Roman Catholic Diocese of Houma–Thibodaux

The Diocese of Houma–Thibodaux (Latin: Dioecesis Humensis–Thibodensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in southeastern Louisiana. It covers Terrebonne, Lafourche, and the eastern part of St. Mary parishes, Morgan City, and Grand Isle in Jefferson Parish. Although a small diocese in terms of area (around 3,500 square miles), it has a large Catholic population, with approximately 126,000 Catholics out of a total population of 202,000. The diocese includes part of Cajun Louisiana.

History

1793 to 1977

Pope Pius VI in 1793 erected the Diocese of Louisiana and the Two Floridas, encompassing the Spanish colonies in Louisiana and Florida. With the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, Louisiana became part of the new United States and the diocese came under American jurisdiction. The first parish in Thibodaux, St. Joseph, was established in 1813, with the first church opened in 1819.

Pope Leo XIII erected the Diocese of New Orleans in 1825. The Houma and Thibodaux area would remain part of the Diocese of New Orleans, replace by the Archdiocese of New Orleans, for the next 152 years.

The first parish in Houma, St. Francis de Sales, was established in 1847 and the first church was completed in 1854. The first Catholic school in Thibodaux was opened in 1855 by the Sisters of Mount Carmel. In Houma, the Marianites of Holy Cross founded Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Academy in 1870. Sacred Heart Academy opened in Morgan City in 1893. St. Joseph Hospital in Thibodaux started accepting patients in 1929.

1977 to 2010

Pope Paul VI erected the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux on June 5, 1977, taking its territory from the Archdiocese of New Orleans. The pope designated the Church of St. Francis de Sales in Houma as the cathedral and St. Joseph Church in Thibodaux as the co-cathedral.

Paul VI named Auxiliary Bishop Warren Boudreaux from the Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana as the first bishop of Houma-Thibodaux. Boudreaux became known for placing a ban on church fairs in 1985, objecting to the consumption of alcohol and overall frivolity at such events. He retired in 1992.

The second bishop of Houma-Thibodaux was Monsignor Charles Jarrell of Lafayette in Louisiana, appointed by Pope John Paul II in 1993. He became bishop of Lafayette in Louisiana in 2002. John Paul II replaced Jarrell in Houma-Thibodaux with Bishop Sam Jacobs from the Diocese of Alexandria in Louisiana.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, the diocese provided numerous temporary shelters for storm victims and admitted to its schools hundreds of children whose schools had been flooded. The diocese provided similar assistance when Hurricane Rita hit the region in September 2005.

2010 to present

After Jacobs retired in 2013, Pope Francis named Auxiliary Bishop Shelton Fabre as the fourth bishop of Houma-Thibodaux. He became archbishop of the Archdiocese of Louisville in 2022.

To replace Fabre, Francis in 2023 named Auxiliary Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville of the Archdiocese of Washington as the new bishop of Houma-Thibodaux. He passed away from complications that arose from illness on January 19, 2024.

Sexual abuse

Police arrested Reverend Robert Melancon from Sacred Heart Parish in Cut Off, Louisiana, on aggravated rape charges in June 1995. A 17 year old boy from Houma had accused Melancon of sexually abusing him when he was six or seven years old for several years. The diocese reportedly paid the victim a $30,000 settlement in 1993. Melancon was convicted in June 1996 of aggravated rape and sentenced to life in prison in August 1996.

Reverend Patrick Kujawa of Holy Cross Church in Morgan City was arrested in January 2000 on charges of processing 62 pornographic images of boys. A housekeeper in his residence had discovered them, along with many pornographic images of men. After learning about the images, the diocese had notified law enforcement and sent Kujawa to a hospital in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested. He pleaded guilty in December 2000 to possessing child pornography and was sentenced to inpatient therapy and ten years on probation. Kujawa was convicted again on child pornography charges in 2004 and sent to prison.

In January 2019, the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux released the names of 14 clergy who were accused of committing acts of sex abuse. Kujawa, Melendez and Melancon were convicted of sexual abuse crimes committed within the diocese while Guidry was convicted of crimes committed in Texas.

• Etienne LeBlanc
• Dale Guidry
• Bernard Schmaltz
• Claude Boudreaux
• Gerard Kinane
• Alexander Francisco
• Lawrence Cavell
• Patrick Kujawa
• Robert Melancon
• Carlos Melendez
• Gerald Prinz
• Ramon Luce
• Dac Nguyen
• Daniel Poche

Bishops

Bishops of Houma-Thibodaux

1. Warren Louis Boudreaux (1977–1992)
2. Charles Michael Jarrell (1992–2002), appointed Bishop of Lafayette in Louisiana
3. Sam Jacobs (2003–2013)
4. Shelton Fabre (2013–2022)
5. Mario E. Dorsonville (2023–2024)

Other diocesan priests who became bishops

• Joseph Nunzio Latino, appointed Bishop of Jackson in 2003
• Oscar Azarcon Solis, appointed auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles in 2003

Education

High schools/middle schools

• Central Catholic High School – Morgan City
• Edward Douglas White Catholic High School – Thibodaux
• Vandebilt Catholic High School – Houma

Elementary schools

• Central Catholic Elementary School – Morgan City (formerly Holy Cross Elementary School)
• Holy Rosary Catholic School – Larose
• Holy Savior Catholic School – Lockport
• Saint Bernadette Catholic Elementary School – Houma
• Saint Francis de Sales Cathedral School – Houma
• Saint Genevieve Catholic Elementary School – Thibodaux
• Saint Gregory Barbarigo Catholic School – Houma
• Saint Joseph Catholic Elementary School – Thibodaux
• Saint Mary's Nativity School – Raceland

Former schools

Maria Immacolata Catholic School – Houma (closed in 2020)

See also

• Index of Catholic Church articles
• List of the Catholic dioceses of the United States
• List of Roman Catholic archdioceses (by country and continent)
• List of Roman Catholic dioceses (alphabetical) (including archdioceses)
• List of Roman Catholic dioceses (structured view) (including archdioceses)

References

External links

• Roman Catholic Diocese of Houma–Thibodaux Official Site