Bayou Catholic | November 2014 Issue

The Weimers and the Richards marry on Feb. 29,

By Gena Vitale 1964. She married We have all heard of Dominic Congemi at the show, “Seven Brides St. Raphael Church for Seven Brothers.” in New Orleans and The Weimers and the lived in New Orleans Richards of the Diocese after their marriage of Houma-Thibodaux being the only couple have their own version to move out of the of seven brides and Diocese of Houmathey are all proudly Thibodaux. Richard celebrating 50 years of was the next of the marriage this year. Love, three siblings to devotion to the Catholic marry on June 13, faith and staying humble 1964. He married is what makes these Judith Meyn at families stick together LAWRENCE CHATAGNIER/BAYOU CATHOLIC St. James Major through good times The Weimer and the Richard families who are all celebrating their 50 year Church, also in and through bad. The wedding anniversaries this year from left are Richard and Judy Weimer, New Orleans. John genealogy of these two Billy and Teresa Taylor, Ray and Beulah Weimer, Arthur Jr. and Priscilla married Mary Jane families tells a unique Naquin, and John and Mary Weimer.

Waguespack a few and fascinating story of months later on Aug. how they came together.

22, 1964, at Holy Savior Church in Lockport.

Their story begins in the 1800s with two brothers Raymond, Bernadette and Teresa were three of the named Frank and Clement Weimer. eight children of Frank and Edna. Teresa married Frank married a woman named Lucy Guedry and Billy Taylor on May 9, 1964, at St. Charles Borromeo had five children. Their first born were identical twin Church in the St. Charles Community, and at the boys who were born on Oct. 6, 1908, and were named 39 same church, less than a month later her sister Frank and Wendeline. Lucy had a sister named Cecile Bernadette married Huey Portier on June 6, 1964. who was unable to have children. The sisters had Raymond married Beulah Gravois on Aug. 8, 1964, at a very close relationship and in an act of love, Lucy St. James Church in St. James, LA. promised her first born to her sister. When the twins But if you think they were done eating wedding were born, Frank was given to Cecile to raise but the cake, think again. Edna and Alice had a sister brothers still remained close and spent a lot of time named Mildred Richard who married Arthur Naquin together. and had seven children. Arthur Jr. joined in on the Clement married Marguerite Goodman and they wedding festivities of 1964 when he married Priscilla had two daughters. Tragedy struck both families with Robichaux on Nov. 21 making that grand total of this the untimely deaths of Frank and Marguerite. After family epic, “Seven Brides and Seven Cousins,” a story the death of their spouses, Clement and Lucy married of family which will be told to generations to come. and had two more children.

The Weimers and the Richards are families The family tree took a new twist when the twin committed to each other and to their Catholic faith. brothers Frank and Wendeline married two sisters Teresa Weimer Taylor’s husband Billy is a practicing who were the daughters of Lucien and Edna Richard.

Protestant, but they agreed to raise their children Wendeline married Alice Richard on Nov. 22, 1934, as Catholics. Collectively, the families have been and Frank married her sister Edna on Sept. 8, 1936. very involved in the church as eucharistic ministers, Frank and Edna had eight children, and Wendeline teaching religion, helping with various charities, and Alice had five. spending time in adoration, helping out the nuns Those children were as close as cousins could be who came in from Vietnam, teaching in the Catholic partly because they all grew up living next door to school system and giving of their time to their faith in one another. It was destiny that they would all grow various other ways. up, fall in love and get married. Little did they know They have eaten a lot more cake through the years that six of them would all fall in love and get married while celebrating anniversaries together and will in the same year. It was 1964, a year full of wedding certainly enjoy a slice or two as they celebrate 50 ceremonies that would certainly keep the Weimer and years of holy matrimony. In addition to anniversaries, Richard families busy celebrating the sacrament of the family has also come together for family reunions matrimony over and over again. But the ceremonies to celebrate the birthday of Frank and Wendeline. didn’t stop there. That special year became even more There is a saying, “The family that prays together interesting when another first cousin also tied the stays together.” This is a motto that the Weimer/ knot making it seven cousins to marry in one year.

Richard family has lived by which has helped them Richard, Rita and John were three of the five maintain their faith and love for God and each other. children of Wendeline and Alice. Rita was the first to www.bayoucatholic.com