On Monday, October 9, St. John the Baptist Parish hosted members of the LeVézouët Family from Brittany, France.  The group of nieces and nephews included Fr. François LeVézouët’s great nephew, Fr.  Herve LeVézouët, the Vicar General of the Diocese of Brittany, France.

Brittany was the home of three of the five martyrs of the Shreveport Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1873, including Fr. F. LeVézouët.  The opening session for the cause of beatification and canonization of the five martyrs was held on October 8, the 150th anniversary of the death of Fr. F. LeVézouët.  His family traveled to Louisiana to attend the commemoration ceremonies at Holy Trinity Church which has been designated as the Minor Shrine of the Five Priests.

The group enjoyed viewing the “LeVézouët Chalice” recently acquired by St. John the Baptist Catholic Church.  The 19th century chalice is from a small village in Brittany near where Fr. LeVézouët was born.

Welcoming the group and hosting a luncheon in their honor were Tammy and Greg Bell, Clauriste Byles, Jr., Matthew Couvillion, Kayla Hattaway, Fr. Tim Hurd, Cela-Hambleton-Knippers, Sharon McCormic, Shirley Rivers, and Sheila Royal.

To learn more about the Shreveport Martyrs and the cause of beatification and canonization, visit https://shreveportmartyrs.org/.