New Bishop for Houma-Thibodaux, USA

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Monday named Bishop Shelton Fabre as the new Bishop of Houma-Thibodaux in the United States. He replaces Bishop Sam G. Jacobs, whose resignation the Holy Father accepted upon having reached the age limit.

Bishop Shelton J. Fabre was born in New Road, Louisiana, in the Diocese of Baton Rouge on 25 October 1963. He studied at Saint Joseph Seminary College in Saint Benedict Louisiana before attaining his Baccalaureate and Master in Religious Studies at the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium.

He was ordained a priest of the diocese of Baton Rouge on 5 August 1989.

As a priest of the diocese, he undertook the following pastoral duties: Associate Pastor of St. Alphonsus Liguori Parish in Greenwell Springs (1989-1992); Director of the Office of Black Catholics (1991-2004); Associate Pastor of St. George Parish in Baton Rouge (1992-1994), of St. Isidore the Farmer Parish in Baker (1994-1995), and of St. Joseph Cathedral in Baton Rouge (1995-1996); Pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Grosse Tete and of Immaculate Heart Parish in Maringouin (1996-2004); Defender of the Bond for the Tribunal of Baton Rouge (1997-2006); Pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Baton Rouge (2004-2006).

Fabre was named titular Bishop of Pudenziana and Auxiliary Bishop for New Orleans on 13 December 2006, and was consecrated the following 28 February.

From 2007 he has served as Vicar General of the Archdiocese of New Orleans.

Bishop Fabre also serves at the U.S. Bishops’ Conference as President of the Subcommittee on African American Affairs.