In Louisiana there is a saying that you hear from the time you are born: la bonne vie, which means “the good life”. This phrase is taught to nearly everyone at an early age to represent a different way of living which residents of the southern Louisiana region (known as Acadiana) take a deep pride in. Fr. Sam Fontana challenged participants in the first ever Acadiana Encounter to answer to the question, what is the meaning of “la bonne vie”? What is the good life that our grandparents reminded us to live? This question was in the context of several panel discussions which raised some of the most pressing issues Louisiana faces: racial tensions, coastal erosion, flooding, and other challenges to a culture that managed to stay uniquely Cajun against all previous pressures. What gives joy in the face of all of these challenges?

The CL communities of Lafayette held a 2-day Encounter at St. Pius X Catholic School: 7 panel discussions, 2 exhibits, and a concert. As Adam said, “After attending the Encounter in New York City, I felt I needed to offer a similar experience to my own dioceses. Everyone that has attended has been moved and I feel that we’ve formed the basis for an annual event.” Casey provided similar comments saying, “I was the Martha of this event, following Fr. Sam’s vision. I’m very appreciative of all of the people who got involved to make this happen and feel more people understand what we were trying to offer now that they’ve seen it.”

The Encounter did not shy away from some of the toughest issues faced by this region. Like much of the south, Louisiana has faced racial tensions in the past, and some of those scabs were recently exposed after the death of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge. In south Louisiana it’s not uncommon for communities to have two parishes within a very small town—one for a predominantly white congregation and another for a predominantly African American congregation. The Diocese of Lafayette has more predominantly African American parishes than any other diocese in the United States. Yet, from the very start of this panel, it became obvious that participants wanted to reach across their comfort zones, and face the challenges that desperately need a solution.

A local African American business man, Terry, related his business experience to what would enable a “culture of encounter” across communities that have traditionally been segregated saying, “When I’m selling something, I have to demonstrate that the product is good and that it appeals to something the buyer wants.” Father Joseph Campion, whose Josephite order was originally established to provide missions and schools for the emancipated slaves following the civil war, and who has personally worked in African American parishes and schools since his days in seminary said, “Encounter happens when we realize that the other is good for me.”

Another difficult issue facing the region was discussed in a panel entitled “Land's End: The Erosion of Louisiana's Coastal Cultures.” Louisiana’s coastline has eroded significantly over the past 80 years, losing thousands of square miles of land, and this is an incredible hit to communities that have lived in the along the coast since the early 1700’s. Some communities have chosen to move en masse to a new location further inland, and attempt to shape the land in a way that allows them to grow their traditional crops. Others have abandoned their old neighborhoods, and while not moving as part of a concerted effort, have voluntarily chosen to move to new neighborhoods where many of their old neighbors have moved, thus keeping a sense of stability.

In addition to coastal events, Louisiana has faced continual events of flooding. LSU Professor Scott Hemmerling shared that there would likely be more frequent due to climate change, and thus houses needed to be raised or else face continued flooding. University of Lafayette professor Mike McClure said, “Previously houses were built with an Acadian ascetic because they served a purpose that protected residents....people still want the raised Acadian style houses with porches, but today the porches don’t face the right direction and aren’t big enough for a swing, and the houses are not high enough to withstand flooding, and we need to see that there is a beauty when the house is built to serve its purpose in its environment.”

And yet in the face of the immense challenges, the Encounter kept coming back to the themes of love, mercy, and passion. Author Heather King moved the audience with her description of her life as an alcoholic. “Twenty-nine years ago my obsession to drink was removed and it’s an on-going experience of mercy. In spite of my ongoing brokenness, I am aware that everything is a gift from God. And grace received has to be given back. It’s a human response. The works of mercy are not a checklist but a way to become fully alive. We think our job is to fix situations, but whoever tries that is quickly aware of their own limitations. Often all we can do is to be with people who are in pain," she said.


Fr. Mike Champagne said, “There is a justice dimension. You can do things that I can’t do and I can do things that you can’t do, but together we can do something beautiful. When the floods came to Louisiana, the younger brothers were able to carry water and cut sheetrock, and I was not physically able to do that as well as they could. But I could listen and comfort those who were in pain. And sometimes I say, ‘don’t just do something, stand there.’ Meaning, we must be present.”

All of this swirled around Fr. Sam’s question about la bonne vie. Fr. Sam said that our region was well known because of our happiness despite material poverty. With economic opportunity, people have been able to buy bigger trucks and bigger boats, and they have more, but it's not necessarily better. In recent years, some have focused our love of culture solely on our festivals, music, and food, without appreciating what gave life, unity, and "staying power" to our culture: an authentic faith. Without this faith, there will be no bonne vie, and ultimately our culture will disappear because it is not useful or authentic.

From a personal perspective, my experience of the Encounter is something surreal. I imagine what Fr. Giussani thought when he found out that a community had sprung up in Texas. When he lived there, he thought that something like CL would never flourish in a place like Texas, yet God exceeds all of our human expectations. For me to hear people speaking with accents that I’m so familiar with, about topics I care so deeply about, and with an awareness of what is the reference point that allows us to face all of these things that in the end we really don’t have an option to turn away from, is truly a miracle. A miracle I had absolutely nothing to do with.


My brother Chris and my nephew Jamie played a concert to close the Encounter. Chris spoke about his love of music saying, “It’s something that gets turned on inside of you, and is always there.” It sums up my love of these people and this region. And so I left this meeting with many new friends. Already we are planning to see each other again in December when we go back home for Christmas, some even planning to stay with us for a weekend in Texas.

Who am I? I don’t deserve this companionship, and have done nothing to earn it, probably if we were honest, my Fraternity card should be taken away, and yet it is all given to me?

Since we have a dairy, Stacey and I are rarely able to attend events together, but since we both love Fr. Sam like a brother, we wanted to be in Lafayette for their Encounter, and had our older daughter and niece handle the farm for the weekend. At the end of the weekend, after having a cup for coffee with Fr. Sam’s parents, Stacey got in our truck and said, “This is what my heart needed."