2019 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 136
BY SENATOR BOUDREAUX
A RESOLUTION
To commend Reverend Thomas Anthony James, SVC, pastor of St. Joseph Church,
Broussard, Louisiana, and St. Anthony Mission Chapel, Cade, Louisiana, upon the
fiftieth anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood.
WHEREAS, Fr. James is the son of Collins and Eva Anthony James of St.
Martinville, Louisiana, and his parents, now deceased, were a tremendous influence on him,
his brother Collins James, and his sister, Sister Geneva James, SSF; and
WHEREAS, he attended Notre Dame Catholic Church where he was an altar server,
and Notre Dame Elementary School which was run by the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament;
for high school, he entered Divine Word Seminary in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and then
attended Divine Word College in Miramar, Massachusetts, outside of Boston, Massachusetts
for two years; and
WHEREAS, Father James next attended Divine Word Seminary in Canesus, New
York, participating in the Novitiate Program, a two-year program for further discernment
toward priesthood, and during those two years, he began the process toward a bachelor's
degree and completed one year in spirituality, and upon completion, he received a Bachelor
of Arts in Philosophy; and
WHEREAS, he was asked to return to Bay St. Louis to teach English to the high
school seminary students for one year and after that year, he spent the summer in Los
Angeles, California, to be a guide at a boys' summer camp run by the SVDs in Riverside,
California; he then enrolled in Divine Word Seminary for Theological Studies in Techny,
Illinois, and at the same time, enrolled at Loyola University Chicago to pursue his master's
degree in philosophy; and
WHEREAS, after two years, the seminary moved to downtown Chicago, and he
enrolled in the Catholic Theological Union to complete his final two years of theology; at
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the same time he attended Chicago University, the Lutheran School of Theology, where he
pursued his master's in theology; and in his final year of study, was ordained a transitional
deacon and was appointed for six months to work as a deacon at St. Anselm Catholic Church
in Chicago; and
WHEREAS, he was ordained to the priesthood on December 18, 1969, by
Bishop Boudreaux at Divine Word Seminary in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and following
ordination, returned to Techny, Illinois, and worked for six months in the CPE Program at
Lutheran General Hospital in Northfield, Illinois; and
WHEREAS, following that, he was appointed to the Western Province of the Divine
Word Missionaries in Los Angeles, California, and served for twenty years as a teacher and
then principal at Verbum Dei High School in Los Angeles before returning to Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, he has served as Associate Pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church
in Lafayette; pastor of St. Edward Church, New Iberia, and pastor of Immaculate Heart of
Mary Church, Lafayette, during which time, he served the Diocese of Lafayette as Episcopal
Vicar of the South Region and then Episcopal Vicar of the Central Region, serving as
administrator of numerous diocesan parishes; and
WHEREAS, he also served as Vice-Provincial for the Divine Word Missionaries,
Southern Province, for three terms and was a long-time member of the Provincial Council
for the Divine Word Missionaries, Southern Province; and
WHEREAS, Father James currently serves as pastor of St. Joseph Church, Broussard,
Louisiana, and St. Anthony Mission Chapel, Cade, Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, Father James has been and continues to be an inspiration to so many and
has made a lasting impression in the hearts of those who have been fortunate to know and
love him, and it is appropriate to recognize and extend to him sincere and heartfelt
appreciation.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby commend Reverend Thomas Anthony James upon the fiftieth anniversary of his
ordination as a priest, does hereby recognize the good works and service that Father James
has given to numerous churches, and particularly his wonderful service as pastor of St.
Joseph Church, Broussard, Louisiana, and St. Anthony Mission Chapel, Cade, Louisiana,
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does hereby express gratitude for the many lives that Father James has touched during his
ministry, and does hereby extend to him best wishes for health, happiness, and God's richest
blessings in the years to come.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
Father Thomas Anthony James.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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