Father Patrick Broussard is pastor of Our Lady of Wisdom Church in Lafayette, LA, which serves the students, faculty, and staff at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette — which he himself had once attended. He was born and raised in Lafayette as the youngest of three children, and his parents worked in the oil industry.
He studied in seminaries in both the United States and in Rome, and he was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Lafayette in 2014. Father Broussard today serves as chaplain of Legatus’ Lafayette-Acadiana Chapter.
How was your Catholic upbringing?
We were not “all-star” Catholics, but we did at least three things right: we never missed Sunday Mass, we always said grace before meals, and I was forced to go to catechism classes because we didn’t attend Catholic schools — and I do mean forced, as I didn’t want to go! Although it was not immediate, it had a huge impact on my faith.
What led you to the seminary?
I didn’t care about the faith growing up, and at the end of my freshman year of high school I got in a lot of trouble for doing drugs and otherwise living a worldly life. My parents put a lot of restrictions on me — if my friends called me at home, I only had five seconds to tell them I couldn’t talk — but one of the only things they allowed me to do was to go to church. They were mad at me, and I wanted to get out of the house, so I went regularly. It was the start of my conversion to the faith in general.
In my junior year, a younger guy leading the youth group at the church left to go to seminary, and it impressed me that people can have that calling, leave what they are doing, and become priests and religious. By the time I began college, I began to think God was calling me to the priesthood.
What do you do at Our Lady of Wisdom?
We cater to college students. We offer Mass and Confessions every day, a total of nine hours of Confessions every week, and a daily morning holy hour. I offer spiritual direction. We also have a coffee shop next to my office so students can easily come in and talk to me. We have FOCUS missionaries on campus who engage in Bible studies and discipleship.
About 10,000 of the university’s 16,000 students are Catholic, and we estimate that about 1,000 come through our doors every week. We’re excited as we’re preparing to break ground on a new $30 million facility across the street from our current location that will enable us to serve our students even better.
What progress have you seen in your student ministry?
The parish has had a lot of success over the past 20 years. Students have been offered everything the world has — drinking, drugs, sex, money — and they discover that it is not fulfilling. They suspect that there is something more, and they come to see us.
What thoughts do you have as you approach your 10th anniversary of ordination?
I’m much busier than I expected, but I can’t imagine having done anything else with my life that would have made me happier than I am now. I love hearing Confessions and celebrating Mass; in fact, when we have Confessions before Mass, I can bring those struggles and that hurt I just heard to the Lord when I celebrate Mass.
I also love Baptisms. The Lord uses me to pour water over someone’s head and say the words of Baptism, and then God comes to dwell in that soul. The experience never ceases to amaze me.
Tell us about your Legatus chapter.
We have a vibrant chapter with 35 couples and two singles. Our members are active in the community, assisting the homeless and mentoring underserved youths in our Catholic schools.
I like to provide them with solid Catholic teaching, supplementing what they receive at their parishes. They’re grateful to have me and take an interest in my work. And I’m grateful to serve as their chaplain.