Meet Nonco, a Man Who Never Turned Down a Sacrifice

Never pass up a sacrifice that Christ has sent your way.

Bishop Jeanmard presents “Nonco” Pelafigue with a papal decree and Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Medal in recognition for his dedication and service to the Church.
Bishop Jeanmard presents “Nonco” Pelafigue with a papal decree and Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Medal in recognition for his dedication and service to the Church. (photo: Register Files)

When I first visited and then moved to Cajun Country, Louisiana, 10 years ago, I had heard stories about Auguste “Nonco” Pelafigue. My husband, Ryan, knew people who knew him, and the stories always included references to his holiness, devotion to the Sacred Heart, and how he wrote and directed children’s plays during Christmas and Lent. Who was he really, and what was his witness? 

On June 10, 2018, Bishop Deshotel celebrated Mass in French to remember the life of Nonco. A reception was held after Mass in the same church hall where Nonco had taught school and where he had held his evangelical plays for children and their families in the 1960s. The church was packed with people who had been touched in some way by Nonco. Some had been in his plays as kid, and some he had taught in the public schools as their teacher. Some had received his pamphlets about devotion to the Sacred Heart. Others had just seen him walking by foot all over rural Acadiana going from door to door sharing his witness to the Love of God. 

Nonco was born in the region of France near Lourdes in 1888 but grew up with his family in Arnaudville, Louisiana. He attended what is now named ULL ( go Ragin’ Cajun Catholics!) and became a college professor. He taught all over the State of Louisiana wherever he was needed and became a humble mentor to many. His joy, simplicity and love for the very heart of God was contagious. He is most known for his devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. On June 6, 1977, he went home to the arms of his Father at the age of 89. June 6 was the Feast of the Sacred Heart that year.

A Korean War fighter pilot was at the reception following Mass and he shared with me his memories of Nonco. What he said was real and powerful: “What was Nonco like? He was kind and sacrificial. He walked everywhere and he never accepted a ride no matter how bad the weather. (We get some crazy weather here in Louisiana!) Nonco’s mind was so sharp, like a razor. He never turned down a sacrifice.” As this fighter pilot, now frail and using a walker, spoke about Nonco, he stood taller and spoke with a smile as he finished his glazed doughnut and coffee. “He never turned down a sacrifice.” 

Every opportunity to offer up a sacrifice that I had been given in the past two hours (shoutout to all moms and dads who get out the door Sunday morning), I had tried unsuccessfully to side step. There are no shortages of opportunities to sacrifice when you are trying to keep four kids quiet and focused for a 90-minute Mass in French with the bishop! 

The Magnificat reflection for today was appropriately about sticking it out with the crosses that are sent to bring you closer to God:

Blessed are those who are not in too much of a hurry to get things done, and know how to wait, helpless, nailed to their cross. Against all the odds, it is truly they who will inherit the earth. —Fr. Simon Tugwell, O.P.

As we begin a very busy few months of travel to do missionary work in Canada with all four kids (part of the French translation of Witness to Love), we will take Nonco’s wisdom to heart. Never pass up a sacrifice that Christ has sent your way and don’t be in a hurry. Pray for us and pray for Canada! 

Follow our adventures on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/witnesstolovemarriageprep/

To learn more about Nonco visit: http://www.nonco.org/.