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Bishop Michael G. Duca of Baton Rouge ordained two men to the diocesan priesthood at a Mass celebrated at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, May 27, 2023, at St. Joseph Cathedral.

In consultation with the Clergy Personnel Board, Bishop Michael Duca makes the following appointments effective 01 July 2023.

The iconic 80-foot steeple of Ascension of Our Lord Church in Donaldsonville can be seen by land travelers in the area on both sides of Mississippi River as well as on the river, proudly boasting of its 250-year history of faith and perseverance.

I have always been at a loss for how to greet people at Easter. I suppose the default common greeting is “Happy Easter” but that has always seemed too small for so wondrous a solemnity of our faith. It is also a little secular and mundane like the greeting “Have a nice day.” 

The funeral arrangements and Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated for Fr. Laird, who died Friday while in hospice care.

Bishop Duca makes the following Personnel Appointments effective 13 February 2023.

The upcoming annual Continuing Formation Days for our priests are scheduled for February 6-9, 2023. Due to the location of the retreat, weekday and funeral masses for your parish might be impacted or adjusted. Please pray for our priests and their on-going formation.

Congratulations to Bishop Mario Dorsonville on his appointment as Bishop of Houma-Thibodaux.  He will find in the Diocese a rich deposit of the Catholic faith, a people united by a strong sense of family and community, a vibrant and diverse culture, and exquisite cuisine! I know the faithful of Houma-Thibodaux will embrace their new shepherd as quickly as he is certain to embrace them.

Since June 2022, the demand for reliable care and easily accessible resources has never been stronger, and the Diocese of Baton Rouge has set out to expand ministries and social services for an even greater population of women in unplanned pregnancies who may need accompaniment and encouragement.  

Bishop Michael G. Duca of the Diocese of Baton Rouge will preside at a memorial Mass for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI on Thursday, January 5, at 12:00 Noon at St. Joseph Cathedral.

Baton Rouge Bishop Michael G. Duca said today that he and Bishop Emeritus Robert W. Muench “join the faithful of the diocese in expressing deep sorrow at the passing of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.”

At his weekly general audience on Wednesday, 28 December in Rome, Pope Francis asked the faithful for "a special prayer for emeritus Pope Benedict" noting that he was "very sick." The faithful of the Diocese of Baton Rouge are invited to join Pope Francis and Bishop Duca, heeding the Holy Father's advice to "ask the Lord to console him and sustain him in his witness of love for the church until the very end."  

Do you feel it?! Do you feel that unique joy and hope that surrounds us in our celebration of the Savior’s birth? It is not a logical hope because it comes in spite of the difficulties of life and the upheavals we see throughout the world. At times the world seems like a dead stump and as hard as we look there is no sprout, no hope. Why be so hopeful? We are hopeful because we do not hope in the world. We are hopeful because our God does not allow us to shut him out completely. He finds a space to enter our lives even if it means entering through a stable. Our Christmas joy is found in our HOPE IN THE LORD who does not, did not give up on us. The tree of Jesse that appears dead, gives life. The ancient prophesies for which people of faith waited centuries, are fulfilled. Where it seemed all was lost a Savior is born and the love of God is not held back. In spite of our troubles and concerns, we have hope in our God who is Emmanuel, God with us and born for us this Christmas Day. I pray that this hope will fill you and your family with joy this Christmas. I also pray that you have a prosperous, healthy and faith filled New Year. Hope in the Lord and Merry Christmas.

Due to the threat of severe weather, all Catholic schools in the Diocese of Baton Rouge will be closed on December 14, 2022. Please stay safe!

Bishop Duca addresses the Faithful of the Diocese of Baton Rouge about the reception of Holy Communion from the Chalice.

Father Michael Alello, pastor at St. Thomas More Church in Baton Rouge, briefly addresses the crowd before opening the doors of the renovated church Oct. 13. Bishop Michael G. Duca celebrated the Mass of Dedication, which was attended by a standing room only crowd.

Silence gripped the hallowed walls of St. Joseph Cathedral in Baton Rouge, if ever so briefly, as Father Joshua Johnson bowed his head, perhaps saying one final prayer before delivering a homily that sparked emotion, tears and even a few chuckles.

The Office of Black Catholics of the Diocese of Baton Rouge is sponsoring an African American Mass this Saturday, Aug. 20, at 10 a.m., at St. Joseph Cathedral in Baton Rouge.

Bishop Michael G. Duca, center, ordained four permanent deacons during ceremonies Aug. 13 at St. Joseph Cathedral in Baton Rouge. The newly ordained deacons, from left: Deacon Tram Phan, Deacon Randall Waguespack, Bishop Duca, Deacon Edward Hanks and Deacon Patrick Witty.

Dr. Lisa Namikas of Baton Rouge has been named the 2022 Catholic Charities USA’s Volunteer of the Year. Namikas was honored at Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Baton Rouge’s annual meeting on Thursday, June 23.