Pope Francis Names Washington Auxiliary Bishop Mario Dorsonville Bishop of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, Louisiana

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This morning, February 1, 2023, Pope Francis named Washington Auxiliary Bishop Mario Eduardo Dorsonville the fifth Bishop of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, Louisiana.

Cardinal Wilton Gregory, Archbishop of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, made the following statement in response to the Holy See’s announcement:

“The Archdiocese of Washington now presents a great gift to the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux through the appointment of Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville as the new Shepherd of that local Church. We thank Pope Francis for appointing Bishop Dorsonville first to serve us as an Auxiliary Bishop and now to bring his many talents in service to the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux. May the Lord abundantly bless him and his new family of faith.”

The Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux held a press conference with Bishop Dorsonville. View the recording here.

Bishop Mario Dorsonville was ordained a priest on November 23, 1985 in his home of Bogota, Colombia. He was named an Auxiliary Bishop for The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington by Pope Francis on March 20, 2015 and ordained to the episcopate on April 20, 2015. He has served as Vicar General since that time.

Bishop Dorsonville received a Licentiate in Sacred Theology from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana de Bogotá in 1991 and a Doctorate in Ministry from The Catholic University of America in 1996.

Bishop Dorsonville is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Maryland Catholic Conference and was a member of the Board of Directors of Catholic Charities of Washington, D.C. from 2015 to 2021. He has been a member of the Council of Priests for The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington since 2006 and a member of its College of Consultors since 2011.

Bishop Mario Dorsonville was the chairman for the Migration Committee for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) from 2019-2022. Currently, he serves as a member of their Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, Committee on Migration, Committee for Religious Liberty, and the Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism.

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The Roman Catholic Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux includes 38 Church Parishes, 6 Mission Communities, 11 Catholic Schools, and 20+ Diocesan Offices that serve more than 90,000 Catholics.