Bishop Shelton J. Fabre named Archbishop of Louisville, KY

Bishop Shelton Joseph Fabre has been named as the 10th Bishop and fifth Archbishop of Louisville, Kentucky. The official announcement of his appointment was made by Pope Francis Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022.

The pope accepted the resignation of Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, who turned 75 on Aug. 18, 2021. As required by canon law, a bishop must turn in his resignation to the pope when he reaches the age of 75. Archbishop Kurtz has led the Archdiocese of Louisville since 2007.

A press conference was held in Louisville, Kentucky, where Archbishop Kurtz introduced Archbishop Fabre to the public. Diocesan staff gathered at the Pastoral Center in Schriever to watch this press conference together.

Archbishop Kurtz told those present and watching via livestream on social media that he had the opportunity to meet Archbishop Fabre about a month before he was ordained a bishop at a bishop’s retreat in Louisiana. “We’re getting someone who is a deeply human person, a very healthy person, a holy man and in a special way a good pastoral bishop,” said Archbishop Kurtz. “So we are really blessed. Soon he will be singing along with us ‘My Old Kentucky Home.’ However, he will also bring some Cajun flavor to his new Kentucky home.”

In his address at the press conference, Archbishop Fabre expressed his gratitude and personal support to Pope Francis, who called him to continue his pastoral ministry in Louisville.

“I am both humbled and excited by this appointment by the Holy Father and I pledge to serve the needs of this local church to the very best of my ability,” said the archbishop. “In all that we do, my brothers and sisters, it is the Lord Jesus Christ that we praise and serve, as together we grow in faith.”

Archbishop Fabre thanked Archbishop Kurtz for his faithful leadership and for the many ways he has shepherded the church in Louisville and expressed his appreciation for the camaraderie they have shared as brother bishops in the fifth ecclesiastical region of the church in the United States.

He addressed the faithful of the archdiocese saying, “My brothers and sisters, I anticipate meeting you and experiencing the cultures of the people of God in this wonderful archdiocese. I look forward to getting to know you and most importantly listening to your hearts … I also want to greet in a very special way the priests, deacons, consecrated religious and seminarians of the archdiocese. We are on a mission to make missionary disciples … and I look forward to sharing this mission that has been entrusted to us by Jesus Christ as we work together to serve the people of God.”

Turning his attention to the people of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, Archbishop Fabre began by saying, “I also want to take this opportunity to thank the good people of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux. To all the priests, deacons … .”

At this point, Archbishop Fabre paused as he became very emotional, apologizing as his voice broke and he began to tear up. He continued through his tears and remained very emotional as he spoke to the people of Houma-Thibodaux. “ … To all the priests, deacons, consecrated religious, seminarians and all the people of Houma-Thibodaux, I express my deep, deep gratitude for our life together in South Louisiana, which has been my home for eight and one half years. I have been incredibly happy and fulfilled as the Bishop of Houma-Thibodaux, and I express gratitude to you for the love, support and kindness you have shown me during my time with you. I pray that God, in his mercy, will continue to bless the good people of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux.”

Later in his address, Archbishop Fabre said, “While the presbyterate and the people of Houma-Thibodaux will always be in my heart, I pledge to serve the Archdiocese of Louisville with the same fervor and commitment. I look forward to making the Archdiocese of Louisville my new home and I rejoice in the opportunity to become a part of this local church and this unique area of our slice of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Therefore, I am no longer in the ‘WhoDat’ Nation of the New Orleans Saints, for I know well this is Cardinal and Wildcat country, where basketball is king. The Lord has led me from the bayous to the bluegrass, from gumbo and jambalaya to barbeque and the Hot Brown. I leave the coast of the Cajun community to walk with you in the foothills of the heartland. And I do so knowing that my love for Mardi Gras and king cake will soon be quenched by Mint Juleps and the Kentucky Derby.”

During the press conference, Archbishop Fabre answered questions from the local media.

Later the same day, the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux held a press conference at the Pastoral Center in Schriever for the local media, which was facilitated by Lonnie Thibodeaux, diocesan director of the Office of Communications. HTV televised the press conference and it was livestreamed on the diocesan website by the diocesan Office of Communications and on social media by the Houma Times.
Very Rev. Simon Peter Engurait, V.G., pastor of St. Bridget Church in Schriever and vicar general for administration, began by saying that it was a joyous day for Houma-Thibodaux because the Holy Father Pope Francis recognized “our bishop” with a special appointment as an archbishop. “I think it is a recognition of the tremendous work that he has done in our midst.” Father Engurait prayed a special prayer of thanksgiving and then read a statement from Bishop Fabre regarding his appointment to the Archdiocese of Louisville.

Very Rev. Eric Leyble, J.V., J.C.L., pastor of St. Genevieve Church in Thibodaux and judicial vicar, explained the process to be followed for the election of a diocesan administrator during a sede vacante, which means “the state of an episcopal see while without a bishop.” This diocesan administrator will lead the diocese until a new bishop is chosen. (See page 10 for the full explanation.)
Very Rev. Jay L. Baker, J.C.L., pastor of the Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales in Houma and diocesan chancellor, explained the process of appointing a new bishop and that this process is a time-consuming one that often takes eight or more months to complete. (See page 12 for the full explanation.)

During the press conference, diocesan leaders and members of clergy answered various questions from the local media.
Archbishop Fabre was born Oct. 25, 1963, in New Roads, LA, the fifth of six children to the late Luke and Theresa Fabre. He graduated as valedictorian from Catholic High School of Pointe Coupée in New Roads, LA, in 1981; received a BA in history from St. Joseph Seminary College in St. Benedict, LA, in 1985; a bachelor of arts degree (1987) and a master’s degree (1989) in religious studies from the Katholiek Universiteit te Leuven in Louvain, Belgium. He was ordained a priest Saturday, Aug. 5, 1989, by Bishop Stanley J. Ott at St. Joseph Cathedral in Baton Rouge. He was ordained Titular Bishop of Pudenziana and Auxiliary Bishop of New Orleans by Archbishop Alfred C. Hughes of New Orleans, at St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans in February 2007, and installed as the Fourth Bishop of Houma-Thibodaux in October 2013. He currently serves on the board of Catholic Relief Services and as the chair of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism.

As the Archbishop of Louisville, he will shepherd about 156,000 Catholics in 24 counties of central Kentucky, from the Ohio River to the Tennessee border. The archdiocese, which dates to 1808, has 110 parishes that cover 8,124 miles. About 20,000 students are served by 48 schools from kindergarten to high school.

Archbishop Fabre will remain as diocesan administrator of Houma-Thibodaux until his installation as Archbishop of Louisville on March 30, at 2 p.m., at the Kentucky International Convention Center in downtown Louisville.

(Photos by Marnie McAllister, editor of The Record newspaper of the Archdiocese of Louisville, KY.)