Phase 1
Currently, the Catholic Charities offices are located in the original diocesan building which is old and needs a lot of attention. When Bishop Dorsonville arrived, he was taken aback by the offices and was adamant as he stated, ‘just because we are Catholic Charities, does not mean we need to look like Catholic Charities.’ It is our desire to construct and dedicate a new Catholic Charities office building to house all of the Catholic Charities administration and centralized ministries. Strategically positioned in the heart of Houma, LA, the new ‘Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville Catholic Charities Center will be on the main bus route, next to our partners, Second Harvest, and one of our largest Catholic high schools, Vandebilt Catholic.
This 5,000+ square foot office will provide for advancement of Catholic Charities ministries, dignified interview rooms, with a prime location in the heart of Houma. This new building will provide for an opportunity to relaunch Catholic Charities with its new Strategic Plan with clear vision and focus of increasing impact with the most vulnerable across our diocese.
Goal for Phase 1: $2,100,000 – Build and dedicate the new Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville Catholic Charities Center in the heart of Houma, LA!
Phase 1 Continued
The Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville Catholic Charities Center will create a lasting legacy of our fifth Bishop who started his journey in the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. as the Vice President of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington and Director of The Spanish Catholic Center for nearly 10 years. He continued his mission advocating for migrants and refugees as committee chair with USCCB. This new center will bring his work with Catholic Charities and his work with Hispanic Ministry together as a unified ministry for helping not only the poor and most vulnerable, but also a dedicated focus on serving our culturally diverse communities locally. The new center will provide dedicated office space for our Hispanic Sisters to implement programs of phase 2 and 3 of our memorialization plan.
The Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville Catholic Charities Center will ensure that the legacy Bishop Dorsonville started in the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. and began in Houma-Thibodaux, will have his name and impact for generations to come. It is up to us to ensure that his name is remembered for the great work he did throughout his lifetime, and his incredible drive to serve the poor.
Formal renderings of the new center are currently being drawn by our architects. A beautiful Wall of Generosity will be hung in the lobby of the new Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville Catholic Charities Center to recognize his family, friends, and benefactors for their generosity in creating a legacy he would be proud of.
Our desire is to break ground in December 2024, with a ribbon cutting ceremony in Summer of 2025 of the new center. While we know this may be an aggressive timeline, Bishop Mario Dorsonville was always passionate about making things happen with vision and swiftly. We ask that you prayerfully consider helping our diocese make each of these phases become a reality within the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux.
Current Building
Future Building Sample
(formal rending in progress)
