Diocese of Houma–Thibodaux Dioecesis Humensis–Thibodensis | |
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 Coat of arms | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| Territory | Terrebonne andLafourche Parishes, the eastern part ofSt. Mary Parish includingMorgan City, andGrand Isle inJefferson Parish |
| Ecclesiastical province | Archdiocese of New Orleans |
| Deaneries | Upper Lafource; South Lafourche; Terrebonne |
| Headquarters | 2779 Highway 311, Schriever LA, 70395 |
| Statistics | |
| Population |
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| Parishes | 39 |
| Schools | 11 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Catholic Church |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | June 5, 1977 |
| Cathedral | Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales (Houma) |
| Co-cathedral | St. Joseph Co-Cathedral (Thibodaux) |
| Patron saint | St. Francis de Sales |
| Secular priests | 59 |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Leo XIV |
| Bishop | Simon Peter Engurait |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | Gregory Michael Aymond |
| Judicial Vicar | Eric Leyble |
| Bishops emeritus | Sam Gallip Jacobs |
| Map | |
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| Website | |
| htdiocese.org | |
TheDiocese of Houma–Thibodaux (Latin:Dioecesis Humensis–Thibodensis) is aLatin Church ecclesiastical territory ordiocese of theCatholic Church in southeasternLouisiana. It coversTerrebonne,Lafourche, and the eastern part ofSt. Mary parishes,Morgan City, andGrand Isle inJefferson Parish.[1] Although a small diocese in terms of area (around 3,500 square miles), it has a large Catholic population, with approximately 126,000 Catholics out of a total population of 202,000.[2] The diocese includes part ofCajun Louisiana.
Pope Pius VI in 1793 erected the Diocese of Louisiana and the Two Floridas, encompassing the Spanish colonies inLouisiana and Florida. With the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, Louisiana became part of the new United States and the diocese came under American jurisdiction. The first parish in Thibodaux, St. Joseph, was established in 1813, with the first church opened in 1819.[3]
Pope Leo XIII erected the Diocese of New Orleans in 1825.[4] The Houma and Thibodaux area would remain part of the Diocese of New Orleans, replace by the Archdiocese of New Orleans, for the next 152 years.
The first parish in Houma, St. Francis de Sales, was established in 1847 and the first church was completed in 1854.[5] The first Catholic school in Thibodaux was opened in 1855 by the Sisters of Mount Carmel.[6] In Houma, theMarianites of Holy Cross foundedOur Lady of the Sacred Heart Academy in 1870. Sacred Heart Academy opened inMorgan City in 1893.[7] St. Joseph Hospital in Thibodaux started accepting patients in 1929.[8]
Pope Paul VI erected the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux on June 5, 1977, taking its territory from theArchdiocese of New Orleans. The pope designated theChurch of St. Francis de Sales in Houma as the cathedral andSt. Joseph Church in Thibodaux as the co-cathedral.
Paul VI named BishopWarren Boudreaux from theDiocese of Beaumont in Texas as the first bishop of Houma-Thibodaux.[9] Boudreaux became known for banning church fairs in 1985, objecting to the alcohol consumption and overall frivolity at such events.[10] He retired in 1992.
The second bishop of Houma-Thibodaux was MonsignorCharles Jarrell of Lafayette in Louisiana, appointed by Pope John Paul II in 1993. He became bishop of Lafayette in Louisiana in 2002.[11][12] John Paul II replaced Jarrell in Houma-Thibodaux with BishopSam Jacobs from theDiocese of Alexandria in Louisiana.[13]
In the aftermath ofHurricane Katrina in August 2005, the diocese provided numerous temporary shelters for storm victims and admitted to its schools hundreds of children whose schools had been flooded. The diocese provided similar assistance whenHurricane Rita hit the region in September 2005.[14]
After Jacobs retired in 2013,Pope Francis named Auxiliary BishopShelton Fabre as the fourth bishop of Houma-Thibodaux.[15][16] He became archbishop of the Archdiocese of Louisville in 2022.
To replace Fabre, Francis in 2023 named Auxiliary BishopMario E. Dorsonville of theArchdiocese of Washington as the new bishop of Houma-Thibodaux.[17][18] He died from complications that arose from illness on January 19, 2024.[19]
Police arrested Reverend Robert Melancon from Sacred Heart Parish inCut Off, Louisiana, on aggravated rape charges in June 1995. A 17 year old boy from Houma had accused Melancon of sexually abusing him when he was six or seven years old for several years.[20] The diocese reportedly paid the victim a $30,000 settlement in 1993. Melancon was convicted in June 1996 of aggravated rape and sentenced to life in prison in August 1996.[21][22]
Reverend Patrick Kujawa of Holy Cross Church in Morgan City was arrested in January 2000 on charges of processing 62pornographic images of boys. A housekeeper in his residence had discovered them, along with many pornographic images of men. After learning about the images, the diocese had notified law enforcement and sent Kujawa to a hospital inPennsylvania, where he was arrested.[23] He pleaded guilty in December 2000 to possessingchild pornography and was sentenced to inpatient therapy and ten years onprobation. Kujawa was convicted again on child pornography charges in 2004 and sent to prison.[24]
In January 2019, the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux released the names of 14 clergy who were accused of committing acts of sex abuse.[25] Kujawa, Melendez and Melancon were convicted of sexual abuse crimes committed within the diocese while Guidry was convicted of crimes committed in Texas.[26]
Maria Immacolata Catholic School – Houma (closed in 2020)[29]
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Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of New Orleans | |
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29°35′15″N90°42′58″W / 29.58750°N 90.71611°W /29.58750; -90.71611
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