Houma-Thibodaux bishop appointed to lead Louisville Archdiocese

Houma-Thibodaux Catholic Bishop Shelton Fabre has been named to lead the Louisville, Kentucky, archdiocese.

The official announcement of Fabre’s new role came Tuesday from the Vatican in Rome.

“This news of my new appointment came as a surprise to me as I imagine it is for many of you,” Fabre said in a video posted to the Houma-Thibodaux Diocese's website Tuesday. “However, I would like to express my gratitude and support to Pope Francis, who has called me to undertake the ministry of archbishop in the Archdiocese of Louisville. I am humbled by this appointment and, as I have served you, the good people of our Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, I pledge to serve the needs of the people in the Archdiocese of Louisville.”

More: Report: Houma-Thibodaux Catholic Bishop Shelton Fabre to transfer to Louisville, Kentucky

Fabre discussed his appointment during a news conference in Louisville that was streamed live online.

Fabre, 58, succeeds Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, who submitted his resignation upon his 75th birthday last August to Pope Francis. Fabre will be the fifth archbishop in Louisville history and the first who is Black.

Fabre was named Houma-Thibodaux bishop in September 2013 and was the first African American to serve in the post.

He teared up during Tuesday's news conference when talking about the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux.

"I love the people of this diocese because Houma-Thibodaux has become my home and you have become my family," he said. "I have been incredibly happy and fulfilled as bishop of Houma-Thibodaux. I am grateful for the love, support and kindness you have shown to me during my episcopal ministry in south Louisiana. I pray that our providential God will continue to bless the Church of Houma-Thibodaux."

Fabre mentioned the community's struggle to recover from Hurricane Ida, which devastated the area Aug. 29.

"I would be remiss if I did not remind our nation of the many challenges that remain as a result of Hurricane Ida," he said.

He also pledged his support to communities recovering from a deadly tornado that swept through parts of Kentucky in December.

"May the Lord bring comfort to his people," Fabre said.

Related: Vatican names new Louisville archbishop, who has history of fighting 'grave sin of racism'

He has served as chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Subcommittee on African American Affairs since 2010 and has been a member of the Committee on Cultural Diversity in the Church since 2013.

He also serves as chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism, which was formed in 2017.

Fabre became chairman the following year and, in that role, has spoken out about protecting voting rights and called for systemic change after the 2020 killings of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville.

At an online leadership institute organized by the Archdiocese of Louisville in March, Fabre decried the "grave sin of racism" and spoke of ways to combat it in the Church and wider community.

"The work is hard and the work is slow, but the work must be done," he said.

He also co-authored a letter last June to members of Congress that said: "Recognizing the importance of ensuring the integrity of elections processes, protecting voting rights is a moral imperative for the common good of a just society. The human right to vote flows from the inherent dignity of each citizen."

"As I give thanks for the privilege to have served as archbishop of Louisville, I know in my heart that Pope Francis has given a great gift to the wonderful Archdiocese and Province of Louisville by appointing a true servant of Jesus Christ," Kurtz wrote in a public statement posted following the announcement.

"Archbishop Fabre’s motto, 'Comfort My People,' drawn from the prophet Isaiah, speaks to his desire to be a faithful instrument of Jesus Christ," he continued. "I rejoice and welcome my friend, Archbishop Shelton, as he brings Louisiana Cajun flavor to our fine commonwealth, and I pledge to support him fully in his 'new Kentucky home!' ”

Fabre was ordained a deacon in 1988 and a priest in 1989 and served as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New Orleans in 2006 before assuming his current role in Houma-Thibodaux.

He currently leads a diocese of nearly 40 churches and 12 Catholic schools and an area with an estimated 90,000 Catholics. The Louisville archdiocese covers 24 counties with a Catholic population of more than 200,000.

Kurtz, appointed by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007, will retain the "archbishop" title when he leaves the archdiocese, a spokeswoman previously told The Louisville Courier Journal.

During a news conference Tuesday in Schriever, officials with the Houma-Thibodaux Diocese said Fabre's departure is emotional.

"The bishop always becomes like your father," said the Very Rev. Jay Baker, pastor of St. Francis de Sales de Sales Cathedral in Houma and chancellor of the diocese. "So it's like you're losing your father to another diocese. We'll get a new father in time, but for now we're kind of like orphans."

Searching for a new bishop in Houma-Thibodaux could take up to eight months, officials said. The process to search for a new church leader will begin March 30, when Fabre is installed as archbishop of Louisville.

The process involves consultation and discussion as to what candidate would be the best fit for the particular diocese, officials said.

There are special qualities in a bishop, said the Very Rev. Simon Peter Engurait, vicar for administration.

"For me, he will be a bishop who engages with the people and will work alongside with priests because priests are his right-hand co-workers," Engurait said. "The more they work together the better it will be for the community."

Fabre will remain as diocesan administrator and will work to ensure a smooth transition until a successor is announced, church officials said.

More information about Fabre's appointment can be found at archlou.org/archbishop-fabre.

— Staff Writer Dan Copp can be reached at 448-7639 or at dan.copp@houmatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanVCopp.

This article originally appeared on The Courier: Houma-Thibodaux bishop appointed to lead Louisville Archdiocese