Bishop J. Douglas Deshotel has announced the appointment of Maureen Kirsch Fontenot as the new chancellor and assistant director of chancery personnel for the Diocese of Lafayette.
The appointment is effective Monday.
Deshotel said, “I am deeply gratified that Maureen has accepted this call to further serve the people of our diocese. She is a person of intelligence, wisdom, and sound judgment. Her experience and knowledge of the diocese will be a great help to me in service to all in the diocese and I look forward to working with her in this vital role.”
As chancellor, she will be the notary of official documents and serve as the chief record keeper, managing the gathering and safeguarding of chancery documents. As assistant director of chancery personnel, she will supervise day-to-day personnel matters in cooperation with Monsignor W. Curtis Mallet, vicar general and moderator of the diocesan curia. She continues to supervise the Safe Environment Program for the diocese with the assistance of Lisa Frederick. The appointment is in addition to her current duties as director of human resources.
Fontenot succeeds Monsignor Russell Harrington who served as chancellor since 2002, moderator of the curia since 2008 and also served as vicar for clergy from 1996 to 2014.
Deshotel thanked Harrington for his service at the chancery commenting, “I am personally grateful to Monsignor Harrington for his help to me during my transition as bishop of the diocese.”
Maureen Fontenot is a graduate of Notre Dame High School, Crowley, and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (formerly USL). She has served the Diocese of Lafayette in various capacities, since
1982. In addition to her current role as director of human resources/safe environment which she has held since 2007, Fontenot also serves as director of the Secretariat for Community Services.
She is married to Karl M. Fontenot and they are the parents of Estelle, Sabina and Anders. The Fontenots are members of St. Leo IV Catholic Church, Roberts Cove. where Maureen serves as lector and CCD teacher.
Fontenot is a member of the Society for Human Resource Managers, both at the national and local levels. She is also a long-time member of the National Association of Church Personnel Administrators of which she has served on the board of directors since 2013 and is currently president of the board.
She is married to Karl M. Fontenot and they are the parents of Estelle, Sabina and Anders. The Fontenots are members of St. Leo IV Catholic Church, Roberts Cove, where Maureen serves as lector and CCD teacher.
In commenting about her new responsibilities Maureen stated, “I am humbled yet honored to have been offered this opportunity by Bishop Deshotel. I ask for God’s blessings as I begin this new journey and for your prayers as I continue in service as the chancellor for the Diocese of Lafayette.
The chancery of a diocese houses the Office of the Bishop and the Diocesan Curia, which are the various officials, and central administrative offices which support the bishop.
The Diocese of Lafayette became the first diocese in the United States to have a lay person as chancellor. Sister Joann Valoni, SSND served as chancellor for the diocese from 1979 to 2002. A third floor conference room