Pope Leo XIV has appointed Reverend Simon Peter Engurait, a priest of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux and current diocesan administrator, as the Sixth Bishop of Houma-Thibodaux. Since January 2024, Engurait has been serving as the diocese’s administrator after Bishop Mario Dorsonville passed away. Before that, he was Vicar General and pastor of St. Bridget Parish, positions he’s held since 2017. “I did not expect this — I am humbled beyond words that the Holy Father has chosen me,” said Bishop Elect Engurait. “Not from outside, but from among the ranks of the priests of this beloved Diocese,” he said.
Pope Leo XIV has named Father Simon Peter Engurait, a priest of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux and current diocesan administrator, as the bishop of Houma-Thibodaux.
Uganda Native with Academic Experience
Father Engurait was born on August 28, 1971, in Ngora, Uganda. He attended St. Peter’s College in Tororo District, Uganda, and studied at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans, Louisiana. He received a bachelor’s degree at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda (1995), a master of Divinity from Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans, Louisiana (2013) and a Master of Business Administration at Maastricht School of Management in The Netherlands (1999). He was ordained to the priesthood on May 25, 2013.
Father Engurait’s assignments after ordination include: parochial vicar at the Cathedral of Saint Francis de Sales in Houma (2013-2015), Saint Genevieve parish in Thibodaux (2015-2016), and Christ the Redeemer parish in Thibodaux (2016-2017). He has served as pastor of Saint Bridget parish in Schriever since 2017. “I give thanks to God for the gift of life, for the call to the priesthood, and now, for this new and sacred calling to the apostolic ministry. Everything I am, and all that I hope to be, is by His grace,” he said.
‘South Louisiana is home’
Throughout his time as a priest, Engurait served at parishes in Houma and Thibodaux before leading St. Bridget Church in Schriever. He took on leadership roles including the Moderator of the Curia and most recently, he served as Vicar General. Humbled by the appointment, Engurait said he’s grateful to serve the community he loves. “South Louisiana is home, and I love the people here” he said. “It is a privilege to say yes to you as much as I am saying yes to God. I love you, and I consider it a great honor to serve you as your bishop.”
Bishop-elect Engurait has also served as the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux’s vicar general (2017-2024), and as moderator of the curia since 2016. He has served as the Diocesan Administrator since 2024. He speaks English, Ateso, Kiswahili, and Spanish. The Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux is comprised of 3,500 square miles in the State of Louisiana, and has a total population of 257,548, of which 75,761, are Catholic.
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