By LEONARD GRAY

LUTCHER – For J.P. “Pete” Roussel, he had little choice but to do what he does – care for the poor and needy in St. James Parish through his direction of the Gramercy-Lutcher-Paulina St. Vincent de Paul Society.

The local chapter of the international Catholic organization has been active in the area for roughly 12 years, Roussel said, much of that time operating a St. Vincent de Paul store, selling everything from clothing to furniture, dishes to computers and toys to Easter baskets.

Located at 2099 Railroad St. in Lutcher, the store is open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays.

Roussel, 74, a native of the village of Belmont, commented, “I’ve always felt God has been good to me. We’re doing what the Lord set us on this Earth to do.”

The Society is named for St. Vincent de Paul (1581-1660), a French saint canonized in 1737 for his work with the poor. Founder Frederic Ozanam (1813-1853) established the Society in the 1840s in the saint’s name to carry on that charitable work. It spread to the United States in 1846.

Operating under the Baton Rouge Diocese, the Society also has food giveaways on first and third Wednesdays, assists with utility bills and prescription medications, among similar activities.

Roussel graduated from Lutcher High School, then entered the U.S. Merchant Marine for two years. He ran a bar from 1948 to 1950 until he was drafted for the Korean Conflict. He later worked at Kaiser from the day it opened in 1958 until he retired on disability in August 1985.

“Some of the people don’t have anything at all,” Roussel said of the constant need, and added of the Society, “It’s a big help to people in the community.”

The store is packed with clothing and furniture, and donations keep the volunteers constantly busy. “Without all the volunteers, it just wouldn’t be possible,” he said. “Everybody who works here, works for nothing.”

The pantry is packed with everything from canned vegetables and dry goods to an industrial refrigerator loaded with pork and ground beef.

Roussel continues to volunteer countless hours to administration of the Society’s local business. The truly destitute cases are helped through a weekly committee review of each case, the Society often giving away whole wardrobes of clothing and furniture, especially in fire cases.

He and his wife, Elise, will celebrate 51 years of marriage in April, and the couple have five children and five grandchildren. Roussel hopes some of that same passion for public service will carry on the succeeding generations.

So far, so good. One son is a priest, the other a developer for a West Coast university; one daughter is a teacher, another a deputy sheriff and the third works at Stockhausen in Mt. Airy.

“My wife is very understanding,” he said with a smile. Roussel is also active in the Knights of Columbus through St. Joseph Church in Paulina and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Editor’s Note: Each Saturday, L’Observateur will feature an article about a special River Parishes’ resident and the good works associated with the person.

If you would like to nominate someone, contact Robert Roan at 985-652-9545 or send an e-mail to lobnews@bellsouth.net.