By Pamela Seal
Diocese of Lake Charles

It was early on in the priesthood of Very Reverend Aubrey Guilbeau that he learned from the people what it means to be a priest.

“A priest needs not to be the one with all the answers, but rather one who will listen with compassion and allow the Holy Spirit to provide the answers,” he said, recalling the wise words of his first pastor, the late Monsignor Charles Dubois: “Always be present and available, and the Lord will take care of the rest.”

In recognition of his faithful presence and dedication as a priest for 43 years in the Diocese of Lake Charles, Pope Leo XIV has conferred a Papal Honor on Father Guilbeau.

On Thursday, October 9, 2025, the Holy Father released Dilexi Te (“I Have Loved You”), his first Apostolic Exhortation on love for the poor. In this new document, Pope Leo XIV reminds Christians that faith and love for the poor cannot be separated. He invites the Church to make a preferential option for the poor, not as an act of charity alone but as an essential part of our encounter with Christ. May Dilexi Te inspire us to see Christ in those who suffer and to walk with them in solidarity and hope. CLICK HERE to read Dilexi Te in its entirety.

By Pamela Seal
Diocese of Lake Charles

Michael DesOrmeaux, a seminarian for the Diocese of Lake Charles, was blessed with the opportunity to meet Pope Leo XIV with other students in Rome on Sunday, August 24, 2025. Pope Leo received seminarians during a private audience in Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace before leading the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square.

WASHINGTON — Pope Leo XIV has appointed Most Reverend James F. Checchio, Bishop of Metuchen, as Coadjutor Archbishop of New Orleans. The appointment was publicized in Washington, D.C. on September 24, 2025, by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States.

By Pamela Seal
Diocese of Lake Charles

LAKE CHARLES — Internationally acclaimed speaker on the Fathers of the Church, Mike Aquilina, traveled from Pittsburgh to the Diocese of Lake Charles to help the faithful appreciate the growth of the Catholic Church we know today.

Aquilina, the author of more than 70 books on Catholic history, doctrine, and devotion, was the keynote speaker at the 14th annual Veritas Conference on Saturday, September 13, at Our Lady Queen of Heaven Family Life Center. The event was hosted by the Office of Religious Education.