About St. Edward · Church Point, Louisiana
St. Edward Roman Catholic Church is a Cajun-country parish in the small unincorporated community of Richard in Acadia Parish, Louisiana, with its mailing address in nearby Church Point. Founded in 1946 as part of the Diocese of Lafayette, it serves the farming communities of Richard and, through its sister mission St. Thomas Chapel in Savoy, the surrounding rural area. The parish is best known as the home and burial place of Charlene Richard, the 'Little Cajun Saint' (1947–1959), whose cause for beatification was formally opened here in 2020. Weekends feature Mass in both the main church and at St. Thomas Chapel, with daily Mass, confession, Eucharistic adoration, RCIA, faith formation, and a thriving Cajun Catholic devotional life rooted in redemptive suffering and the Eucharist.
- Established
- 1946
- Patron
- St. Edward
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana
Why belong here
St. Edward is a warm, family-sized Cajun parish where the entire community knows each other by name, with weekend Mass in both the main church in Richard and at St. Thomas Chapel in Savoy, daily Mass on weekdays, regular confession, and First Friday Eucharistic adoration. It is the spiritual home of the 'Little Cajun Saint' Charlene Richard and the gathering point for a centuries-old Catholic Cajun tradition of prayer, redemptive suffering, and devotion to the Eucharist. Families can enroll children in faith formation and sacramental preparation, adults can journey through RCIA, and the parish maintains the Charlene Richard Memorial Prayer Garden for the thousands of pilgrims who come each year.
Mass times at St. Edward
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 PM
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Each First Friday, 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM (following daily Mass)
Parish Identity & Diocese
Saint Edward Roman Catholic Church is a Cajun-country parish in the unincorporated community of Richard, Acadia Parish, Louisiana, with a Church Point mailing address. It belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette and serves the rural farming communities of Richard and Savoy through its sister mission, St. Thomas Chapel.
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana
- Founded 1946
- Mailing address: 1463 Charlene Hwy, Church Point, LA 70525
- Phone: (337) 684-5991
History
Established in 1946 to serve the small Cajun farming community of Richard, the parish grew in identity through the story of Charlene Marie Richard, a 12-year-old who died of leukemia in 1959 and was buried in the parish cemetery. From the late 1960s onward, devotion to Charlene spread across south Louisiana and beyond, sustained by pilgrimages to her grave, prayer cards, diocesan publications, and outdoor anniversary Masses. The parish's most famous pastor, Fr. Floyd J. Calais, credited Charlene's intercession with the rapid fundraising success that built a new church in the early 1960s.
- 1946 — Parish founded in Richard, Acadia Parish
- 1959 — Charlene Richard dies of leukemia and is buried in the parish cemetery
- 1961 — Fr. Floyd J. Calais assigned as pastor; new church built in ~2½ years
- 1975 — Diocese of Lafayette newspaper publishes series on Charlene
- 1979 / 1988 — Booklet Charlene, A Saint from Southwest Louisiana republished
- 1989 — 30th-anniversary outdoor Mass attended by ~4,000; covered by CNN
- Jan 2020 — Bishop J. Douglas Deshotel opens Charlene's cause for beatification (Servant of God)
- Nov 2021 — USCCB votes to advance the cause
- 13 Jan 2024 — Diocesan inquiry phase formally closed at St. Edward
Charlene Richard — The 'Little Cajun Saint'
Charlene Marie Richard (13 January 1947 – 11 August 1959) was a young Cajun parishioner here whose acceptance of suffering and prayers for others during her final illness became the foundation for a widespread popular devotion. She is buried in the parish cemetery, where thousands of pilgrims come each year to leave written petitions, votive candles, and flowers. Her cause for beatification is now before the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints in Rome, and the parish is fundraising to relocate her tomb into a Memorial Prayer Garden on the church grounds.
- Burial site in St. Edward parish cemetery, Richard, LA
- Up to 10,000 pilgrims visit annually
- Cause opened January 2020; named Servant of God
- USCCB advanced the cause November 2021
- Diocesan inquiry closed at St. Edward on 13 January 2024
- Charlene Richard Memorial Prayer Garden planned between church and rectory
Mass Intentions
Parishioners and friends may request that a Mass be offered for a particular intention — for the living or the deceased, in thanksgiving, or for special needs — by completing the online Intention Request Form on the parish website or by contacting the parish office. The customary Mass stipend is $5.00. Online requests are assigned to the next available Mass; specific date requests must be made in person or by phone so the pastor can review availability.
- Online Intention Request Form available on stedwardstthomas.com
- Stipend: $5.00 per intention
- Online requests assigned to the next available Mass
- Specific-date requests handled in person or by phone
St. Thomas Mission Chapel, Savoy
Saint Thomas Mission Chapel, at 802 Tasso Loop in nearby Savoy (also LA 70525), operates as a mission of St. Edward Parish. It hosts the Saturday 5:30 PM and Sunday 8:45 AM Masses, extending the parish's reach into the Savoy community of St. Landry Parish.
- 802 Tasso Loop, Savoy, LA 70525
- Saturday 5:30 PM Mass
- Sunday 8:45 AM Mass
Sacraments & Faith Formation
The parish prepares children and adults for the sacraments of initiation — Baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation — through parish catechesis, and offers the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) for those entering the Church. Couples seeking marriage begin with the parish's Marriage Planning process, and arrangements can be made for Anointing of the Sick and Communion to the homebound.
- Baptism preparation
- First Communion / Confirmation preparation
- RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults)
- Marriage Planning
- Anointing of the Sick and Communion to the homebound
Devotions & Outreach
Beyond the Sunday liturgy, the parish fosters the traditional Cajun Catholic devotions of First Friday adoration, prayers to St. Anthony (the pastor's weekly homily podcast often notes the Memorial of Saint Anthony of Padua), and an active effort to gather and share the story of Charlene Richard with pilgrims and the wider Church. The Father Korey Homily Podcast publishes the pastor's weekly preaching in audio form on Podbean and Spotify.
- First Friday Adoration (8:00–9:00 AM)
- Father Korey Homily Podcast — weekly preaching
- Memorial of Saint Anthony of Padua noted in parish calendar
- Pilgrim ministry for visitors to Charlene's grave
Charlene Richard Memorial Prayer Garden
The parish is creating a dedicated Memorial Prayer Garden for Charlene Richard on the grounds between the church and the rectory. The garden will relocate her tomb from the parish cemetery to a more prominent and accessible location for the thousands of pilgrims who come each year, and will provide a dignified, contemplative space for prayer.
- Location: between St. Edward Church and the Rectory
- Will host Charlene Richard's relocated tomb
- Designed for pilgrim access and prayer
- Fundraising campaign underway via MightyCause and the parish site
Parish App
St. Edward and St. Thomas maintain a free mobile app (iPhone/iPad, released September 2023) that bundles events, photo submissions, contact information, GPS directions, ministries, photo galleries, and push notifications for the parish community.
- iOS app 'St. Edward and St. Thomas' (free)
- Events, GPS directions, ministries, push notifications, photo gallery