The Night Before the Dawn

St. Francis de Sales Cathedral in Houma was packed—with bishops, priests, religious, lay-faithful, and family and friends who had traveled from Uganda and across the United States.

Vespers, Latin for “evening,” is the Church’s traditional name for Evening Prayer. It’s part of the Liturgy of the Hours prayed daily by clergy and religious. On this occasion, the prayers were drawn from the Thursday of the Twenty-Second Week in Ordinary Time. Per our bishop’s request, Solemn Vespers was celebrated in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. Apart from the formalities, the entire evening was elevated not just in title, but also in spirit and reverence.

Dozens of diocesan and visiting priests processed into the Cathedral. Special guest Bishop Jerome Feudjio of the U.S. Virgin Islands led the celebration. A close friend of Bishop Simon Peter, he is the fi st African-born bishop in the United States (making Bishop Simon Peter the second, and the fi st in the mainland United States!).

Before a priest can be ordained bishop, he must make a profession of faith and take an oath of fidelity to the Apostolic See. We witnessed our Bishop recite the Nicene Creed, affirm g his belief in the teachings of the Catholic Church. He then took the oath of fidelity, vowing to 1) faithfully carry out the duties of his office, 2) hold fast to the entire deposit of faith and avoid contradictory teachings and 3) to follow common discipline and all ecclesiastical laws in communion with the College of Bishops as authentic teachers and governors of the Church.

Bishop Jerome blessed the episcopal insignia of Bishop-Elect Simon Peter, which is comprised of his ring, miter, and crozier. The ring symbolizes his fidelity to the Church, the miter signifies his resolve to pursue holiness, and the pastoral staff (crozier) signifies the duty of guiding and governing the Church entrusted to him. Now he was officially ready and prepared to become our leader and shepherd.

At that time, Solemn Vespers began in earnest, starting with the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, which set the tone for the solemn prayers. The pontifical choir sung “O Salutaris Hostia” in Latin, permeating the cathedral with sounds of heaven.

Both clergy and congregants prayed Vespers together, which included chanted prayers, psalms, antiphons and readings. It also featured a fervorino–a brief, inspiring exhortation–by Fr. Joseph Palermo, one of the many mentors of Bishop Simon Peter, and the current pastor at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Metairie. “Pray for and support your new bishop, now and all the days of his episcopacy,” he told the congregation.

The cathedral was alive with reverent expectation as the faithful prayed not only with our Bishop-Elect, but also for him as he prepared to take up his new role. After a year and a half without a bishop, the moment brought a profound sense of relief, comfort and hope to the diocese. Yet it was more than relief: it was also an embrace of Bishop-Elect Simon Peter himself—his character, his ministry, and the shepherd he had already been to us.

After the concluding prayer, moments of silent prayer were observed in the presence of the Most Blessed Sacrament. Benediction and divine praises followed these quiet moments, and then the Blessed Sacrament was reposed.

After the recessional hymn, the congregation made their way to Vandebilt Catholic High School, where fellowship and celebrations continued at a reception held in the Brother Alfred Kolb Gym. Groups gathered excitedly for pictures with our Bishop-Elect, and a beautiful slideshow of photos from Bishop Simon Peter’s journey played on the screen. Children from St. Francis Catholic Elementary School served lemonade with smiles on behalf of the children’s chapter of the Women’s Giving Circle.

As the evening drew to a close, hearts were united in anticipation. With less than twenty-four hours remaining, the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux was ready to receive its new shepherd, Bishop Simon Peter Engurait.