Bishop Shelton J. Fabre (left) with Bishop William F. Medley (right) at Bishop Fabre’s Sept. 19, 2019 presentation on the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ 2019 document, “Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love – A Pastoral Letter Against Racism” at St. Stephen Cathedral in Owensboro. TINA KASEY | WKC
Bishop Medley: Louisville will have a ‘gentle, kind’ leader in Archbishop-elect Fabre
BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC
Archbishop-elect Shelton J. Fabre, going to the Archdiocese of Louisville in Kentucky from the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux in Louisiana, is “a gentle man; a kind man,” according to Bishop William F. Medley of the Diocese of Owensboro in Kentucky.
Pope Francis’ appointment of Archbishop-elect Fabre and his acceptance of the resignation of Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz (who has reached retirement age at 75) were publicly announced on Feb. 8, 2022.
Bishop Medley told The Western Kentucky Catholic in a Feb. 14, 2022 interview that he had gotten to know Archbishop-elect Fabre personally when serving with him on the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Committee on Cultural Diversity in the Church.
That committee, in fact, was what ultimately released “Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love,” the USCCB’s 2018 pastoral letter against racism.
In this file photo from Sept. 19, 2019, Bishop Shelton J. Fabre speaks to a crowd of nearly 200 at St. Stephen Cathedral, outlining the USCCB’s pastoral letter, “Open Wide Our Hearts – The Enduring Call to Love.” TINA KASEY | WKC
And that letter is what brought Bishop Fabre to visit the Diocese of Owensboro in September 2019, when Bishop Medley invited him to speak on the letter and the issues of racism. (This was one of only a few occasions that Bishop Fabre had traveled to Kentucky.)
Bishop Medley told the WKC that a year or so prior to the release of “Open Wide Our Hearts,” Fr. Anthony Shonis – then-director of the diocese’s Ongoing Formation of Priests – had wanted to offer a presbyteral day on the topic of racism.
(Presbyteral day is a time for the priests of the diocese to come together for formation and community.)
Fr. Shonis had asked Bishop Medley if he could invite Bishop Fabre to speak to the priests. Bishop Medley in turn asked if Fr. Shonis would be willing to wait until a pending USCCB document on that very topic was finished and released.
As a result, “we actually had (Bishop Fabre) booked before ‘Open Wide Our Hearts’ was released,” said Bishop Medley.
“Open Wide Our Hearts” in 2018 was a good starting point for people in the Catholic Church to discuss racism, said the bishop, but he pointed out that the frequent violence against people of color – such as the 2020 killing of Louisville resident Breonna Taylor – remains an ongoing tragedy.
Louisville in particular continues to suffer “with racial disharmony,” said Bishop Medley, who was ordained and served as a priest of the Archdiocese of Louisville until his 2010 ordination as Owensboro’s bishop.
As Archbishop-elect Fabre is a Black leader in the Church and community, Bishop Medley said he is grateful that the incoming archbishop has been chosen for Louisville.
In working with Archbishop-elect Fabre, “I observed a real mediator and reconciler – even among the bishops,” said Bishop Medley.
Though he will have “big shoes to fill” as he follows Archbishop Kurtz, Archbishop-elect Fabre has “been recognized among his peers as a very effective leader,” said Bishop Medley. Plus, “he’s coming to a Church which will receive him warmly.”
Bishop Medley was touched when, at the Feb. 8 press conference announcing the new archbishop’s appointment, Archbishop-elect Fabre referenced the ongoing recovery of western Kentucky after the Dec. 10 tornadoes.
“I would be remiss if I did not remind our nation of the many challenges that remain as a result of Hurricane Ida,” said Archbishop-elect Fabre during the press conference, referencing the historic hurricane’s destruction throughout the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux in August 2021.
“However, I would be equally remiss if I do not also mention our brothers and sisters in the Diocese of Owensboro who were profoundly affected by the devastating tornadoes of December 10, particularly calling to mind, and referencing the 77 souls lost in what has been termed the deadliest storm in the history of the Commonwealth of Kentucky,” Archbishop-elect Fabre continued. “Please know of my heartfelt prayers for all those affected as I offer my assurance of support to the ongoing relief.”
Bishop Medley said he looks forward to having Archbishop-elect Fabre as the province’s metropolitan, which refers to the archbishop who not only serves in his archdiocese, but who also works to foster unity among the dioceses of his province.
In the case of the Archdiocese of Louisville, its suffragan dioceses are Covington, Lexington and Owensboro in Kentucky, and Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville in Tennessee.
