The following teaser is from the July 31, 2015 edition of the TheRecord.com:
“A 250 year event doesn’t happen often,” says Ron Jackson of Bridge City. Jackson and Judge Carl Thibodeaux, along with their families and friends will attend the Fete Dieu du Teche on August 15, 2015.
They look forward to sharing their experience with others. Judge Thibodeaux notes the Fete Dieu du Teche “is important for Cajuns as well as the Catholic church.” Thibodeaux says he looks forward to spending the time with friends and family because, “well, it is a Cajun thing: you are always happiest among friends.” Jackson notes “a significant Acadian ancestry in Southeast Texas,” and this event celebrates the fortitude and faith of the Cajun and Catholic people who endured Le Grand Derangement, The Great Expulsion, which began in 1755.
Jackson recounts, “people of French ancestry were exiled by the British because of Catholicism,” as the English pushed for allegiance to the King of England despite the objections of the French. The French settlers had created viable land in areas where it had formerly been unusable. Land was confiscated, families were separated, and belongings were abandoned as the exiled boarded ships. While some ships sailed to France, others set out in search of American colonies that would accept them.
