The Father Lafleur Monument

Visit the Fr. Lafleur Monument

Plan a visit to pray at the Monument dedicated to Father J. Verbis Lafleur.

The Father Lafleur Monument is located directly in front of St. Landry Catholic Church in Opelousas, Louisiana (1020 N Main St, Opelousas, LA 70570).

Join us on Mondays in the recitation of the rosary to Fr. Verbis Lafleur at the Monument.

 

Father Lafleur’s last heroic crowning moment of life, depicted in white Carrara marble.

The beautifully carved Carrara marbel monument, sculpted by world-renowned Italian artist Franco Alessandrini, depicts Father Lafleur struggling to push men to possible freedom from the hull of the torpedoed and sinking ”hell ship”, the Shinyo Maru, while water pours down over them during World War II.

Fr. Lafleur’s last moments, depicted in the marble monument, remain the inspiration behind the Fr. Verbis Lafleur Cause for Canonization logo.

The Story Behind the Father Lafleur Monument

Sculpted by world-renowned Italian artist Franco Alessandrini

Sculpted by renowned Italian artist, Franco Alessandrini, Father Lafleur’s last heroic crowning moment of life is depicted in white Carrara marble. Beautifully carved is Father Lafleur struggling to push men to possible freedom from the hull of the torpedoed and sinking ”hell ship”, the Shinyo Maru while water pours down over them. Of 750 prisoners of war aboard this ship, only 83 survived to tell the tragic story of their plight and how Lieutenant Father Joseph Verbis Lafleur, “Padre” to his fellow soldiers, gave his life once more for his men.
 
The four-sided base of the monument depicts significant events in Father Lafleur’s 32 years of life. Opposite the name engraving is a basso relief of Father Lafleur as Associate Pastor of St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church in Abbeville, Louisiana, where he served from 1938 through 1941. While this was Father Lafleur’s only assignment as a diocesan priest of the Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana, he made a lasting impression upon the people of Vermilion Parish as a zealous and loving priest. Among the youth, Father Lafleur was a great inspiration of faith in addition to being an avid sportsman. The boys of Abbeville had very little financial resources available to them for non-necessities. Depicted is Father Lafleur bringing baseball bats, gloves, and balls to the boys. Some of the boys later learned, after Father Lafleur’s death, that he had purchased these bats, gloves, and balls by pawning his wristwatch.

The two remaining basso reliefs are of Father Lafleur’s time in the Philippine Islands. The first is Father Lafleur at the initial surprise attack on Clark Field Air Base on December 8, 1941. Here, Father Lafleur ministered to the wounded and dying without any regard for his safety. For his actions, he won the Distinguished Service Cross and was later awarded the Purple Heart as well as the Bronze Star. The attack at Clark Field started a series of events that led to the ordered surrender of all American soldiers to the Japanese militia. For nearly two and one-half years, Father Lafleur was a prisoner of war including stays at O’Donnell, Cabanatuan, Davao, and Lasang prisoner-of-war camps.
 
The final basso relief depicts the sinking of the prisoner of war ship, Shinyo Maru, on September 7, 1944. Most P.O.W. ships were nothing more than old freighter ships used by the Japanese to transport men to and from various prisoner-of-war camps. The ship on which Father Lafleur perished was not flying the P.O.W. flag and was mistakenly torpedoed by the U.S.S. Paddle. Already severely weakened by malnutrition, dehydration, and heat exhaustion as well as many of the men being wounded, few were able to attempt to escape the hull of the sinking and burning ship. It was here that Father Lafleur, “Padre”, led his men in prayer, blessed them, and began pushing men up through the one escape hatch to the deck and to possible safety.

  • “His demeanor was so convincing that it led me to pursue to become a Catholic. I saw something in him that I wished I had... If there ever was a saint, Father Lafleur was one."

    — Bill Lowe | Convert to Catholicism

  • "In a time when so many, both within the Church and society, are searching for role models, the life and death of Father Verbis Lafleur provides a splendid example of courageous faith and heroic civic virtues. No doubt, all who learn of him will be inspired to live the Catholic faith with deeper commitment and service for the common good. He is a testiment to God's timeless grace."

    — Most Reverend Gregory M. Aymond | Archbishop of New Orleans, LA

  • "Father Verbis Lafleur exemplifies anew the noble words of Our Divine Savior, 'Behold, I come to do Your Will, O God.' All who learn of him will be inspired to emulate the generosity of a priest whose resolute service in the military led to the supreme sacrifice."

    — Rev. Monsignor Jeff DeBlanc, Jr. | Diocese of Lafayette, LA

  • "It has been said 'a little light goes a long way.' Father Joseph Verbis Lafleur is the 'light' that helped many U.S. Military Men navigate the dark rooms within themselves as they endured being prisoners of World War II. Fr. Lafleur's story is one of the rare ones that change the way you think about everything— he is as close to anything we now have to a definition of the real character of a Blessed Saint."

    — Harold J. Arata | Colonel, USAF

  • "Father Lafleur meets all my criteria for patriotism and serves as a role model for all who seek to serve their country in a multi-dimensional role."

    — Dr. Billy R. Reagan | Radaman Second Class, USN / Superintendent of Houston, TX Schools

  • "Father Lafleur's life is bound to inspire both young and old. He presents as a remarkable priest, living his vocation, while serving his people in an extraordinary way to the very end... and beyond."

    — Lawrence LeLeux | St. Francis of Assisi Religious Goods | Houston, TX

  • "The outstanding heroism of Father Lafleur is a remarkable chapter in the outstanding service our military clergy performs on our battlefields as they unselfishly and bravely minister to our wounded and our dead."

    — Johnny Rayond | Lietenant Colonel, U.S. Army

  • "Father Joseph— one who had a heart full of faith— is one of America's greatest heroes."

    — Elbert Lee Guillory | State Senator, Louisiana, USA

  • "Truly, Father Lafleur lived a heroic life dedicated to God, his Church, country, and family."

    — Rev. Monsignor John G. Fitzgerald | California, USA

  • "Having been a member of the military service for over thirty years, and served overseas in the Philippine Islands, Korea, Vietnam, and several other countries as a military lawyer and judge, I happily take this opportunity to say that I have never heard of a more devoted person to the United States Army, as well as his Church, than Father Verbis Lafleur— only the words 'hero' and 'devotion' come to mind."

    — Jack Crouchet | Colonel, U.S. Army

  • "Father J. Verbis Lafleur physically embraced his fellow prisoners-of-war while ministering the spiritual words of God to those who were saved and continued the same passion with those he followed in death."

    — Lincoln “Link” Savoie | Chief Warrant Officer, U.S. Army

  • "... it is our charge to do everything possible to bring to pass this petition that has been handed to us— that ultimately Father Lafleur be declared a saint... In my opinion, he certainly does have all the qualities necessary to become a Saint."

    — Philip M. Hannan | Archbishop Emeritus of New Orleans, LA

  • "The world needs such an example justice, charity, and everything that made Father Lafleur the outstanding priest and chaplain he was. We particularly need such examples in the American military."

    — Philip M. Hannan | Archbishop Emeritus of New Orleans, LA