From the Director:

As the fall semester gets underway we have three of our four seminarians back at their respective schools and seminarian Michael Petty serving a Pastoral Year under the watchful eye of Fr. Joseph Ampatt and Deacon Michael Straub at Mary, Queen of Peace Church in South Bossier City and St. George Chapel in Coushatta.

Matthew Tyler Long completed his Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) at Jefferson Regional Medical Center in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, while living in residence at St. Joseph Church in downtown Pine Bluff. Naturally, Matthew’s evaluation was excellent and he is eagerly anticipating his formal Admission to Candidacy which will take place at St. Meinrad School of Theology on Sunday, November 4, 2007. David Hebert spent his summer on assignment at St. Joseph Church in Bastrop, before returning for his third year of theological study this fall at Notre Dame School of Theology in New Orleans. Letters from parishioners in Bastrop left no doubt that David endeared himself to the faithful of Morehouse Parish during his weeks of service to them. Keith Meshell has entered his junior year this fall at St. Joseph Seminary College in St. Benedict, Louisiana, after a busy summer assisting Fr. Timothy Hurd at St. Joseph Church in Zwolle and St. Ann Church in Ebarb. With a last name like Meshell, you can rest assured that Keith was well received in Sabine Parish and the surrounding areas of our Southern Deanery.

Our new seminarian candidate John Bosco Nyirenda has arrived from Tanzania in Africa and is currently living with the Lyke Community at Our Lady of Blessed Sacrament Church in Shreveport while taking courses at Southern University. Having John Bosco with us is the fruition of three years of effort to bring him to Louisiana. My gratitude goes out to Brother Paul Mutisya and Fr. Andre McGraith for the wonderful hospitality shown to John Bosco as he seeks to enter seminary for our diocese next year.

You can learn more about each of our current seminarians by checking out our seminarian bio section of this site. Let me hear from you if you feel the Lord’s influence to follow His Son in ministry to the people of our diocese.

In other news, Rev. Godfrey Mullen of St. Meinrad provided a series of vocation workshops on September 14th and 15th at our Cathedral of St. John Berchmans School and Church while assisting the Cathedral’s Schola Cantorum with Gregorian chant. Over 250 young people were exposed to Fr. Godfrey and his vocational message during his time with us in the Shreveport Diocese. A big thanks to all of those who worked hard to make these successful events possible.

Please know that I would be pleased to receive your letters, phone calls or electronic messages anytime.

            John Mark Willcox
            3500 Fairfield Avenue
            Shreveport, LA  71104
            Phone:  318-868-4441
            E-Mail:  jwillcox@dioshpt.org