Deacon Billy Francioni

A cradle Catholic, born and raised as a member of St. James the Major parish in New Orleans.  Attended St. James the Major elementary school, Brother Martin High School and graduated from Loyola in New Orleans. My parents instilled in me the need to serve. We had a special devotion to St. Michael’s Special School and Sr. Lillian. The example of my parents and Sr. Lillian planted the seed of devotion to the Church.

In 1987 I married and moved to Baton Rouge and had 4 children. For the past 28 years we have been parishioners of St. Jude. Our children attended St. Jude, Catholic High and St. Joseph’s Academy. 

We now have 2 grandchildren. They are the reason that I have entered the Diaconate I want them to be a part of a thriving Church. My desire, with the help of the Holy Spirit, is to assist the priests in their vocation and to evangelize and revitalize the Church for my kids and future generations.

Attending classes at Fran U, now starting my fourth year, has brought me much closer to Christ. When I first started, I thought I knew it all. Now I have come so far and still have so far to go. It has been a life changing experience for me and I hope to use what I am learning to help others find a relationship Christ.