has been under way in Church Point since March 1995.

The one-and-a-half-story structure was built in 1887, as the residence for the Catholic priests there. It was donated to the town of Church Point in 1991 on the condition that it be moved from the church square. It has since been moved to an adjacent lot donated by Church Point Wholesale, and is being repaired and renovated for a museum.

According to Donna Fricker of the state Office of Cultural Development, the history of the building began in 1883 with the establishment of the new Sacred Heart of Mary Parish in Church Point. Father Auguste Vincent Eby, a 27-year-old native of France, was appointed pastor. He had finished building a church there in 1887 and began work on the prèsbytere.

He reported to the archbishop in 1887 that work was being done to build the 40- by-40-foot building. It originally had an 8- foot gallery all around it.

In about 1950, the prèsbytere was moved from its original location to the southwest side of the church square, to make way for construction of a new church building. At that time it received a major renovation, a side elevation became the front of the building, with a new entrance. Also at that time, the porches were enclosed.

This article is copyrighted © by the Lafayette (LA) Daily Advertiser and is used with permission. This web site was originated through a grant awarded to Carencro High School (Joel Hilbun/Bobbi Marino, Grant Administrators) by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education from the Louisiana Quality Education Support Fund - 8(g).