A New Iberia resident has been chosen as one of the recipients for this year’s Bishop’s Rose Dinner being put on by the Diocese of Lafayette.

Suzanne Babineaux, who lives in New Iberia and is an active member of the Unexpected Pregnancy Center, will be an award recipient for the dinner.

Babineaux said being a board member of the Unexpected Pregnancy Center and staffing the diocesan post-abortion healing program Project Rachel has been a true gift, according to a statement from the diocese.

She says it is an honor to be a part of the post-abortion healing program because women come in with their heads down and are so positive they can’t be forgiven.

“To bring them the mercy of God and help them keep the regret from consuming them and see them leave a completely different person is just a privilege to be a part of,” she said in the statement.

Babineaux is a parishioner at St. Peter’s Church. In addition to her work for the Unexpected Pregnancy Center and Project Rachel, she co-chairs the baby bottle campaign, which includes more than 35 churches, schools and organizations in the South Deanery. She assists with the Come to the Well grief support retreat music ministry team and helps with putting pro-life items in the church bulletin. She is also a choir member, lector and Eucharistic minister at her parish. She says her hobby is “chasing Jesus”.

“In my personal life I hope it can be said that through example in my actions, people know that I passionately support life from conception until death. I can see where the Lord has brought me in each step and I am eternally thankful for that.”

Other award recipients include Penny Duplechain Chavis and Maria Lynette Doga Fontenot.

The 2023 ecumenical Bishop’s Rose Dinner and Awards will be held on Aug. 19 at the Dream Castle Event Center. The keynote speaker will be Sean Corcoran. Proceeds from the dinner will benefit six area pregnancy centers and the diocese. Those centers include The Desormeaux Foundation’s Women’s Center of Lafayette, A Pregnancy Center and Clinic (Lafayette), The Unexpected Pregnancy Center (New Iberia), Vermillion Women’s Resource Center (Abbeville), The New Life Pregnancy Center (Mamou), and the Opelousas Pregnancy Center.

OTHER AWARD WINNERS

West Deanery: Penny Duplechain Chavis

Penny Duplechain Chavis is the daughter of the late Lloyd and Lucy Duplechain of Church Point, Louisiana. She was born into a faithful Catholic home where Pro-Life was highly promoted by her parents. She has three sisters (one who is deceased) and two brothers, with whom she shares a wonderful bond. She is married to Winthrop Chavis, Sr. and they were blessed with two beautiful children, Winthrop II and Paige Simone. Penny and her husband have been married for 36 years and are also the Godparents of her late sister’s children, Reginald, and Desiree Duplechain, who they raised as their own in the Catholic faith at her beloved Our Mother of Mercy Church.

At Our Mother of Mercy Church, Penny is a dedicated, involved, and devoted member. She promotes life from conception to natural death through her pro-life activities including the Pro-Life March. She serves as the Bulletin Coordinator, a volunteer position she has held for over 30 years. She has held the Secretary positions of the Pastoral Council and Finance Council and is the current Chairperson of the Pastoral Council. She is a Eucharist Minister, Lector, and [unofficial] Administrative Assistant to the Parish Priest(s) for over 30 years. She has been a member of St. Lucy Court #79 Ladies’ Auxiliary, Our Mother of Mercy for 39 years, where she served as the Grand Lady for ten years. She is currently the Vice Grand Lady and formally served as Secretary. Penny also serves on the Diocesan Pastoral Council, with Bishop Douglas Deshotel at the Dioceses of Lafayette for the past 5 years.

Penny is very involved in her hometown as a community servant. She is the co-founder of Honoring Our Ancestors, a voter registration and education initiative aimed at increasing the voting power of the Black community through education, registration, and awareness, and Lanora’s Help Hands, a grassroots community service program providing for the needs of the community. She is a graduate of LSUE and The University of Louisiana, Lafayette, and a Licensed Notary for the State of Louisiana. She was formally employed at the Acadia St. Landry Guest Home as a Social Worker for 12 years, advocating for the elderly, to include Pro-Life initiatives. She is currently a Teacher at Church Point Head Start (Acadia Parish School Board) where she is helping cultivate healthy, happy, faith-filled members of her community and society. In her spare time, she enjoys going to the gym, reading, shopping, and spending quality time with family and friends.

North Deanery: Lynette Doga Fontenot

Maria Lynette Doga Fontenot was from Basile. She graduated from Basile High School and LSU-Eunice, despite having cerebral palsy since birth. Her faith formation came from her family, community and the catechetical program at St. Augustine Church. Lynette was a loving wife to Matthew Fontenot for 22 years and they were parishioners at St. Pius Church in Lafayette. She was an accomplished Artist and Motivational Speaker, an advocate for disability rights and was on several boards and advisory councils. She was presently the chairperson of the Governor’s Advisory Council on Disability Affairs as well as a Suffering Associate member of the Community of Jesus Christ Crucified.

Lynette’s website states, “ Having cerebral palsy since birth, I have overcome many challenges and I am now an artist, motivational speaker and advocate for people with disabilities. As part of my advocacy work, I serve on several committees, such as the Lafayette Parish Disability Awareness Committee, LACAN, LSU Human Development Constituency Advisory Council, and LaSig. I am also a motivational speaker to help parents, professionals, and other individuals understand the need to include people with disabilities so that they can succeed and live a quality life.”

Lynette passed away on March 7, 2023, but she leaves behind a legacy of pro-life advocacy. She donated her artwork to the New Life Pregnancy Center fundraisers and other pro- life causes. She attended the local March for Life events. She visited with residents in nursing homes and gave them the opportunity for prayer and joy at this stage of life. Using technology, she was able to speak with faith formation students on the dignity and respect for life and the value of God’s creation in each one of us.

It is truly hard to express in words what was in Lynette’s heart. Being in her presence is where you knew she illuminated others and still does today. Many parents with children with disabilities would want to know how she was able to accomplish all the things that seemed impossible. She would always give them encouragement and hope.

Lynette’s life was and always will be a pro-life testimony. Her words “My Life, My Gift from God.

Central Deanery: Dr. David & Robin Roy

Dr. David & Robin Roy are residents of Lafayette and have been married for 44 years with four children. David & Robin were certified foster care parents for many years and cared for nine foster children, the last of whom they adopted. They became foster parents after David, who was an orthodontist, was asked to assist in caring for the teeth of foster children. Robin had seen a tv show where they were discussing the need for foster families, so the couple decided to take children into their home, many of whom had suffered abuse. From their time as foster parents they learned there is a great need for caring foster parents. They also learned the importance of instilling self-worth in the children they fostered.

Over the years they have been part of Stand for Life, America Needs Fatima, Priests for Life, Louisiana Right to Life and Acadiana Right to Life, among other organizations. David has prayed at abortion clinics in Baton Rouge, Shreveport, New Orleans and Kansas City. He also attended the March for Life in Washington, D.C. David also gives pro-life talks. They are parishioners at St. Patrick Church in Lafayette. They believe foster care and adoption are important to the pro-life ministry to give children a chance at a quality life.