Bishop Thompson Announces Retirement in November 2022

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Sisters and Brothers, I write to you in the 11th year of my consecration to the Bishop of the Diocese of Louisiana to inform you of my intention to retire in November 2022.  You may wonder why I am stating this so far in...

Centering Ourselves in Our Prayer Following the Violence in Washington D.C

My dear friends, In times such as these often our need for centering comes in the form of what we know to be true, scripture and our Book of Common Prayer.  I invite you to pray with me over the next several days a couple of prayers.  The first is a prayer for peace:...

Bishop Thompson’s Christmas Message 2020

In my mind I’ve been playing over and over again the Christmas hymn, “In the Bleak Midwinter.” [1] The first stanza: In the bleak mid-winterFrosty wind made moan;Earth stood hard as iron,Water like a stone;Snow had fallen, snow on snow,In the bleak...

Message to the Diocese Following Hurricane Zeta

To my brothers and sisters in the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana, I pray that this message finds you well. Hurricane Zeta brought devastating winds to our diocese particularly in the Greater New Orleans area. I am grateful we were spared from rising waters but the...

Bishop Thompson’s Sermon 183rd Annual Convention

2020 Convention In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. One of my favorite southern writers is Rick Bragg.  So often he takes me back to a time and place, a time present where I can remember with purpose.  Listen to how he...

Hurricane Laura Assistance

To my brothers and sisters in the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana, I am grateful to God for our safety as well as your eagerness to respond to those in need. As I hear from our neighbors to the west, wind damage is far greater than the anticipated storm surge. In this...

A Pastoral Letter on COVID -19

July 27, 2020 A letter to the good people of the Diocese of Louisiana “Have mercy on me, O God, for my enemies are hounding me;All day long they assault and oppress me. They hound me all the day long;Truly there are many who fight against me, O Most High. Whenever I...

Statement from the Province IV Bishops of The Episcopal Church

We, the Bishops of The Episcopal Church in Province IV, lead dioceses most of which were historically part of the states of the old Confederacy. As bishops in this region, we are well aware of the historic persistence of racism toward our black sisters and brothers....

Finding God in All of This Disorder

Dear Communicants of the Diocese of Louisiana, I watched with interest as President Trump stood in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square, holding up a Bible. This followed his statement from the Rose Garden that he was our “president of law and...

June 2 Clergy Call Recap

Dear friends, Thank you for your time this morning. I wanted to get this follow up out to you as soon as possible since much of this is time-sensitive with what is going on in the diocese and in our greater community. *Thank you to Katie Mears of ERD.  Please...

April 21 Clergy Conference Call Recap on COVID-19

Dear friends, We were joined by Ms. Mary Munger, LCSW. She passed along helpful information regarding stress, anxiety and coping.  A copy of her presentation can be found here.  I hope that the questions at the end of the presentation are helpful and may provide some...

April 7 Clergy Conference Call Recap on COVID-19

Dear clergy, Blessings as you enter into this Triduum. I am so grateful and impressed by the ways that you are working through this time with your congregations. It was also very meaningful for me to see you all on Tuesday for the Renewal of Vows. Again, if you need...

March 31 Clergy Call Recap on COVID-19

Dear friends, Thank you for your time and prayers today. It was good to see you all. * There have been a lot of questions and information circulating about the  details of the stimulus plan. We strongly recommend that you proceed cautiously as the landscape continues...

March 24 Clergy Conference Call Recap on COVID-19

Dear clergy, Thank you for participating in the call this morning. It was good to see all of your faces. Again, it’s important for you to make every effort to attend these gatherings. However, if you cannot, a follow up email will be sent. Topics discussed: CPG...