In 1953 in Poland, Bl. Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński was imprisoned for three years by the occupying Communist regime. The fruit of his prayer in prison was the launch of a nine-year national initiative of prayer and study that would lead up to the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Poland in 1966. He named this initiative “The Great Novena.” In 1979, St. John Paul II’s visit to Poland sparked the Solidarity Movement which would overthrow the regime. It was Cardinal Wyszyński’s Great Novena that laid the moral and religious foundation for the success of Solidarity and the liberation of Poland.
In the Diocese of Lafayette, we are seeking a similar grace of renewal, study, and prayer throughout the Diocese through our own "Great Novena" of 9 years in preparation of the Holy Year of 2033, marking 2000 years since the Crucifixion of Christ.
The Logo
You'll notice there are four churches on the logo with the Crucifix in the center. This represents the centrality of the Cross for the novena. The four churches are because the Diocese of Lafayette is organized into four regions: North, West, Central, and South. We've chosen an historic and iconic church from each region to represent the whole of the diocese. The four churches are, from left to right, St. Landry in Opelousas (North Region), St. Mary Magdalen in Abbeville (West Region), Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Lafayette (Central Region), and St. Martin de Tours in St. Martinville (South Region).