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The Diocese of Lafayette released a list Friday of clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse by a minor or vulnerable adult.

Here is the list released by the diocese:

Priests

Joseph Alexander

Year born: 1933
Year ordained: 1973

Assignments

St. Mark Priory, Union, Kentucky
Our Lady of Wisdom, Lafayette
Holy Rosary Institute, Lafayette
St. Thomas More High School, Lafayette
St. Anthony of Padua, Eunice
Status: removed, 2002

Jules Arceneaux

Year born: 1953
Year ordained: 1990

Assignments

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Church Point
St. Thomas More, Eunice
St. Joseph, Rayne
St. Francis Regis and St. Catherine, Arnaudville
Status: removed, 2004

Susai Arul

Year born: 1928
Year ordained: 1957

Assignments

Sacred Heart of Jesus, Ville Platte
St. Catherine, Leonville
St. Jules, Prairie Laurent
St. Leo the Great, Lafayette
Status: resigned, 1988; deceased, 2002

Stanley Begnaud

Year born: 1921
Year ordained: 1958

Assignments

St. Peter the Apostle, Gueydan
St. Joseph, Rayne
Our Lady of Perpetual Help, New Iberia
St. Stephen, Berwick
Our Lady of Fatima, Lafayette
Our Lady of Mercy, Opelousas
St. Margaret of Scotland, Lake Charles
St. Edward, Richard, and St. Thomas, Savoy Sts. Peter and Paul, Scott
St. Leo IV, Roberts Cove
Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Lafayette
Status: retired, 1982; deceased, 1985

Michael Benedict

Year born: 1915
Year ordained: 1943

Assignments

Immaculate Conception, Lake Charles
St. Mary Magdalen, Abbeville
Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Lafayette
Our Lady of Fatima, Lafayette
Sacred Heart of Jesus, Oakdale
St. Margaret of Scotland, Lake Charles
St. Peter, New Iberia
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mire
Most Holy Sacrament Convent, Lafayette
Status: retired, 1979; deceased, 1998

David Broussard

Year born: 1966
Year ordained: 1993

Assignments

St. Mary Magdalen, Abbeville
Our Lady of Mercy, Opelousas
St. Joseph, Iota and St. Michael, Egan
Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, Kaplan
St. Joseph, Evangeline, and St. Jules, Petit Mamou
St. Bernard, Breaux Bridge
Status: removed, 2016; pleaded guilty in 2018; incarcerated

J. Richard Chachere

Year born: 1940
Year ordained: 1965

Assignments

Our Lady Queen of Heaven, Lake Charles
St. Mary Magdalen, Abbeville
St. Anne, Youngsville
Status: resigned, 1978; deceased, 2012

David Anderson Coupar

Year born: 1952
Year ordained: 1980

Assignments

Our Lady of Perpetual Help, New Iberia
St. Therese of the Child Jesus, Abbeville
St. Leo the Great, Leonville
St. Anthony of Padua, Krotz Springs
Our Lady of Victory, Loreauville
Catholic High, New Iberia
Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Leroy
Status: resigned, 1994

Herbert de Launay

Year born: 1948
Year ordained: 1975

Assignments

Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, Kaplan
Our Lady Queen of All Saints, Ville Platte
Our Lady of Sacred Heart, Church Point
St. John the Baptist, Lyons Point
American Legion Hospital, Crowley
St. Ann, Mamou
Our Lady of Holy Rosary, Kaplan
St. Andrew, Plaisance
St. Peter, Carencro
Our Lady of Perpetual Help, New Iberia
St. Bernadette, Bayou Vista
Status: removed, 1999

John deLeeuw

Year born: 1918
Year ordained: 1944

Assignments

St. Martin de Tours, St. Martinville
St. Genevieve, Lafayette
St. Jules, Lafayette
Charity Hospital, Lafayette
St. Eugene, Grand Chenier
St. Leo the Great, Lafayette
Status: retired, 1986; removed, 2011; deceased, 2015

Michael DesJardins
Year born: 1950
Year ordained: 1976

Assignments

Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Lafayette
St. Landry, Opelousas
St. Mary, Port Barre
Sts. Peter and Paul, Scott
St. Martin de Porres, Scott
St. Bridget, Lawtell
St. Anthony of Padua, Eunice
Status: resigned, 1992

John Anthony Engbers

Year born: 1922
Year ordained: 1949

Assignments

St. Peter, New Iberia
Immaculate Conception, Lake Charles
Our Lady of the Lake, Lake Arthur
St. Anthony of Padua, Eunice
St. Helena, Louisa
St. Peter the Apostle, Gueydan
St. John the Evangelist, Mermentau
Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Leroy
Status: deceased, 1989

Ronald Lane Fontenot

Year born: 1946
Year ordained: 1975

Assignments

St. Peter the Apostle, Gueydan
Our Lady of Perpetual Help, New Iberia
Our Lady of Mercy, Opelousas
Sacred Heart of Jesus, Baldwin
Our Lady of Fatima, Lafayette
Status: removed, 1984; resigned, 1984; deceased, 2014

Gilbert John Gauthe

Year born: 1945
Year ordained: 1971

Assignments

St. Michael the Archangel, Crowley
Sacred Heart of Jesus, Broussard
Our Lady of Perpetual Help, New Iberia
St. Mary Magdalen, Abbeville
St. John, Henry
Status: removed, 1983; resigned, 1983; convicted, 1985

Aldeo Fernand Gilbert

Year born: 1917
Year ordained: 1943

Assignments

St. Michael the Archangel, Crowley
Sacred Heart of Jesus, Ville Platte
St. Therese of the Child Jesus, Abbeville
Status: resigned, 1968; deceased, 2007

Michael Guidry

Year born: 1943
Year ordained: 1971

Assignments

Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Lafayette
Our Lady of Fatima, Lafayette
Sts. Peter and Paul, Scott
St. Martin De Porres, Scott
Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Lafayette
St. Joseph, Evangeline and St. Jules, Petit Mamou
St. John, Mermentau and St. Margaret, Estherwood
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Church Point
St. Anthony of Padua, Krotz Springs
St. Joseph, Patterson
St. Jules, Franklin
Sacred Heart of Jesus, Baldwin
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Franklin
Our Lady of Perpetual Help, New Iberia
St. Leo the Great, Lafayette
St. Peter, Morrow
Status: removed, 2018; convicted 2019

Lloyd Hebert

Year born: 1928
Year ordained: 1957

Assignments

St. Margaret of Scotland, Lake Charles
St. Peter the Apostle, Gueydan
St. Peter, New Iberia
St. Mary of the Lake, Big Lake
Our Lady Queen of Angels, Opelousas
Status: removed, 1985; deceased, 2004

Michael Herpin

Year born: 1941
Year ordained: 1966

Assignments

St. Raphael, lowa
St. Landry, Opelousas
Immaculate Conception, Lake Charles
Our Lady Help of Christians, Jennings
St. Paul, Elton
St. Joseph, Elton
Our Lady of Perpetual Help, New Iberia
Sacred Heart of Jesus, Broussard
Our Lady of Mercy, Henderson
St. Joseph, Milton
Status: removed, 2002

Marshall Larriviere

Year born: 1937
Year ordained: 1963

Assignments

St. Mary Magdalen, Abbeville
Leave — Studies for Deaf Chaplaincy
Leave — Chaplain in U.S. Armed Services
Status: removed, 1994; deceased, 2014

Robert Limoges

Year born: 1930
Year ordained: 1979

Assignments

St. Anthony of Padua, Eunice
Our Lady of Victory, Loreauville
Status: leave, 1984; removed, 1984

Keith Anthony Potier

Year born: 1947
Year ordained: 1973

Assignments

St. Therese of the Child Jesus, Abbeville
Our Lady of Holy Rosary, Kaplan
Our Lady Queen of Heaven, Lake Charles
Our Lady of Victory, Loreauville
Status: resigned, 1981; deceased, 2009

David Primeaux

Year born: 1950
Year ordained: 1975

Assignments

Sts. Peter and Paul, Scott
Our Lady of Fatima, Lafayette
Immaculata Seminary, Lafayette
Chancery, Lafayette
Sacred Heart of Jesus, Broussard
Our Lady of Wisdom, Lafayette
St. Joseph, Milton
Status: removed, 1985; resigned, 1985; deceased, 2012

Valerie Pullman

Year born: 1940
Year ordained: 1965

Assignments

Our Lady of the Lake, Lake Arthur
St. Joseph, Elton
Our Lady Queen of Peace, Lafayette
Our Lady of the Assumption, Carencro
St. Martin de Porres, Scott
Lake Charles Diocese
Status: removed, 1987; resigned, 1987; deceased, 2017

Harry Quick

Year born: 1929
Year ordained: 1962

Assignments

St. Henry, Lake Charles
Our Lady Help of Christians, Jennings
St. Joseph, Evangeline
St. Thomas More, Eunice
St. Theresa of the Child Jesus, Duson
Charity Hospital, Lafayette
Status: removed, 1983; resigned, 1983; deceased, 1994

Richard Rieboldt

Year born: 1945
Year ordained: 1975

Assignments

Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Lafayette
Our Lady of Fatima, Lafayette
St. Bernard, Breaux Bridge
St. Michael the Archangel, Crowley
St. Jules, Lafayette
St. John the Baptist, Lyons Point
Status: resigned, 1985; removed 1989

Robie Robichaux

Year born: 1950
Year ordained: 1976

Assignments

St. Peter, New Iberia
St. Therese of the Child Jesus, Abbeville
St. Genevieve, Lafayette
St. Peter, New Iberia
St. Joseph, Iota
St. Jules, Petit Mamou
Sacred Heart of Jesus, Broussard
St. Edmond, Lafayette
St. Patrick, Lafayette
St. Mary Mother of the Church, Lafayette
St. Leo the Great, Lafayette
Status: removed, 2018

Jody Simoneaux

Year born: 1955
Year ordained: 1982

Assignments
St. Anthony of Padua, Eunice
St. Anne, Youngsville
St. Genevieve, Lafayette
St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette
Status: removed, 2018

Gerard Smit
Year born: 1924
Year ordained: 1950

Assignments

St. Joseph, Iota
Our Lady Queen of Heaven, Lake Charles
St. Anne, Youngsville
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Bosco (Mire)
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Chataignier
Our Lady of Queen of Heaven, Lake Charles
St. John Berchmans, Cankton
Our Lady of the Lake, Lake Arthur
St. Raphael, Iowa
Status: retired, 1986; removed 2002

Jean Toussaint

Year born: 1910
Year ordained: 1934

Assignments

St. Julien Chapel, Chataignier
St. Joseph, Ville Platte and Little Flower, Pins Clairs
St. Mary, Port Barre
Holy Trinity, Washington
Status: deceased, 1977

Adrian Walter Van Hal

Year born: 1912
Year ordained: 1937

Assignments

St. Genevieve, Lafayette
Lake Arthur
Evangeline
Cameron (Creole?)
St. John the Evangelist, Melville
Chaplain, U.S. Army
St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette
Our Lady Queen of Heaven, Lake Charles
Our Lady of Mercy, Opelousas
Status: deceased, 1970

Cornelius Van Merrianboer
Year born: 1898
Year ordained: 1924

Assignments

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Lake Charles
Sacred Heart of Jesus, Creole
St. John the Evangelist, Mermentau
Status: resigned, 1933; deceased, 1960

Rosaire Veilleux

Year born: 1930
Year ordained: 1958

Assignments

St. Anne, Youngsville
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Church Point
St. Peter, Carencro
St. Genevieve, Lafayette St. John Vianney, Bell City
Status: resigned, 1973; deceased, 1986

Charles Zaunbrecher

Year born: 1931
Year ordained: 1957

Assignments

Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, Kaplan
St. Anthony of Padua, Eunice
Our Lady of Fatima, Lafayette
St. Mary Magdalen, Abbeville
St. Jules, Lafayette
St. Michael the Archangel, Crowley
St. Edward, Richard
St. Leo IV, Roberts Cove
St. Joseph, Iota
St. John the Baptist, Lyons Point
St. Joseph, Milton
Little Flower, Mobile, Alabama
Status: retired, 1995; deceased, 1996

Deacons

Lester Breaux​​​​​​​

Year born: 1920
Year ordained: 1977

Assignments

St Peter, Carencro
Status: resigned, 1984; deceased, 1996

Willis Broussard​​​​​​​

Year born: 1927
Year ordained: 1977

Assignments
St John the Evangelist, Mermentau
Status: resigned, 1990

Leonard J. Freyou​​​​​​​
Year born: 1926
Year ordained: 1977

Assignments
St Nicholas, Lydia
Status: deceased, 2006

Louis Hanemann
Year born: 1948
Year ordained: 1983

Assignments

St Genevieve, Lafayette
Diocese of Raleigh, North Carolina
Status: left, 1986; removed 2002

May 18, 1967 ~ April 9, 2019

ABBEVILLE — A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 2:00 PM on Tuesday, April 16, 2019 at St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Catholic Church honoring the life of Ronnie James Trahan, Sr., 51, who passed away Tuesday, April 9, 2019 in Denham Springs, LA. Medical Center. Fr. François Sainte-Marie will officiate the service.
Ronnie James Trahan was born on May 18,1967 to Janie Wilson Escort and Orley Joseph Trahan in Houston, Texas. Ronnie and family relocated to Denham Springs in 2014.
Ronnie was a very proud yet humble, and caring man that faced his obstacles in life head on with the strength and courage unknown to most men. He was also a man full of love and faith. Ronnie knew our Lord and Savior personally and is without a doubt in Heaven with him today. Ronnie Trahan (aka “THE ROCK”) was loved by many and will be missed dearly.
Ronnie is survived his wife of 14 years, Catherine Trahan; mother, Janie Wilson; six children, Ronnie James Trahan Jr., Kari Dore, Andi Dore, Charity Trahan, Ronisha Dardar, and Sherry Dardar; seven grandchildren, Trey, London, Raymond, Tanarae, Layla, Grant Jr , Ayden; two brothers, Orley Joseph Trahan Jr. of Abbeville, and Danny Ray Trahan (Joanne) of Carencro; five sisters, Karen Stewart-Johnson, Arlene Trahan (Gordon) of Houston, Yvette Baudoin of Abbeville, Leann Dominique (Donovan) of Lake Charles, and Esther Trahan of Abbeville; and four aunts, Willie Ann Lege of Abbeville, LucyAnn Plowden (Uncle Glenn) of Abbeville, Patricia Rudd (Uncle Robert), and Sheila Jules both of Kaplan.
He was preceded in death by his father, Orley Joseph Trahan Sr.; maternal grandparents, Willie Mae and Roy Wilson; paternal grandparents, Loveless and Wilda Trahan; three uncles, David Lege, Larry Jules, and Mercy Gary Jules. 
The family requests that visiting hours be observed at Vincent Funeral Home - Abbeville, 209 S. St. Charles St., on Tuesday, April 16, 2019 from 9:30 AM until 1:45 PM when the procession will depart for the church. A rosary will be prayed at 10:00 AM.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.vincentfuneralhome.net.
All funeral arrangements are being conducted by Vincent Funeral Home of Abbeville, (337) 893-4661.

LAFAYETTE – South Louisiana Community College will be offering its 15-week Basic Welding program at its Gulf Area Campus in Abbeville and its T.H. Harris Campus in Opelousas beginning in May. The Corporate College division already offers short-term welding courses in Lafayette and Morgan City.
The expansion of this program is to meet industry needs.
“We work closely with industry to find out where there is a need for qualified employees, and we’ve heard from several companies that welders are in great demand,” said Margaret Beard, Workforce Training coordinator for SLCC’s Corporate College.
To accommodate working adults that want to train for a new career, the programs in Abbeville and Opelousas will have class three nights a week from 5 - 8:30 p.m.
In the short-term program, students will earn their NCCER Core Certification and train on shielded metal arc welding so they can begin an entry-level position as a structural welder.
SLCC also offers a technical degree in welding at its campuses in Abbeville, Crowley, Lafayette, New Iberia, Opelousas, St. Martinville, Morgan City, and Ville Platte. These are day classes are for those seeking a path to an associate’s degree.
“When we speak to our community members about training for a new career path, many of them need the flexibility of an evening course so they can continue to work during the day to support their families,” continued Beard. “A short-term evening course gives them this option.”
South Louisiana Community College established the Corporate College in 2015 to offer continuing education courses, leisure learning programs, and customized training for businesses across 10 campuses. Short-term training programs to prepare community members to meet the demands of area businesses is its focus.
For more information about SLCC’s short-term welding program, please call (337) 521-9028 or workforce@solacc.edu.

BATON ROUGE – Researchers in the Public Policy Research Lab at LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication found the majority of Louisianans – 88 percent – support raising teacher salaries, and the majority – 81 percent – also support an increased minimum wage of $8.50 an hour.
Two-thirds of Louisiana residents report that they have a good deal of confidence or a very great deal of confidence in the state’s public school teachers, although three quarters of people surveyed believe teachers earn less than they actually earn.
“These results show very strong, nearly unanimous, support for public school teachers and an appetite for pay increases—an issue that will likely be raised during the legislative session that just kicked off yesterday; however, there is more partisan division on whether the state should raise taxes to fund a pay increase for public school teachers.” Michael Henderson, director of the Public Policy Research Lab, said.
The Louisiana Survey is aimed at revealing how people from all areas of the state view Louisiana government and its policies. The survey, conducted by PPRL interviewers between Feb. 15 and March 7, polled 917 Louisianans age 18 or older from across the state. The total sample has a margin of error of +/- 4.6 percentage points.

Additional findings from the third of six reports shows these key findings on teacher pay:
• Support for raising public school teacher salaries is nearly unanimous among Louisiana residents, with 88 percent backing a pay raise. Raising teacher pay has broad consensus across political parties. More than 90 percent of Democrats and independents support boosting teacher salaries, as do 80 percent of Republicans.
• There is less support – and more partisan division – on the question of raising taxes to fund the raise. Overall, framing the issue in terms of tax costs to cover the raise cuts support to 63 percent.
• Three-fourths of state residents (75 percent) underestimate average teacher pay in Louisiana (they think teachers earn less than they actually earn).
• There is more support for uniform pay raises across the board than for proposals to give larger raises to teachers who work in schools or subjects with teacher shortages. Only 25 percent of participants prefer giving larger salary increases to teachers who work in schools with teacher shortages and smaller increases to teachers in other schools. Just 26 percent prefer larger pay raises for teachers in subjects with teacher shortages and smaller raises for teachers in other subjects.
• Two-thirds (68 percent) of Louisiana residents have either a “good deal” of confidence or a “very great deal” of confidence in the state’s public school teachers.
• Thirty-nine percent of state residents grade their local public schools with an A (12 percent) or B (27 percent). In contrast, only 25 percent grade public schools across the state with an A (five percent) or B (20 percent). At the same time, 80 percent of residents want to increase state spending on public schools in Louisiana as a whole, but the share drops to 67 percent when asked about increasing state spending for public schools in their own local districts.

Key results from Louisiana Survey on raising the minimum wage include:
• Four in five Louisiana residents (81 percent) support a minimum wage of $8.50 an hour.
• The proposal is popular among Democrats (94 percent), independents (78 percent), and Republicans (72 percent).
• Support for a minimum wage drops to 59 percent when it is set as $15.00 an hour, and only Democrats maintain majority support (85 percent).
• Just 44 percent of Republicans and 46 percent of independents support a minimum wage of $15.00 an hour.
The Louisiana Survey has been conducted annually for the last 18 years (and twice in 2006), establishing rich longitudinal measures of public opinion in Louisiana. The mission of the Louisiana Survey is to establish benchmarks as well as to capture change in residents’ assessments of state government services. The survey is further dedicated to tracking public opinion on the contemporary policy issues that face the state. Each iteration of the Louisiana Survey contains core items designed to serve as barometers of public sentiment, including assessments of whether the state is heading in the right direction or wrong direction, perceptions about the most important problems facing the state, as well as evaluations of public revenue sources and spending priorities.
The survey is a project of the Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs, an integral part of the Manship School of Mass Communication. The Reilly Center’s mission is to generate thoughtful programs, dialogue and research about mass communication and its many faceted relationships with social, economic and political issues.
LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication ranks among the top schools of mass communication and journalism in the country, with its robust emphasis on media and public affairs. It offers undergraduate degrees in public relations, journalism, political communication, digital advertising and pre-law; and four graduate degree programs: Ph.D. in media and public affairs, master of mass communication, dual MMC/law degree and a graduate certificate in strategic communication. Its public relations, digital advertising and student media teams frequently earn national recognition, including the 2018 national Bateman Case Study Competition of the Public Relations Student Society of America.
The Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs is partnership-driven, action-oriented, and dedicated to exploring contemporary issues at the intersection of mass communication and public life. Its interdisciplinary approach draws together experts from diverse fields to advance research and dialogue. The intent is to inspire our communities to think deeply, take action, develop solutions and broaden knowledge. Underlying the Center’s endeavors is to strengthen and advance the Manship School’s national and state leadership in media and politics.