Rite of Transfer for Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville

On Wednesday, January 31^st, and Thursday, February 1^st, the diocesan community prayed together during the Rite of Transfer. Priests, religious, and lay faithful alike lined the streets in Thibodaux, at the Pastoral Center in Schriever, and in Houma to pray for Bishop Dorsonville’s soul as he made his final journey between his two cathedrals to his final resting place.

Bishop Dorsonville’s pallbearers were Father Simon Peter Engurait, Father Eric Leyble, Father Jay Baker, Father Vicente DeLa Cruz, Father Thankachan “John” Nambusseril, Father Andre Melancon, Father Patrick Riviere and Father Stephen Castille. Other participants in the final procession included Bishop Dorsonville’s close friend Michele Burke Bowe and family, Diocesan staff, the Knights of Columbus Honor Guard, members of the Thibodaux Volunteer Fire Department, and lay faithful, students, and families.

A Rite of Transfer is part of the Order of Christian Funerals and may be used for prayer with the family and close friends as they prepare to accompany the body of the deceased in the procession to the church or place of committal. The Rite consists of prayers including Liturgy of the Hours and scripture readings. In the Church’s wisdom, she recognizes that reverent celebration of the rite can help reassure the mourners in an emotional time of separation from the deceased.