[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 8 (Tuesday, January 15, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E46]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF FATHER JEROME LeDOUX

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CEDRIC L. RICHMOND

                              of louisiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 15, 2019

  Mr. RICHMOND. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the life and legacy of 
Father Jerome LeDoux, a beloved Catholic priest who pastored St. 
Augustine Catholic Church in New Orleans. Father LeDoux passed away on 
Monday, January 7, 2019 at the age of 88.
  Father LeDoux was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, in 1930. He 
attended Sacred Heart Elementary School and at the age of 13, he 
traveled to Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, to attend high school at St. 
Augustine Seminary. This was the only seminary in the nation that 
trained African-American men for the priesthood. His spiritual training 
continued in Illinois and Iowa, and be returned to St. Augustine 
Seminary for further study.
  Father LeDoux was ordained to the Catholic priesthood on May 11, 
1957. Following ordination, he studied for four years in Rome, where he 
earned a master's degree in sacred theology and a doctorate in church 
law. He returned to St. Augustine Seminary in Mississippi and taught 
theology and church law for six years. In 1969, he began teaching at 
Xavier University in New Orleans and continued in this role for more 
than a decade.
  In 1981, Father LeDoux became pastor of St. Martin de Porres Church 
in Praire View, Texas. He moved back to Louisiana in 1984 to lead Baton 
Rouge's St. Paul the Apostle Church. And in 1990, his 16-year 
pastorship began at St. Augustine Parish in New Orleans.
  In 2006, Father LeDoux accepted an assignment from his order, the 
Society of Divine Word, to become pastor of Our Mother of Mercy Parish 
in Fort Worth, Texas. Since 1969, Father LeDoux would write a weekly 
column entitled ``Reflections on Life,'' syndicated in several Catholic 
weeklies, Louisiana Weekly in New Orleans, and Seacoast Echo in Bay St. 
Louis.
  Father LeDoux loved the city and the people of New Orleans. His 
legacy will forever be a part of the city and his dedication to 
community embodies the spirit of New Orleans. We cannot match the 
sacrifices made by Father LeDoux, but surely, we can try to match his 
sense of service. We cannot match his courage, but we can strive to 
match his devotion.
  Father LeDoux survivor's include a sister and two brothers.
  Madam Speaker, I celebrate the life and legacy of Father Jerome 
LeDoux.

                          ____________________