News and Press

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.

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.

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.

Bishop Provost recognizes 60 for dedicated service to church parishes and Diocese

By Pamela Seal
Diocese of Lake Charles

LAKE CHARLES — Diocesan honors were presented to 60 individuals in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on Sunday, September 7. Representing 13 church parishes, the recipients were chosen for their profound dedication and devotion to the Catholic Church and community.

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.

In his Bishop’s Services Appeal message for 2025-2026, the Most Reverend Glen John Provost reminds us that while the Diocese of Lake Charles continues its long and arduous task of recovery from Hurricanes Laura and Delta in 2020, it has made significant progress because of God’s help and support from the faithful.

The 45^th annual Bishop’s Services Appeal, a fundraising campaign to aid in the operation of various ministries and programs, will kick off the weekend of September 13-14 in church parishes throughout the Diocese.

Pope Leo XIV invites all the faithful to pray a daily rosary during the month of October for personal peace, peace in our families, and in our communities. The Month of the Holy Rosary begins on October 1. The Holy Father made his request at the end of his weekly general audience on September 24. CLICK HERE to read the full story.

By Pamela Seal
Diocese of Lake Charles

LAKE CHARLES — The Diocese of Lake Charles gained a new priest on Saturday, September 6, when Deacon Hunter Thomas LaRocca was ordained to the Sacred Order of Priesthood by His Excellency, The Most Reverend Glen John Provost, Bishop of Lake Charles. With standing room only, the Rite of Ordination took place in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

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.

Congratulations to Reverend Hunter Thomas LaRocca who was ordained to the Sacred Order of Priesthood by The Most Reverend Glen John Provost, Bishop of Lake Charles, on Saturday, September 6, 2025, in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Father LaRocca has been assigned Parochial Vicar at Our Lady of Prompt Succor Catholic Church in Sulphur, effective September 8, 2025.