Father Alello surprised by Distinguished Clergy Award

Father Michael Alello was unaware the staff at St. Thomas More School in Baton Rouge had nominated him to the Catholic Schools Office of the Diocese of Baton Rouge for the Distinguished Clergy Award.

But when informed he indeed had been chosen, Father Alello was stunned.

“It was quite a surprise and a pleasant one at that,” he said. “I was thrilled and honored to be chosen.”

Father Alello, pastor at St. Thomas More Church, has revived the school and community during the past few years. He oversaw an ambitious and as it turns out successful rebranding of the school and the church.

The result is a thriving educational community and parish where not only has attendance increased in the wake of the congregation-sapping COVID-19 pandemic.The parish also recently completed a massive renovation to the church and pulled the curtain on a new office building.

Even during those trying times, Father Alello said his focus never strayed from the young hearts and minds he ministers to on a daily basis.

He said pastors who have schools as part of the parish are critical in helping form the faith in the young people and also support the faculty and staff.

“Being a pastor in a school does bring lots of challenges but it also brings a great deal of joy to see the little kiddos’ faces and hang out with them and to be able to have a staff and faculty that you can walk with them as they educate our children,” Father Alello said. “I think as a pastor it is a great responsibility to have families entrust their children into our care, in our school and invite us to educate and form them. That is a huge reasonability that myself and my entire staff and faculty take as a great challenge but also an opportunity.”

From his days as pastor as the former St. Louis King of France Church in Baton Rouge, which also had a school, Father Alello could always be seen on the playground, interacting with the students, blowing bubbles and perhaps even hopping on a swing.

Not only is it an opportunity to minister to the young people it is also cathartic.

“Whenever you are having a bad day there is nothing better than to go out and hang out with the kindergarteners or the little ones or just go visit the little ones on the swing,” he said. “I love to get out on the little swing and play in the playground. And so just being around them is always a good time.”

He also engages in storytelling to bring the Bible message to the students, from his heart to theirs.