Most Reverend Shelton J. Fabre

Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre was born October 25, 1963 to Luke Fabre, Jr. and Theresa Ann Vallet Fabre. He is the fifth of six children. He attended primary and secondary schools in New Roads, Louisiana, 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 of History degree in 1985.

After completing his studies at Saint Joseph, Fabre was sent to the American College of Louvain in Leuven, Belgium. He received additional priestly formation there while studying at the Katholieke Universiteit te Leuven. He was awarded a Bachelor of Religious Studies degree in 1987 and a Master of Religious Studies degree in 1989 from Katholieke Universiteit.

Fabre was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Baton Rouge on August 5, 1989. After his ordination, he served as Associate Pastor of the parishes of St. Alphonsus Liguori Church in Greenwell Springs, St. George Church in Baton Rouge, St. Isidore the Farmer Church in Baker, and St. Joseph Cathedral in Baton Rouge. He served as Pastor at both St. Joseph Parish in Grosse Tete and Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Maringouin, as well as Pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Baton Rouge.

Fabre’s diocesan positions during this period were as chaplain at Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, Defender of the Bond for the Marriage Tribunal, and Dean of the Northwest Deanery. He also served on the Diocese of Baton Rouge Priest Council, College of Consultors, School Board, Clergy Personnel Board, Chairman of Pastoral Planning, and Director of the Office of Black Catholics.
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On December 13, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Fabre as Auxiliary Bishop of New Orleans. He was ordained by Archbishop Alfred Hughes on February 28, 2007 in New Orleans. As Auxiliary Bishop, he worked to help rebuild the Archdiocese of New Orleans after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

On September 23, 2013, Pope Francis appointed Bishop Fabre as the Bishop of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux. He was installed at the Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales on October 30, 2013. His leadership in Houma-Thibodaux leaves a legacy where he will be remembered for his listening and availability, as well as pastoral planning and efforts for priestly renewal.

On February 8, 2022, Pope Francis appointed Archbishop Fabre as the tenth Bishop and fifth Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Louisville. He was installed as Archbishop at the Kentucky International Convention Center on March 30, 2022.

From 2018 to 2023, Archbishop Fabre served as the chair of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism and led the writing of the U.S. Bishops’ most recent pastoral letter on racism, Open Wide Our Hearts – The Enduring Call to Love, which was approved and published in 2018. He currently is a bishop-consultor on the USCCB Committee of Domestic Justice and Human Development and is a member of the USCCB Committee on Laity, Marriage, and Family Life. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Catholic Relief Services, on the Board of Trustees of the National Black Catholic Congress, and on the Board of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States.