Simon Peter Engurait | |
---|---|
Bishop-Elect of Houma–Thibodaux | |
Diocese | Houma-Thibodaux |
Appointed | June 5, 2025 |
Predecessor | Mario Dorsonville |
Orders | |
Ordination | May 25, 2013 by Sam Jacobs |
Personal details | |
Born | Ngora, Uganda | August 28, 1971
Nationality | Ugandan, American[ citation needed ] |
Alma mater | Makerere University Maastricht School of Management Notre Dame Seminary (New Orleans) |
Motto | In Deo Tantum |
Simon Peter Engurait (born August 28, 1971) is a Ugandan-born American Catholic prelate who was appointed Bishop of Houma-Thibodaux on June 5, 2025, after serving as diocesan administrator there for almost 18 months. He has studied and worked in the US since 2007.
Engurait was born in Ngora, Eastern Uganda, [1] the seventh of fourteen children. [2] One of his brothers is a Catholic priest and another sibling is a religious sister. [1] He studied at St. Peter's College in Tororo and earned a bachelor's degree in political science and public administration from Makerere University in Kampala in 1995. Engurait then obtained a Master of Business Administration from Maastricht School of Management in the Netherlands. [3]
In 2007, Engurait moved to the United States to study theology, earning a Master of Divinity from Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 2013. [4] [5]
Engurait was ordained to the priesthood on May 25, 2013, by Bishop Sam Jacobs. [3] His pastoral assignments included service as associate pastor at the Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales in Houma, St. Genevieve Parish in Thibodaux, and Christ the Redeemer Parish in Thibodaux. He became pastor of St. Bridget Parish in Schriever in January 2017. [6]
In 2016, Engurait was appointed Moderator of the Curia and in 2017 he became Vicar General of the diocese. [4] Following the death of Bishop Mario Dorsonville in January 2024, Engurait served as diocesan administrator of the diocese until his appointment as bishop in June 2025. [6]
On June 5, 2025, Pope Leo XIV appointed Engurait as the sixth bishop of Houma-Thibodaux. [7]
Engurait speaks English, Ateso, Kiswahili, and Spanish. [4] He states that he has been deeply influenced by Cajun culture. [8]