Archbishop Emeritus Joseph Kurtz welcomes Archbishop Fabre to Louisville

Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, KY, Feb. 8, 2022, and appointed Bishop Shelton J. Fabre of Houma-Thibodaux, LA, as his successor. Archbishop Emeritus Kurtz turned 75 on Aug. 18, 2021, the age at which canon law requires bishops to turn in their resignation to the pope.
 
The Archdiocese of Louisville, KY, much like the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux’s melting pot of cultures and ethnicities that include Acadians, African Americans, American Indians, Hispanics, Vietnamese and people of European descent, also has a diverse population base.  

According to Archbishop Emeritus Kurtz, who has served the archdiocese for 15 years, since Aug. 15, 2007, the primary ethnicities that make up the Archdiocese of Louisville are historically French, German, Irish and English immigrants, with the oldest African American parish dating back to 1870.

“Archbishop Fabre is joining a very rich Catholic tradition that began in 1808 when the Diocese of Baltimore was elevated to an archdiocese and subdivided into four new dioceses, Boston, MA; New York, NY; Philadelphia, PA; and Bardstown, KY (which is now Louisville). The history of the Archdiocese of Louisville is similar to the history and richness of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, which dates back to 1793, and that Houma-Thibodaux was a part of originally.

The majority of the population in the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, which is made up of many small rural communities and is known for its bayous, swampland and marsh, belongs to the Catholic faith.

Archbishop Emeritus Kurtz explains that in the archdiocese there are three geographic levels from north to south. Within the Commonwealth of Kentucky, the Archdiocese of Louisville occupies the center slice – north from the Ohio river and south to the Kentucky/Tennessee border. The Diocese of Owensboro is to the west and the Dioceses of Lexington and Covington are to the east.
These geographic layers coincide with distinct layers of the faith of the people. In the city of Louisville South, explains the archbishop, over 50 percent of the people are Catholic and there is a great history of Catholicism in the institutions. Louisville is a metropolitan city on the Ohio river. Half of the church parishes in the archdiocese are in Jefferson County where Louisville is. The other parishes are much smaller and in more rural areas.

“Farther South in the central part of the archdiocese are the rolling hills of what I call the ‘Catholic Holy Land of Kentucky,’ which is made up of Bardstown, Springfield and Lebanon, where there is a much greater Catholic presence,” says the archbishop. “That is also bourbon territory. There is a big bourbon industry there and the people are proud to work in that industry.”

Then even further south near the Tennessee border is a much more rural area where Catholics are by far the minority.

Some of the major challenges currently facing the people of Houma-Thibodaux include coastal erosion, Catholics leaving the church; and a downturn in the economy, especially in the oil and gas, and seafood industry.

Archbishop Emeritus Kurtz reports that some of the challenges facing the Archdiocese of Louisville at this time include secularization, racial tension, and poverty—especially in the rural and inner city areas.

“Secularization, of course, is a problem throughout the country and the world. Many people have become lukewarm in their faith and are in danger of thinking that they can maybe live a life without God,” says Archbishop Emeritus Kurtz. “Of course, this presents not only a challenge, but an opportunity to help people renew their commitment to the Lord.”

With regard to racism, says the archbishop, “We have had some painful situations here concerning racial tension. We do have a fine Black Catholic community, but there are challenges, which I believe Archbishop Fabre’s experience in the area will help him to handle. Poverty in the rural and inner city areas is an important issue that needs to continue to be addressed. Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of Louisville is a strong and very prominent organization, which I think Archbishop Fabre will find to be a great partner.”

Archbishop Emeritus Kurtz says he plans to take time away from the archdiocese for a few months to allow Archbishop Fabre to settle in, but will still be available to him as he takes the reins of the archdiocese.

“When I came to the archdiocese 15 years ago, Archbishop Kelley went away for about five months in order to give me full rein, and I also plan to take some time away. But I will continue to remain very accessible. I am very proud of Archbishop Fabre and happy that he is my successor; and I want to do everything I can to make his service and leadership here successful and fruitful.”

Archbishop Emeritus Kurtz is happy and thankful that he is able to retire leaving the archdiocese in capable hands. “I am so grateful and overjoyed – 25 percent is because I’m retiring and will be able to have a little bit of a slower pace, and 75 percent is because of how much I think Pope Francis’ appointment of Archbishop Shelton is just going to be the right thing for the archdiocese. So I’m overjoyed to welcome Archbishop Fabre and so grateful to Pope Francis and to the people of Houma-Thibodaux.”