Diocese of Alexandria

History of the Diocese of Alexandria

Erected on July 29, 1853 as the Diocese of Natchitoches under Pope Pius IX, the diocese traces its Catholic origins to the Spanish Franciscan Father Antonio Margil, who in 1717 founded Mission San Miguel de Linares among the Adayes people and then walked to minister to the French Catholics of Natchitoches. Successive waves of European religious recruited by the early bishops gradually built parishes, schools, hospitals, and orphanages across northern Louisiana. Renamed Diocese of Alexandria in 1910 when the see was transferred from Natchitoches, then Diocese of Alexandria-Shreveport in 1976, the see was finally reorganized in 1986 into today's Diocese of Alexandria in Louisiana and the new Diocese of Shreveport. The full story — including Bishop Greco's building boom, Bishop Jacobs's youth conferences, and the recent Chapter 11 filing — is told above under History.

Cathedral and Sacred Sites

St. Francis Xavier Cathedral in downtown Alexandria, built in 1899 and designated the cathedral in 1910, is the mother church of the diocese. Just across central Louisiana, the historic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Natchitoches — built under Bishop Martin and consecrated under Bishop Durier in 1892 — remains the standing reminder of the see's first century. Other heritage sites include Mission San Miguel de Linares near Sabine Parish (1717) and the 1817 St. Xavier Chapel in Alexandria, the first Catholic building in the city.

• St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, Alexandria (current cathedral, since 1910)
• Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Natchitoches (former cathedral, consecrated 1892)
• Mission San Miguel de Linares (1717, near Spanish Lake)
• Our Lady of the Pillar of the Adayes (rebuilt 1721)
• St. Xavier Chapel, Alexandria (1817, first Catholic building in the city)

Bishops and Diocesan Leadership

Since 2020 the ninth Bishop of Alexandria has been Most Rev. Robert W. Marshall, previously Bishop of Memphis. He works alongside the Vicar General/Moderator of the Curia, Rev. Craig Scott; the Chancellor, Rev. Chad Partain; and the Vice Chancellor/Director of the Diaconate and Stewardship, Deacon Richard W. Mitchell. The Judicial Vicar of the Tribunal is Very Rev. Peter Faulk, JCD. The complete succession of bishops — from Augustus Marie Martin (1853) to the present — is listed in the bishops_history section.

• Bishop Robert W. Marshall Jr. (2020–present)
• Very Rev. Craig Scott, VG — Vicar General / Moderator of the Curia
• Rev. Chad Partain — Chancellor
• Deacon Richard W. Mitchell — Vice Chancellor, Director of Diaconate & Stewardship
• Very Rev. Peter Faulk, JCD, JV — Judicial Vicar / Tribunal
• Rev. Luke LaFleur — Director of Vocations

Chancery Office and Central Administration

All diocesan offices are housed at the St. Joseph Catholic Center, 4400 Coliseum Boulevard, Alexandria, LA 71303. The Chancery coordinates the Bishop's Office, Vicar General's Office, Chancellor's Office, Tribunal, Business Office, Catholic Schools Office, Child Nutrition program, Steubenville South Conference office, Office of Communications, Office of Stewardship, Safe Environment Office, Vocations Office, and the Office of Religious Education and Faith Formation. The general phone is (318) 445-6424 and the toll-free number is (866) 447-7088.

• Bishop's Office — ext. 201
• Vicar General's Office / Chancellor's Office — ext. 202 / 228
• Tribunal — ext. 217
• Business Office / CFO David Brook — ext. 215
• Catholic Schools Office — ext. 227
• Office of Religious Education & Faith Formation — ext. 207
• Office of Communications — ext. 264
• Steubenville South Conference — ext. 255
• Vocations Office — ext. 260

Catholic Schools

The Office of Catholic Schools, led by Superintendent Sylvia Y. Davis, coordinates Pre-K through 12th-grade Catholic education throughout the diocese. Schools trace their roots to Bishop Anthony Durier's 1886 mandate that every parish maintain a parochial school and to Bishop Greco's mid-twentieth-century expansion that added 50 schools. The superintendent also oversees the diocesan Child Nutrition program.

• Superintendent of Catholic Schools: Sylvia Y. Davis (ext. 227)
• Child Nutrition program (ext. 232)

Religious Education and Faith Formation

The Office of Religious Education and Faith Formation, directed by Deacon Jason Lavergne, supports parish catechetical programs for children and adults, sacramental preparation, and ongoing faith formation. The office is located at the St. Joseph Catholic Center and is staffed as part of the Chancery complex.

• Director: Deacon Jason Lavergne (ext. 207)
• Email: [email protected]

Vocations and the Permanent Diaconate

The Vocations Office, under Rev. Luke LaFleur, promotes priestly vocations through prayer, discernment retreats, and the Steubenville South Youth Conference. The Permanent Diaconate program, established under Bishop Lawrence Graves in the 1970s, is directed by Vice Chancellor Deacon Richard W. Mitchell and continues to form married and single men for ordained ministry in the diocese.

• Director of Vocations: Rev. Luke LaFleur (ext. 260)
• Director of the Diaconate: Deacon Richard W. Mitchell

Youth Ministry and Steubenville South

Founded by Bishop Sam G. Jacobs in 1989, the Steubenville South Conference is the diocese's flagship youth ministry — a partnership with Franciscan University of Steubenville that brings thousands of high-school students to Alexandria each summer for week-long conferences featuring nationally known Catholic speakers, worship bands, and Eucharistic adoration. The Coordinator is Cari Terracina, who also staffs the diocesan youth retreat center at Maryhill Renewal Center.

• Coordinator: Cari Terracina (ext. 255)
• Maryhill Renewal Center (Alexandria)
• Annual high-school conferences on the Franciscan University of Steubenville model

Catholic Charities and Outreach

Catholic Charities of Central Louisiana operates the social-services arm of the diocese — emergency assistance, food ministries, counseling, and adoption services — for residents of the thirteen-parish region. The Office of Stewardship, directed by Deacon Richard W. Mitchell, coordinates the Bishop's Stewardship Appeal, parish giving campaigns, and donor development, building on a tradition of lay giving begun under Bishop Lawrence Graves in the 1970s.

• Catholic Charities of Central Louisiana
• Office of Stewardship (ext. 207)
• Bishop's Stewardship Appeal

Communications and The Church Today

The diocesan newspaper is The Church Today, published by the Office of Communications under Joan Ferguson. The office manages the diocesan website (www.diocesealex.org), subscription and advertising for the newspaper, official social media, and the parish communications network.

• Director of Communications: Joan Ferguson (ext. 264)
• Official newspaper: The Church Today
• Diocesan website: www.diocesealex.org

Safe Environment

In conformity with the U.S. bishops' Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, the diocese operates a Safe Environment Office that conducts background checks, VIRTUS training, and auditing for every parish, school, and diocesan employee or volunteer who works with minors. The office is part of the St. Joseph Catholic Center complex.

• Safe Environment Office (ext. 213)

Find a Parish

The diocese maintains a parish finder on its website through which visitors can search for the nearest Catholic church by parish (county) and town. The website links also surface each parish's Mass and confession schedule — a major need for travelers and newcomers to central Louisiana. Parishes and missions are served from chancery offices in Alexandria and operate under the Bishop's authority through the Vicar General and the Deanery structure.

• Parish finder at www.diocesealex.org
• Approximately 48 parishes and 24 missions (per directory sources)
• Deanery structure across 13 civil parishes

Recent Events and Restructuring

In October 2024 the diocese announced it was preparing to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection amid ongoing sexual-abuse litigation. The Chapter 11 filing followed on October 31, 2025, and in January 2026 the diocese released a draft of proposed parish closings and mergers throughout the territory as part of the reorganization. Bishop Marshall has led the diocese through this transition in continuity with Bishop Herzog and the post-1986 ordinary line.

• Chapter 11 preparation announced October 2024
• Chapter 11 filing: October 31, 2025
• Draft parish-closings plan released January 2026