Pope Francis names Douglas Deshotel as Bishop of Lafayette

(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis has named Bishop John Douglas Deshotel, as Bishop of the Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana, and accepted the resignation of Bishop C. Michael Jarrell, from pastoral governance of that diocese. Bishop Deshotel has served as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Dallas since 2010.

John Douglas Deshotel was born in Kinder, Louisiana, on 6 January 1952. He attended the University of Dallas, where he earned Bachelor of Arts and Master of Divinity degrees. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Dallas on 13 May 1978.

Assignments after ordination included parochial vicar, St. Patrick Parish, Dallas, 1978-1980; parochial vicar, St. Anthony Parish, Longview, Texas, 1980-1982; parochial vicar, St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish, 1982-1983; parochial vicar, St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, Longview, 1983-1988; pastor, St. William Parish, Greenville, Texas, 1988-1992; pastor, St. John Nepomucene Parish, Ennis, Texas, 1992-1995; and pastor, St. Luke Parish, Irving, Texas, 1995-2001.

He also served as vice-rector, Holy Trinity Seminary, Irving, 2001-2005; pastor, St. Monica and St. Juan Diego Parish, Dallas, 2006-2008; pastor, St. Joseph Parish, Richardson, Texas, 2008-2012; and vicar general and moderator of the curia, 2008-present. Other responsibilities include the diocesan presbyteral council, priest's personnel board and diocesan review board. Pope Benedict XVI appointed him an auxiliary bishop of Dallas on March 11, 2010. He was ordained a bishop April 27 of that year.

Charles Michael Jarrell was born May 15, 1940 in Opelousas, Louisiana, and ordained a priest of Lafayette, Louisiana, on June 3, 1967. Pope John Paul II named him bishop of Houma-Thibodaux, Louisiana, on December 29, 1992. He was ordained a bishop March 4, 1993. He has served as bishop of Lafayette since 2002.

The Diocese of Lafayette has a total population of 602,334 people, of who 273,428, or 45 percent, are Catholic.