Maurice Schexnayder

Maurice Schexnayder (August 13, 1895 – January 23, 1981) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana from 1956 to 1972.

Biography

Early life Maurice Schexnayder was born on August 13, 1895, in Wallace, Louisiana, to Adam and Jeanne Marie (née Dutreix) Schexnayder. After attending schools in Wallace and New Orleans, Louisiana, he entered St. Joseph College Seminary near Covington, Louisiana in 1916.

Priesthood Schexnayder was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of New Orleans in Rome by Archbishop Giuseppe Palica on April 12, 1925. Following his return to Louisiana, the archdiocese assigned him as a curate at St. John the Evangelist Parish in Plaquemine. In 1929, he was appointed chaplain of the Newman Club at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Schexnayder attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council in Rome between 1962 and 1965.

Retirement and legacy On November 7, 1972, Pope Paul VI accepted Schexnayder's resignation as bishop of Lafayette in Louisiana.