‘Little Cajun Saint’ could be first canonized Louisianan

RICHARD, La. (Louisiana First) — People from across the country make the trip to a small Louisiana town to visit a grave occupied by a young girl who died nearly seven decades ago. Charlene Richard’s story continues to inspire Catholics, and she could ultimately be the first Louisiana saint.

Father Korey LaVergne is the Pastor of St. Edward Catholic Church in Acadiana Parish, where Richard is buried along with her parents. He said he first learned her story after taking over the church.

“I believe Charlene’s a saint in heaven,” LaVergne said. “She’s Saint Charlene to me.”

Richard died in 1959 after a battle with leukemia. According to local church tradition, she offered up her suffering to God before she died. In Catholicism, this means she accepted her fate and prayed for others, reminiscent of the way Jesus Christ, according to Christianity.

LaVergne said those people she prayed for started to claim their lives were changed.

“They were either healed physically, spiritually, emotionally,” LaVergne said.

St. Edward collected documents and interviews to support Richard’s claim to canonization and sent them to Rome. Dr. Brian Pendraza, the Theology Director of Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University in Baton Rouge, said that it is relatively early in the process.

“The Church takes it seriously,” Pendraza said. “For Charlene, it’s probably something around close to 2,000 pages of information.”

If a Vatican task force assigned to these cases passes Richard’s evidence to Pope Leo XIV and he decides the information is credible, Richard would be considered “venerable.”

“We’re now two big things away from being canonized,” Pendraza said. “The first thing that has to happen is a miracle.”

If theologians, scientists and the Pope then decide a submitted miracle is legitimate, Richard would be beatified. One more miracle would make her a saint. The process can take years.

“Just to have somebody that is one of our own people, that would be incredible,” Pedraza said.

LaVergne said he cannot disclose what was submitted to Rome, but he said the problem with Richard’s case is that there’s “too much evidence.” A series of vital social media posts last year revealed one situation LaVergne called a miracle, where a New York woman experiencing pregnancy difficulties had a healthy baby.

“There were abnormalities in the brain on the ultrasound,” LaVergne said.

LaVergne said doctors laid out Sophie Stansbury’s options.

“The least risky route would be to terminate the pregnancy and try again,” LaVergne said.

But through connections with Dominican nuns, Stansbury flew to Louisiana to visit Mass. She claimed that appealing to Richard led to her baby being born healthy, and she ultimately named her newborn after the “Little Cajun Saint.”

“The world needs saints,” LaVergne said.

LaVergne said he considers Richard a saint already, and people can continue to be inspired by the girl’s life story.

“She was just a Cajun girl who loved God, loved her family, loved her friends, and did everything the best she could,” LaVergne said.

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