Bishop Provost introduced his first Lenten Pastoral on Feb. 8, speaking to the faithful about the importance of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  

On the weekend prior to the beginning of Lent, the Bishop celebrated the closing Mass at the Diocesan Youth Conference for more than 300 youth, young adults, adult chaperones, and staff.  

In March, Bishop Provost blessed the construction project at Sacred Heart Saint Katharine Drexel Catholic School, necessitated by Hurricane Rita, as the school began its 100th anniversary year. 

Later in the month, the Bishop celebrated the Sacred Triduum – Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil, and Easter Sunday in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. 

In April, the Bishop along with priests and laity of the Diocese were present at various venues during the Pastoral Visit of Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to the Washington, DC and New York City.  

The Bishop celebrated the first anniversary of his consecration as a bishop and his installation as the Third Bishop of Lake Charles. Later in the week the Diocese celebrated its 28th anniversary of formal establishment. 

On May 23, 2008, Bishop Provost ordained two men, Ruben Buller and Nathan Long to the priesthood and another, Scott Conner, to the transitional diaconate. Rev. Long and Rev. Buller were the second and third priests ordained by Bishop Provost. 

Father Buller was assigned as Parochial Vicar at St. Henry Church while Father Long was named as Parochial Vicar at Our Lady Queen of Heaven Church.  

The Very Rev. Daniel Torres, Vicar General of the Diocese and pastor of St. Henry Church, led the annual Abrazando Cristo mission trip to Nicaragua in July 2008. 

Noted lecturer, Christopher West, was the guest speaker at the annual convocation for priests of the Diocese in June. 

Bishop Provost honored couples of the Diocese who had been married 25 or 50 years with a special liturgy on June 1 in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. 

On June 11, 2008, Bishop Provost announced the beginning of the “Year of St. Paul” in the Diocese to begin on June 28, corresponding to the worldwide celebration called for by His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI.  The Bishop designated St. Paul Church in Elton as the pilgrimage site for the Diocese, as it is the only church in the Diocese named for St. Paul. 

Days of pilgrimage to St. Paul Church during the special year included June 29 in both 2008 and 2009, November 18, the anniversary of the Dedication of the Basilica of St Peter and St. Paul; January 25, 2009, the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul; January 26, 2009, the Feast Day of St. Timothy and St. Titus; April 25, 2009, the anniversary of the establishment of the Diocese; and June 11, 2009, the Feast Day of St. Barnabas.  

Just as the Holy Father granted a Plenary Indulgence to those who participate in the Year of St. Paul by pilgrimage to the Basilica of St. Paul in Rome, the same indulgence can be achieved by pilgrimage to St. Paul in Elton in addition to other specific acts or conditions. Bishop Provost also provided to the clergy of the Diocese as well as Religious Educators a Recommended Bible Study Resources List in observance of the Year of St. Paul. 

The annual long running Christian Leadership Institute, a weeklong two track program, sponsored by the Office of Youth Ministry drew the highest attendance in recent history during June. 

The Bishop celebrated the 50th anniversary year of St. Henry Church with Mass while Catholic Charities of the Diocese named Patricia Trejo as its new Director.  That announcement was made by the  Rev. Henry Mancuso, Secretary of the Ministry of Pastoral Services. 

Once again a group of young people represented the Diocese at the “One Bread, One Cup” youth liturgical leadership conference in St. Meinrad, Ind., in July. 

The final figures for the 2007-2008 Bishop’s Services Appeal came to nearly 90 percent of its goal. The generous faithful of the Diocese contributed $537,627.84 to aid in the operation of many of the ministries and programs of the local church. 

A $100,000 contribution established the Msgr. Irving A. DeBlanc Seminary Burse. The gift, which was made through the Villa Maria Retirement Center, brought the amount of money invested for the educational expenses of seminarians for the Diocese to more than $750,000. 

Catholic schools in mid August 2008 with 2,722 students in attendance, a slight increase over the previous year’s opening day figure. 

The majority of the area dodged severe damage from Hurricane Gustav, which made landfall on September 1 to the southeast of the Diocese. 

Less than three years after Hurricane Rita severely damaged the Catholic churches in Cameron Parish, Hurricane Ike provided more of the same as it is made its landfall in Southeast Texas. The September 13, 2008 storm destroyed the physical plant of the Chapel of the Assumption in Johnson Bayou, which had escaped with easily repairable damage following Rita. Restoration work, which had been done to the churches of St. Eugene in Grand Chenier, Our Lady Star of the Sea in Cameron, Sacred Heart of Jesus in Creole and St. Mary of the Lake in Big Lake, was devastated. Only Sacred Heart of Jesus had not been fully reopened to use prior to Ike’s landfall. 

As soon as was possible Bishop Provost, along with the vicar general Father Daniel Torres and others made trips into the devastated areas to provide aid and spiritual comfort. 

Work began very quickly on restoring the damage facilities. 

In the aftermath of the storm to provide pastoral care for the faithful in Cameron Parish, Bishop Provost announced that St. Patrick Chapel in Sweetlake would serve as the site for Masses of those parishioners from lower Cameron Parish, with Rev. Vincent Vadakkedath of St. Eugene, Rev. Joseph McGrath of Sacred Heart and Our Lady Star of the Sea along with Msgr. Harry D. Greig of St. Mary of the Lake celebrating the liturgies. Father Vadakkedath and Father McGrath would have offices at the Chapel while Msgr. Greig would maintain his office in the Chancery building of the Diocese. 

St. Peter the Apostle Church in Hackberry was also inundated with floodwaters as were the other buildings of the parish – new church office, parish hall and religious education classroom. Father Rommel Tolentino would be living and working out of St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Church Carlyss. 

Bishop Emeritus Jude Speyrer, in an act of great generosity and a show of love for a longtime friend, established the Bishop Speyrer Fund in Honor of Monsignor (Fernand) Gouaux. Msgr. Gouaux served more than half his priestly ministry in four parishes of what is now the Diocese of Lake Charles – Our Lady of the Lake in Lake Arthur, St. John Vianney in Bell City, St. Margaret of Scotland in Lake Charles, and Our Lady Help of Christians in Jennings. 

Proceeds from the Fund, which must reach $1 million before grants can be expended, will provide financial assistance to ordained clergy of the Diocese who are undertaking courses of study leading to advanced degrees in church studies. 

Bishop Speyrer and Msgr. Gouaux were close friends in school and served together at Our Lady of the Lake. Bishop Speyrer has also made provisions for the house and property where he lives near Carencro, which he and Msgr. Gouaux bought together more than 30 years ago, be sold at his death and the proceeds go into the Fund as well. The Fund is being administered through the Community Foundation of Southwest Louisiana. 

Eight men began the academic year studying for the priesthood for the Diocese of Lake Charles.  Three were attending the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, one at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, one at Catholic University of America in Washington, DC and three at St. Joseph Seminary College in St. Benedict, LA.  

Bishop Provost, in a column in the Catholic Calendar, in October, wrote about the U.S. Bishops’ document “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship.” The document addressed Catholics “political and social questions by helping them to develop a well formed conscience “ prior to the November Presidential Election. 

On Monday, October 13, Columbus Day, Bishop Provost celebrated the Red Mass for judges, attorneys, and other government officials on the opening of the judicial year. The event is hoped to become an annual celebration. 

The inaugural Bishop’s Charity Golf Classic raised more than $36,000 for the seminarian education fund and the priest’s retirement fund of the Diocese.  

On Nov. 4, Bishop Provost inaugurated the Women’s Prayer Luncheon and a huge crowd turned on for the first ever event. It was held in the Buccaneer Room of the Lake Charles Civic Center.  It had been postponed from September due to Hurricane Gustav and Hurricane Ike. 

Also in November, Bishop Provost announced the appointment of Rev. Arturo Lozano, S.J., as Director of Hispanic Ministry for the Diocese. Father Lozano would have offices in St. Henry parish. One of his first jobs was the organization of the Guadalupean Torch Run, which came through Lake Charles Nov. 11-12, on its way from Mexico City to New York City.  A large crowd attended the special Mass celebrated at St. Henry while the Torch remained in the Diocese. 

On Dec. 12, Bishop Provost celebrated the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe at St. Henry. Father Lozano gave the homily in both Spanish and English. 

Father Henry Mancuso, pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Lake Charles and Secretary of the Ministry of Pastoral Services, was honored with the National Family Advocacy Award. The award was given in recognition of Father Mancuso’s service as a community activist and advocate for those who have no voice; speaking and out taking action on their behalf at the local state and national levels. 

On January 1, Mrs. Deborah Frank became President of St. Louis Catholic High School. 

During the month of January, Bishop Provost, in coordination with his brother Bishops around the country, urged the faithful to participate in a postcard campaign to provide members of the U.S. Congress with their failings about the potentially damaging Freedom of Choice Act. The bill, if passed, would create a right to abortion that the government could not limit and would bring about a national abortion policy far worse than the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v Wade decision. 

On Jan. 22, the anniversary of Roe v Wade, a March for Life was held from the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception to the Parish Courthouse sponsored by the offices of Pro-Life and Youth Ministry of the Diocese and New Life Counseling. 

Prior to the march, a Rosary was recited in the Cathedral followed by an Ecumenical Prayer Service for Life led by Bishop Provost. More than 700 people attended the prayer service and then marched by candlelight to the courthouse to hear speakers talk about the sanctity of life. 

At the beginning of the spring term the Diocese added a ninth man studying for the priesthood as John B. Huckaby, a native of Eunice, began his second year theology classes at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. 

On January 31, Bishop Provost celebrated Mass with the people of St. Eugene in Grand Chenier following the completion of the second restoration of their church in three years. Work continued on the rectory and parish hall at St. Eugene. 

The church of St. Mary of the Lake in Big Lake was also completed so that Mass could once again be celebrated. Work was nearly finished on the religious education classrooms and would then begin on the parish hall. The church offices would have temporary quarters in one of the classrooms. 

Work was nearly complete at Our Lady Star of the Sea in Cameron and was within a few months of completion at Sacred Heart of Jesus in Creole. 

In the parish of St Peter the Apostle, mass was being celebrated at noon on Sundays for the Catholic faithful of Our Lady of the Assumption Chapel in Johnson Bayou in the Community Center located on Highway 82. Work neared completion on the office at St. Peter the Apostle with work to continue on the religious education classrooms and the church itself.