Former Sacred Heart of Jesus Parishioner
will be Youngest Catholic Bishop in Nation
By Pamela Seal
Diocese of Lake Charles
LAKE CHARLES — Reverend Robert P. Boxie III, a 1998 graduate of St. Louis Catholic High School and former parishioner of Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church in Lake Charles, is making history as he is soon to become the youngest Catholic bishop in the United States. Bishop-elect Boxie is the 45-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert P. and Roxanne (Guillory) Boxie Jr. of Lake Charles.
He was appointed by Pope Leo XIV as one of two new auxiliary bishops for the Archdiocese of Washington. The news was publicized on May 1, 2026, by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.
Father Boxie is the first alumnus from St. Louis Catholic High School and the third student from Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic School to be elevated to the episcopacy. The two others being Bishop Harold Perry, Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of New Orleans; and Bishop Leonard Olivier, Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Washington.
Father Boxie was ordained to the priesthood on June 25, 2016, and has been serving as chaplain to Howard University in Washington, D.C. since 2020.
During a press conference on May 1 at the Pastoral Center of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington in Hyattsville, Maryland, Bishop-elect Boxie said that he was both “overwhelmed and deeply humbled but grateful to the Holy Father” for appointing him as one of the new auxiliary bishops for the Archdiocese of Washington.
“To say this is unexpected is an understatement. God’s plans are not always our plans,” he shared. “I sent a message to the students and community at Howard: You made your chaplain a bishop, and Holy Mother Church thanks you.”
Fighting back tears, which he credits as a gift from his father, Bishop-designate Boxie said, “This appointment represents something much bigger than me. It is an acknowledgment of the community where I come from, the community that has formed me in the faith, especially my family and my home parish of Sacred Heart.”
He went on to say that the appointment recognizes the community that he now serves, especially the students and young people at Howard University and parishioners at Immaculate Conception in D.C.
“It underscores the vitality, vibrancy, and diversity of this local Church here in Washington to which I belong,” he remarked.
Ahead of the introduction of the newly appointed bishop, Cardinal Robert McElroy, Archbishop of Washington, said, “Bishop-elect Boxie particularly brings to us gifts of outreach to youth, which is dear to his heart. As you know, that is a great need we have in our archdiocese. The youth have been at the core of his heart in his ministry at Howard University at the Sister Thea Bowman Catholic Student Center.”
Bishop-designate Boxie has also served as professor in the Archdiocese of Washington’s permanent diaconate program since 2018 and has been an assistant vocations director for the archdiocese since 2016.
Cardinal McElroy added, “Father Boxie’s ability to be a leader for the renewal and enhancement of the black communities of our archdiocese is important historically now and for our future. This is a great day of joy for the Archdiocese of Washington. I thank the Holy Father for his understanding of what our needs are as we move forward in the life of the Church. God will do great things in you and through you, Bishop-elect Boxie.”
DIOCESE OF LAKE CHARLES REACTS TO HISTORIC NEWS
Second LC native appointed
Auxiliary Bishop of Washington
The Most Reverend Glen John Provost, Bishop of the Diocese of Lake Charles, expressed his congratulations upon hearing the news.
“I share in the joy of his parents, family, and the community here in Lake Charles in congratulating Bishop-elect Robert Boxie upon his appointment by Pope Leo XIV as Auxiliary Bishop of Washington, D.C.,” he remarked. “He joins a long list of distinguished sons from Sacred Heart Parish in Lake Charles who were elevated to the episcopacy. And he is the second Lake Charles native to be appointed an Auxiliary Bishop of Washington, Bishop Leonard Olivier being the first.”
He added, “Bishop-elect Boxie is a very talented and gifted young priest. We are all very happy for him. May God be with him as he continues his ministry.”
Lenten Mission message
rich in God’s Love and Mercy
Monsignor Daniel A. Torres, Vicar General and Pastor of Our Lady Queen of Heaven Catholic Church said that he was very happy to hear the news about Bishop-elect Robert Boxie, who presented a Lenten Mission earlier this year at the Lake Street church.
“I have had the opportunity of seeing his spiritual growth from his days here in Lake Charles, Rome, and Washington, D.C. This past Lent in 2026, he delivered the mission at Our Lady Queen of Heaven. The message was simple but rich in God’s Love and Mercy,” said Monsignor Torres. “Bishop-elect Boxie is gifted in breaking open the Word. His humility and intelligence will continue to inspire many in this new chapter of ministry. May God continue to bless him and his parents.”
‘Our Robbie’ is humble,
courageous and gifted
Deacon Harold Nixon’s first words when he read the text message on his phone from Monsignor Torres about Father Boxie’s selection as a bishop were: “Alleluia! God is good … all the time!” Then he ran to tell his wife and text everyone the news.
“I have known Father Boxie since he and his sister (Robyn) were children at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church and school,” Deacon Nixon shared. “He and I recently had lunch when he was here to lead the Lenten Mission at Our Lady Queen of Heaven Parish. I left that lunch with the reaffirmation that regardless of what the world sometimes seems to say, regardless of the questionable behavior that appears to be rewarded in the short term, character does matter most.”
Deacon Nixon describes Father Boxie as humble, courageous, and a gifted young man.
“Our Robbie (and he does belong to all of us) displayed his humility and courage by leaving a very prestigious and highly compensated secular position to answer God’s call to truly serve others,” Deacon Nixon said about Boxie being ordained to the priesthood. “And serve he does as a servant leader who puts others first. When he was here for our mission, someone asked me if he were my son. I smiled and said ‘No, but I am almost as proud of him as his parents are.’”
Catholic schools help
foster, nurture vocations
Very Reverend Ruben J. Buller, Vicar General, Pastor of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, and Rector of St. Louis Catholic High School (Class of 2000) once walked the halls of St. Louis with Father Boxie (Class of 1998), expressing that the soon-to-be auxiliary bishop was well respected in high school.
“He was very intelligent, and everyone knew that. He had a gift for playing the piano. He was a leader and had an appreciation and a love for beautiful things and of knowledge as well,” Father Buller recalled, also noting that Boxie was honored with the St. Louis Award his senior year.
Boxie earned a Bachelor of Engineering from Vanderbilt University (2002), a Juris Doctor from Harvard University (2007), and studied at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, earning a Bachelor of Sacred Theology (2015) and a Licentiate in Sacred Theology (2017) from the Pontifical Gregorian University.
“When he moved to Washington to clerk for a federal judge and then work in a law firm, no one from my time at St. Louis was surprised that he had begun discerning the priesthood. He has served successfully in the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C.”
In his role as Rector, Father Buller expressed that Catholic schools work, pointing out that St. Louis works.
“Vocations have to be fostered and nurtured, and part of what we do at St. Louis is help foster the ability for young men and young women to ask the question if God is calling them to a life of service in the Church,” Father Buller said. “The designation of Bishop-elect Boxie is an affirmation of the fact that we have begun to do good work at St. Louis.”
Fostering connections between
past, present St. Louis students
It has been more than 27 years since Kelly (Link) DeMolle (Class of 1999) attended St. Louis with Father Boxie. She still remembers him as an empathetic human with great integrity.
“He was kind to his classmates and treated faculty with respect. I remember him as quiet, but also one who still had the ability to inspire and guide others,” DeMolle reflected. “Father Boxie exuded humbleness and humility, and I have no doubt these gifts have carried into his calling as a priest and will continue into this new role.”
DeMolle, who now serves as principal of St. Louis, said that she was thrilled to hear of Boxie’s appointment by Pope Leo XIV and what this means for the students.
“This significant milestone not only fills our hearts with pride, but it also serves as a powerful example for our current students,” she remarked. “It illustrates the potential paths that can arise from their early faith formation and their time here at St. Louis Catholic High School.”
Strengthening the sense of community while fostering connections between past and present students is what DeMolle desires from Boxie’s achievement.
“We are hopeful that this announcement will further encourage our students to aspire to leadership roles within the Church and their communities, showcasing the impact of living a life dedicated to faith and service,” she added.
From Eternal City
to nation’s capital
Reverend Andrew DeRouen was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Lake Charles in June 2020. A graduate of St. Louis Catholic High School in 2011, his time in the seminary in Rome overlapped with Father Boxie.
Presently residing in Washington, D.C. for Canon Law Studies at Catholic University of America, Father DeRouen now lives a few blocks away from the bishop-elect.
“Whether Rome or Washington, whenever God’s Providence sent me away from home, there was Father Boxie, with whom I could share memories of St. Louis and our mutual affection for the city that shaped us both,” DeRouen shared. “He will continue to be a blessing for the faithful of the archdiocese.”
Final thoughts from
Bishop-designate Boxie
In his closing comments at the press conference, Bishop-elect Boxie called to mind multiple graces from God.
“Today is spiritually rich and full of many graces — the graces of First Friday dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the name of my home parish in Lake Charles, La.; the grace of the intercession of the Blessed Mother as we begin this Month of May which is dedicated to her, and the feast of St. Joseph the Worker,” he remarked. “I ask for all these spiritual graces for me and for us that I will faithfully and joyfully serve this local Church in Washington.”
Parents grateful, proud of son’s
appointment as auxiliary bishop
LAKE CHARLES — When Robert and Roxanne “Roxie” Boxie heard the news about their son Rev. Robert P. Boxie III being appointed an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Washington, they were both surprised and overjoyed.
Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States, made the announcement on Friday, May 1, 2026, but Mr. and Mrs. Boxie, along with their daughter Robyn, were informed personally by the bishop-elect a few days earlier.
“I was surprised but also full of gratitude and tears of happiness and joy,” Roxie shared with the Diocese of Lake Charles. Her husband Robert said he was floored.
“That was not the news I was expecting since he has only been a priest just under 10 years,” Robert remarked. “I asked him, ‘What did you tell them?’ He said, ‘Daddy, I am sort of like Mary, a handmaiden of the Lord. Do with me as you will.’ I am so proud of him.”
Roxie said her son was always a humble child and thoughtful person. She credits his education at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic School in Lake Charles for him taking his faith to heart.
“When he played with kids in the neighborhood, he wanted to have church with them,” she recalled. “He even had an altar set up in his bedroom.”
Roxie remembers when her son was 8 years old, he told his parents that he wanted to be a priest when he grew up.
“On one of our family vacations to Disney World, we located a Catholic church so we could attend Mass,” she said. “This particular church had a gift shop, so I asked Robert if he wanted a souvenir of Mickey Mouse. He said, ‘No, momma, I want a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary for my altar.’”
While in residence at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Washington, D.C., Father Boxie has captured the attention of a young boy there, according to Roxie.
“There is a 3-year-old boy, Kolbe, who attends Mass at Immaculate Conception. He has fallen in love with Father Boxie so much that his mother had to make him a little vestment,” Roxie shared. “He plays a priest at home and wants to be called ‘Father Boxie’ when his parents talk to him. It is so cute.”
Bishop-elect Boxie is one of two auxiliary bishop appointments to fill vacancies due to a retirement and a reassignment. Roxie said her son’s new role is providential.
“Father Boxie’s first assignment was at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Largo, Maryland, where Auxiliary Bishop Roy E. Campbell, Jr. has been serving as pastor and is now retiring,” Roxie said. “Bishop Campbell was Father Boxie’s mentor early on in his priesthood. Who knew 10 years later, Father Boxie would be taking his place.”
Soon to be the youngest prelate in the United States, Bishop-elect Boxie will always share a special bond with his parents and sister.
“Family has been everything to us,” said Roxie. “Even our birthdays are all in September, with Father Boxie and I sharing the same birthday of September 12. He was the best birthday gift.”
Reverend Robert P. Boxie III is joined by his parents, Robert and Roxanne Boxie, longtime parishioners of Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church in Lake Charles, and his sister Robyn Boxie, who resides in South Carolina. Father Boxie has been appointed an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Washington, making him the youngest prelate in the United States at the age of 45. He has been serving as a priest in the Archdiocese of Washington and is chaplain of Howard University in D.C. (Photograph courtesy of the family)
