“I pray that the Lord will grant me the grace to serve each one of you well even as we grieve together the loss of our beloved father and shepherd, Bishop Mario Dorsonville,” he said.
“While a time will come for more thorough introductions, my focus as well as the focus of the entire diocesan staff remains on honoring Bishop Dorsonville in the coming days,” Engurait said.
He called on the people of God to pray for the soul of the late bishop, “that he may receive his eternal reward in the company of our heavenly father and the communion of saints.”
The diocese also announced that visitation for Dorsonville will be Wednesday, Jan. 31, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Cathedral of St. Francis in Houma, with evening prayer at 5:30 p.m. and a memorial Mass for the dead at 7 p.m. On Thursday, Feb. 1, visitation will be at St. Joseph Co-Cathedral in Thibodaux from 8 a.m. until the time of his funeral Mass at 2 p.m.
Dorsonville will be buried on the grounds of the co-cathedral.
ACI Africa staff writer Magdalene Kahiu contributed to this story.