Shelton Fabre
Shelton Joseph Fabre is an American Catholic prelate who has served as archbishop of Louisville in Kentucky since 2022. He previously served as bishop of Houma-Thibodaux in Louisiana from 2013 to 2022 and as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of New Orleans in Louisiana from 2007 to 2013.
Early life and education
Shelton Fabre was born in New Roads, Louisiana, on October 25, 1963. He attended primary and secondary schools in New Roads, graduating in 1981 as valedictorian of Catholic High School of Pointe Coupée. He then entered Saint Joseph Seminary College in St. Benedict, Louisiana, graduating with a bachelor's degree in history in 1985.Fabre then continued his formation at the American College of Louvain in Belgium, also studying at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in religious studies in 1987 and a Master of Arts in religious studies degree in 1989. Fabre was ordained a deacon on December 10, 1988, by Archbishop Peter Gerety at the Louvain university church.
Priesthood
Fabre was ordained a priest on August 5, 1989, by Bishop Stanley Ott for the Diocese of Baton Rouge at St. Joseph Cathedral in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.After his 1989 ordination, the diocese assigned Fabre as assistant pastor of the following parishes:
- St. Alphonsus Liguori in Greenwell Springs
- St. George in Baton Rouge
- St. Isidore the Farmer in Baker
- St. Joseph Cathedral
Fabre's diocesan positions during this period were as chaplain at Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola in 1994, director of the Office of Black Catholics and defender of the bond for the marriage tribunal. Fabre was elected to serve on the diocesan clergy personnel board and served as chair of the Pastoral Planning Committee of the diocese. At various times, he took on the roles of chaplain to St. Joseph's Academy and served as dean of the Northwest Deanery. Fabre also served as a member of the college of consultors, the presbyteral council, and the diocesan school board.
Auxiliary Bishop of New Orleans
On December 13, 2006, Fabre was appointed titular bishop of Pudentiana and auxiliary bishop of New Orleans by Pope Benedict XVI. He was consecrated by Archbishop Alfred Hughes on February 28, 2007, in New Orleans at the Saint Louis, King of France, Cathedral Basilica. He was the youngest bishop in the U.S. at the time. As auxiliary bishop, Fabre served as vicar general and moderator of the curia. He also became pastor of Our Lady of the Rosary Parish in New Orleans.In October 2009, Fabre met with each of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the archdiocese that had been recently settled for $5 million. The plaintiffs had been beaten and abused in the 1950s and 1960s by nuns, priests and other staff members at Hope Haven and Madonna Manor, two Catholic homes for troubled youth in the archdiocese. Fabre held the meetings to apologize for their treatment.
Bishop of Houma-Thibodaux
On September 23, 2013, Pope Francis appointed Fabre as bishop of Houma-Thibodaux. He was installed at the Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales in Thibodaux, Louisiana, on October 30, 2013.In May 2018, Fabre was elected chair of the Ad-Hoc Committee against Racism of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. In November 2018, Fabre released "Open Wide our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love", a pastoral letter addressing racism in the United States and the Catholic response to it.
In January 2019, Fabre released a list of 14 priests in the diocese with credible accusations of sexual abuse against minors. The list went back to 1977, the founding of the diocese.