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'A man of deep wisdom ... brings clarity to difficult situations'
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April 5, 2022Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre and I first met as seminarians at St. Joseph Seminary College in Saint Benedict, LA. Our friendship now for 40 years has afforded us many wonderful vacations, personal and professional support, prayer and hours of solving the problems of the world. We have moved each other to almost every parish assignment each of us has made, as well as his episcopal assignments.
I cherish how Archbishop Shelton’s friendship is one of acceptance, with no strings attached. He is a man of deep wisdom that keeps me anchored in my relationships, in daily parish life and in my diocesan responsibilities. I am always amazed at how well-versed he is in a systematic working knowledge of liturgical law, canon law, civil law and pastoral instinct that brings clarity to difficult situations.
I appreciate how Archbishop Shelton is masterful in how he can listen without judging and respond without threatening. Our vacation opportunities each year are respites from having to make decisions, sanctuaries of peace and opportunities for us to go on mindless adventures. I am appreciative that when needed Archbishop Shelton is always there. When I look at his episcopal ministry, Archbishop Shelton is a faithful servant of God. As Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, he seized every opportunity to learn and grow from the example of his two archbishops – gifts that helped him to be well-loved as the diocesan Bishop of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux.
As a faithful servant of Houma-Thibodaux, I witnessed Archbishop Shelton being attentive to the people that needed healing, supportive to priests and religious, encouraging to seminarians, sensitive to the needs of Catholic schools, appreciative of the needs of continual diocesan strategic planning, work collaboratively with a diocesan team of well-respected priests and lay people, and value the importance of presence.
I have witnessed that one cannot over emphasize Archbishop Shelton’s conviction of being “present” to the good people in the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, to the greater United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in the various committees he has served and to his passion to hold intercultural dialogues throughout the country. The sacrifices he is willing to make to be “present” is awe inspiring.
These opportunities have given Archbishop Shelton the passion, the drive, the determination, and the care that he now brings, with God’s grace, to the Archdiocese of Louisville, KY. While I know that leaving the good people of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux is bittersweet, I believe that the blessings that Archbishop Shelton brings to the good people of the Archdiocese of Louisville will be amazing. It has been a blessing to have his friendship as we continue our journeys in ministry, he as Archbishop of Louisville, KY, and myself as a priest in the Diocese of Jackson, MS.
(Father Jeffrey Waldrep, S.T.L., J.C.L., is the judicial vicar for the Diocese of Jackson, MS. He also serves as pastor of Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Columbus, MS.)
