Joyful reunion

By Louis G. Aguirre

Patience is a virtue!

Three priests, one 93, another 92 and the youngest, 88, finally reunited for a memorable get-together in October of this year after waiting for many months, primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Msgr. Allen Roy, the senior member in the group was born in New Roads, LA, the same birthplace as Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre, fourth bishop of Houma-Thibodaux and now Archbishop of Louisville; KY; Father Jules Brunet, and his youngest brother, Msgr. Frederic Brunet, both Thibodaux natives. The three were finally blessed with a reunion at Our Lady of Wisdom Health Center on the West Bank in New Orleans, where Msgr. Allen resides.

All three have connections that go back to the 1940s. Msgr. Allen and Father Jules were seminarians at St. Joseph Seminary in St. Benedict, LA. From there they went to Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans and were ordained to the priesthood in 1954 and 1955 respectively. As the two remember well, the original class was divided into two because otherwise there would not have been ordinations in 1955.

Msgr. Allen and Father Jules kid each other about not being ordained together. The group in 1954 claimed they were ordained earlier because they had “character.” The 1955 group responded that they were “characters.”

Msgr. Fred was ordained on the same day as Father Jules, June 4, but in 1960. All served the Archdiocese of New Orleans. Father Jules was in Baton Rouge and one year later the Diocese of Baton Rouge was created. Msgr. Allen served the archdiocese all his life while Msgr. Fred was serving in Houma-Thibodaux when the new diocese was established in 1977.

Msgr. Allen served in many capacities including associate pastor in two parishes and as pastor in three. He had the pleasure of serving as pastor of St. Joseph in Chauvin from 1966 to 1972 when Msgr. Fred followed him as pastor there. Later, Msgr. Allen served as founding pastor of Holy Spirit in Algiers until his retirement in 2011. Last month Holy Spirit celebrated its 50th anniversary and Archbishop Gregory Aymond was the main celebrant of the Mass. The archbishop praised and blessed Msgr. Allen for his tireless work, as did the parishioners.

Of interest is the fact that Msgr. Allen started Lagniappe on the Bayou fair and festival while in Chauvin. It started small but grew progressively. When Msgr. Fred took over as pastor, the fair became the largest in the diocese.

In Baton Rouge, Father Jules served as associate pastor in nine parishes and five as pastor. With a big smile he says that serving in all those parishes made him say to his friends “Have chalice, will travel.”

Father Jules retired in 2009 after 54 years of dedicated service to the church. He returned home to Thibodaux where he now lives with his brother Msgr. Fred.

Father Jules has a great love for the Trinity, a subject that he has studied and taught for many years. In our diocese in particular, he has been teaching about the Trinity at St. Thomas Aquinas Church for over 10 years. He also taught Adult Faith Formation classes in Theology at the Pastoral Center in Schriever.

Msgr. Fred served as associate pastor in three parishes then was a faculty member and eventually rector of St. John Vianney Preparatory School in New Orleans. As pastor in Chauvin he served for 42 years and even to this day is beloved by the people in and around the bayous in Terrebonne Parish. He retired in 2014. Among his many accomplishments, he served the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux as finance officer, as a member of the Apostolic Administrator’s Cabinet and as a Member of the Bishop’s Cabinet from 2003 until his retirement. He has held many other positions, too numerous to list. Notably at different times his accomplishments include member of the Priests Council, Diocesan Consultor, Dean of the Terrebonne Deanery, director of Cemeteries and vicar for Deacons, to name a few.

I am personally good friends with all three priests and it was a privilege to be with them and to see them reminisce, laugh and to listen to their stories of a happy past and present. The day included lunch and lots of fun. They have vowed to, God willing, continue to have these joyful reunions.

I interviewed each and asked them about their impressions. Each and every one of them echoed each others’ feelings of happiness and mutual admiration for their accomplishments in ministering for the church. The three expressed the joy of serving the People of God and their personal love for the priesthood.

May God continue to bless Msgr. Allen, Father Jules and Msgr. Fred. They have been an immeasurable gift to the church! (Louis G. Aguirre served the church for 45 years in three different dioceses, including Houma-Thibodaux from its inception in1977 until his retirement in 2016. He is the founding editor of Bayou Catholic.) BC

LOUIS G. AGUIRRE/BAYOU CATHOLIC Standing from left are Father Jules Brunet and Msgr. Frederic Brunet. Seated is Msgr. Allen Roy.