Archbishop Fabre Farewell
Family members and close friends say new archbishop is walking in step with God’s plan By KAYLA BENNETT The Record Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre was installed as the 10th Bishop and fifth Archbishop of Louisville March 30 at the Kentucky International Convention Center in downtown Louisville. Archbishop Fabre was ordained a priest in August 1989 in Baton Rouge, LA. And that’s really what he aspired to be. But as God, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis would have it, Archbishop Fabre was ordained an auxiliary bishop of New Orleans in February 2007. Then in October 2013, he was installed as Bishop of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux in Houma, La. And on March 30, 2022, he became Archbishop of Louisville. Those who know him best — family members and close friends — don’t call him archbishop, bishop or even father. To them, he’s Shelton. “It’s been like 30 years,” said Craig Maxson in a recent phone interview. Maxson and the archbishop have known each other since he was Father
Fabre, serving as the associate pastor of St. George Church in Baton Rouge from 1992 to 1994. “He has been our family for decades. Matter of fact, we’re moving to Louisville. We have been his rock and he’s been ours.” As someone who has known Louisville’s fifth archbishop for so many years, Maxson doesn’t think Archbishop Fabre has changed much as a person. “He is the most humble person that is comfortable where he is,” Maxson said. “The last parish he was at was a dual parish, and he would have been happy to live out his days there. He is not one to look for grandeur.” Archbishop Fabre’s niece, Leah Broussard, said her uncle is “one of the few people I know who’s walking fully in step with what God wants him to.” “He’s really doing what God wants him to do,” she said in a recent phone interview. “I can see from the progression of his life.” Having a priest in the family has been nice, according to Broussard. She said that “meeting the other priests he
knows has been an experience. Seeing their friendship” helped her to see that priests are regular people. “You never get to see them outside” church, Broussard said. “I’m glad to have that experience.” The archbishop has been present for all of Broussard’s family milestones, even presiding at her wedding, baptizing her children and presiding over her father’s funeral. For Maxson’s family, Archbishop Fabre presided at his son’s wedding and will do the same for his daughter this year. Beyond the duties of his vocation, Broussard said her uncle plays the piano and likes to bake. Maxson shared that the archbishop has an extensive clock collection. “I look back and I see him playing with puppets behind our sofa with our daughter,” Maxson said. “With us he’s part of the family.” Maxson even credits the archbishop’s influence for his wife deciding to earn a master’s degree. “My wife is a spiritual director,”
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The Most Reverend William F. Medley and the Roman Catholic Church of the Diocese of Owensboro extend heartfelt congratulations and prayers of support to
Archbishop Shelton ]. Fabre on his installation as the tenth Bishop and fifth Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Louisville
"May the Lord who has begun this work in you bring it to fulfillment." - Rite of Ordination 62 • Bayou Catholic • Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux • April 2022
