Dorsonville named bishop for Houma-Thibodaux Diocese

The Rev. Mario E. Dorsonville, who most recently served as auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Washington, has been named by Pope Francis to be bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux.

The announcement came at a Wednesday morning press conference in Houma.

Dorsonville succeeds Bishop Shelton Fabre, who was named archbishop of Louisville, Kentucky, in March 2022 after serving as the Houma-Thibodaux Diocese’s spiritual leader for nine years.

The Houma-Thibodaux Diocese extends as far west as Morgan City. Catholic churches west of the Atchafalaya in St. Mary belong to the Diocese of Lafayette.

Dorsonville, 62, is a native of Bogota, Columbia, where he was ordained in 1985.

In addition to parish posts in Bogota, Dorsonville was a professor of business ethics at National University there.

Dorsonville received a doctorate in ministry from the Catholic University of America in 1996. While studying, he assisted the Hispanic community on weekends at Good Shepherd and Christ the Redeemer parishes in Arlington, Virginia, and lectured at the Inter-American Development Bank headquarters.

He was a professor of theology and catechesis at the Institute for Hispanic Pastoral Studies in Arlington.

Dorsonville was named auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Washington in 2015.

He has served as a board member for both the Maryland Catholic Conference and Catholic Charities.