Clergy and Religious Honored for Milestone Anniversaries

His Excellency, the Most Reverend Glen John Provost, Bishop of Lake Charles, was the celebrant and homilist for the 19th annual Clergy and Religious Recognition Mass on Thursday, September 3, 2026, at Our Lady of Prompt Succor Catholic Church in Sulphur. The Mass coincided with the Feast of Pope St. Gregory the Great (540-604 A.D.)

“To all of you, I wish my sincere and heartfelt congratulations,” said Bishop Provost.

For a combined 910 years of service to the Catholic Church, this year’s honorees included a total of 13 Priests, 8 Deacons, and 5 Religious Sisters.

“Today, we remember St. Gregory the Great. The readings chosen by the Church to be read on this Feast, in my opinion, could not be more appropriate for this occasion — the celebration of almost a thousand years of service by clergy and religious who have given their lives to Christ and his Church,” Bishop Provost remarked.

“The honorees this morning are faithful sons and daughters of the Church. When God’s call to vocation came to all of us, we remained, sometimes painfully, aware of our inadequacy,” he said. “However, we turned to God’s mercy, and he showed us the way to Him.”

Speaking to the honorees, Bishop Provost noted that those who are ordained clergy and consecrated religious should rejoice that they have been given a share in Christ in every experience that He had — “the joys, the sufferings, the problems, the consolations. These are all part of the service rendered and you are sharers in the mystery. For this, you should be humbled and sincerely grateful.”

The following were recognized for significant anniversaries:

PRIESTS

• 55 years — Reverend Marshall Boulet and Reverend Roland Vaughn, both ordained on December 21, 1971
• 50 years — Reverend Monsignor Harry D. Greig, ordained on May 28, 1976
• 45 years — Reverend Albert Borel, ordained on June 6, 1981
• 35 years — Very Reverend Edward Richard, MS, VF, ordained on January 12, 1991; and Reverend William Miller, ordained on May 18, 1991
• 30 years — Reverend Monsignor Daniel Torres, ordained on May 25, 1996; and Reverend Romuald “Mémé” Rakotondraibe, MS, ordained on August 18, 1996
• 25 years — Reverend Anthony Fontenot, ordained on June 2, 2002
• 20 years — Reverend Shiju Churakal, CMI, ordained on December 28, 2006
• 15 years — Reverend Jeffrey Starkovich, ordained on June 11, 2011; and Reverend Jom Joseph, HGN, ordained on May 2, 2011
• 5 years — Reverend Michael Beverung, ordained on May 22, 2021

DEACONS

• 50 years — Deacon Freed Reed, ordained on February 1, 1976
• 25 years — Deacon Joseph Bushnell, Deacon Wayne Chapman, Deacon Dale Deshotel, Deacon Patrick LaPoint, Deacon Ray Menard, and Deacon Michael Tramel, all ordained on December 1, 2001
• 15 years — Deacon Paul Gregory, ordained on January 15, 2011

RELIGIOUS SISTERS

• 65 years — Sister Mary Kathleen Ronan, R.S.M. (Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, Michigan), December 29, 1961
• 60 years — Sister Gerard Earls, CCVI (Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word), August 15, 1966; and Sister Claire Pellerin, S.E., (Sisters of Emmanuel), August 15, 1966
• 50 years — Sister Mary Charles Chidolue, D.M.M.M. (Daughters of Mary Mother of God), May 6, 1976
• 45 years — Sister Maria Regina Osundu, D.M.M.M. (Daughters of Mary Mother of God), January 4, 1981

The annual Mass and luncheon is coordinated by the Serra Club of Lake Charles and supported by the Catholic Daughters of the Americas, Altar Society, Knights of Columbus, and Knights of Peter Claver.

To date, a total of 412 priests, deacons, and religious brothers and sisters have been honored over the past 20 years with contributing organizations donating a total of $111,650 to the honorees.

The annual Clergy and Religious Recognition Mass and Luncheon took place on Thursday, September 3, 2026, in Sulphur. Several of those being honored for milestone anniversaries gathered for a group photo in the Father Vecchio Hall following Mass in Our Lady of Prompt Succor Catholic Church. (Photography credit: Victoria Watson)