LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) -- More than 300 students, alumni, donors and community members gathered last week as the Ragin' Cajuns Catholics at Our Lady of Wisdom broke ground for a new church and student center.
According to a news release, the project will begin in early 2025 and is expected to take 18 months to complete.
In June 2022, the Diocese of Lafayette completed a land transaction which resulted in the Diocese exchanging five acres of land with the University of Louisiana at Lafayette to get 1.4 acres in the heart of campus. That acquired land will be the site of the church and Catholic Student Center.
The new church will seat a little more than 580 people. The new student center will be 25,000-square-feet and will include multiple bible study rooms, lecture hall, a library and more.
During the ground breaking ceremony, Rev. Patrick Broussard announced a $6 million gift to the Catholic Student Center from the Patrick F. Taylor Foundation and Phyllis M. Taylor.
"This is the largest gift given to any entity in the Diocese of Lafayette and represents Mrs. Taylor's legacy to the students of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette," the news release read.
