Within our diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, we are so blessed to have 58 priests, with nine seminarians on their journey to priesthood, who work tirelessly to spread God’s word and to make an impact directly within our community! Here at the Catholic Foundation, we’re lucky to work directly with many of these priests. As we dive into 2022, we will be featuring one priest each month in our “Faith at Work” series — each featured priest is a priest who we’ve worked closely with at the foundation, and we’ve come to know well. Through this series, we hope to give you a glimpse into the lives of a few of the priests within our diocese, so you can come to know them well, too! 

Our first priest is Father Thankachan Nambusseril, formally known as Very Rev. Thankachan “John” Nambusseril, V.F., but better known by his parishioners and those who know him as “Fr. John,” was born in India and spent his childhood there. But, it didn’t take Fr. John very long to know he was called to a life of priesthood, in fact, he knew in just second grade that he wanted to be a priest after admiring the priests in his community! After completing the tenth grade in 1980, Fr. John left his home to begin his journey to become a missionary priest with a religious organization located in Kochi, India called the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate. Here he found his passion for working with the poor and needy. 

On December 29, 1993, at the age of 28 Thankachan Nambusseril officially became Rev. Thankachan “John” Nambusseril. Fast forward to today: a priest from India landed in the deep south of Louisiana, in the town of Golden Meadow where he currently presides at Our Lady of Prompt Succor Catholic Church. Although he may be a long way from home, Fr. John shared that he loves to travel and fish, and he also loves spicy food — needless to say, he shared he’s been well fed since arriving in Cajun Country!

Since becoming a citizen of the states, Fr. John has been very hard at work — garnering a Master’s degree in Educational Administration, and Leadership and Policy from Fordham University, New York. After establishing himself in South Louisiana, Fr. John was also appointed by the bishop as the Vicar Forane (Dean) of the South Lafourche Deanery of the diocese. He also serves the diocese as a member of the Diocesan Priests’ Council, a member of the Priests’ Personnel Board, and a member of the Diocesan School Board. He also served the Diocese as the Liaison for the Strategic Planning of the Diocese.   

Additionally, Fr. John has been no stranger to our foundation — his work with the Catholic Foundation began before he became the pastor at Our Lady of Prompt Succor! Previously, when Fr. John was the pastor at Holy Savior Church in Lockport, he hosted a Planned Giving and Legacy event that was very well received by his parishioners — he had an understanding of just how much the people of Lockport and Holy Savior loved their church, community, and families and he wanted to provide them with the opportunity to learn how they could create a lasting legacy for their church and family, even long after they’ve gone to be with Christ in heaven. Most recently, now as the pastor of Our Lady of Prompt Succor Catholic Church, Fr. John and his church parish participated in #iGiveCatholic through our foundation following Hurricane Ida. Through their funds raised in previous years before Ida, they were able to remodel their daily mass chapel, they established an adoration chapel where people can go to adore and pray at any time, and they also were able to replace all of the lights within the church with energy-saving LED lights and installed a new security system! 

But Fr. John’s involvement with the Catholic Foundation didn’t end there — he continues to be a valued partner and friend of the foundation as he encourages other priests to explore how the Catholic Foundation can help to provide and promote financial stability within our church parishes and Catholic schools. Fr. John also shared, “Since Hurricane Ida, Amy Ponson, Executive Director of The Catholic Foundation, and Bishop Fabre have visited us several times to explore the different ways in which we can reach out to the people affected by the storm. They have also helped us to acquire grants to assist people who were in need. The people of Golden Meadow are grateful to the Catholic Foundation!” 

Fr. John also shared, “I encourage all of you to consider giving to the Catholic Foundation because they partner with all of our parishes, Catholic schools and local charities and organizations to make a difference in the lives of others. If you are not in a position to help financially, you can always consider volunteering your time or prayers. The people in our community need us. At this time, we humbly request your prayers for our community and all those affected by Hurricane Ida.” 

Thank you Fr. John, for your vocation, your service to our diocese, and your partnership with the foundation! If you’re interested in the work the Catholic Foundation is doing within our community and want to get involved, please take a look around our website, or give us a call at 985-850-3116 or send us an email to cfsl@htdiocese.org to learn more!