Our Pastor

Father Jared P. Rodrigue
Pastor of St. Luke the Evangelist

My name is Father Jared Rodrigue.

I grew up in Destrehan, Louisiana, raised by two amazing parents, who both still work for St. Charles Borromeo Church Parish. They say, and not incorrectly, that the whole parish raised me. I practically lived on the church campus. Along with my two older brothers, we grew up with our priests and deacons as regular guests in our homes.

One priest in particular, who made a tremendous impact on me, was my pastor Fr. John Phuc. He was prayerful, filled with joy, and loved to fish. My dad, myself, and my brothers loved to go fishing with him. On one occasion, he went fishing without us; and, unfortunately, he did not return. 

After days of searching for him, they gathered together the whole school to break the news to us... Fr. John had passed away in a boating accident. This absolutely crushed me, my family, our parish, our school. But at his funeral, Archbishop Schulte asked a question that would change my life forever. He held up the Fr. John's chalice at the end of the funeral and said, "With Fr. John now gone from this life, there is no one left to raise this chalice for the people of God. Is God then calling you to raise it?" It's a difficult experience to describe. I was so terrified by the question, yet also inspired and motivated and willing to answer it in the affirmative. From that day forward, the Lord only continued to build in me a greater desire to love Him and serve Him as a priest. 

After elementary school there at St. Charles Borromeo, I continued high school education at Jesuit High School. From the age of 9, I was a dedicated swimmer, swimming twice-a-day, six days a week. And this very much influenced my decision to force my parents to drive me thirty minutes every single day to and from school.

But, as you can expect, the high school was more than a swim team. It formed me more into a man of God and a man for others, enabling me to eventually make the decision to become a priest for God and a priest for others.

After graduating high school, attending Franciscan University of Steubenville, entering formation with a religious order — the Salesians of Don Bosco — the Lord called me back home to this archdiocese and, more specifically, to you here at St. Luke.

After three years as a parochial vicar at Mary, Queen of Peace in Mandeville and three months at St. Margaret Mary in Slidell, I have been given the privileged task of being your pastor. And I am so beyond excited to witness the great things the Lord has in store for this family whom He loves so much.

Please continue to pray for me and for our parish as we together strive to be numbered among the saints in our Lord's Kingdom. 


To Jesus through Mary,
In union with St. Joseph,
Your pastor,

Fr. Jared
 

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