Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans Rocked by the Deaths of Two Priests Within 24 Hours
Parish Communities on the Westbank and Northshore Suffer Loss
One death an accident. The other, a murder. And the small communities of Marrero and Covington are struggling with the loss of beloved pastors.
Fr. Jimmy Jeanfreau, pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Marrero, likely died Monday night, the 28th, in an accident while working a lathe. His body was discovered this morning by school staff. Father Jimmy was 60.
As this happened, the Northshore community of Covington endured the brutal news, unfolding since Sunday, that retired pastor of Saint Peter Catholic Church, Fr. Otis Young, along with pastoral associate Ruth Prats, had been murdered and their bodies, burned beyond recognition, had been dumped behind a business in the small, tight-knit town that had seen only one homicide this year.
An arrest has been made. The man charged had been released from prison just three months ago after serving 30 years for aggravated rape. He’s being held without bond, reports The Advocate. The Saint Tammany Parish coroner has determined the cause of death as blunt and sharp trauma.
Fr. Jimmy had spent several years as a missionary priest in Bolivia, was fluent in Spanish, and served as the director of the Archdiocese Pontifical Mission Societies. He was a fine carpenter, having completed carpentry work himself at various churches where he’d worked, including St. Jerome Catholic Church in Kenner. He’d also served the Catholic communities at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Belle Chasse, St. Catherine of Siena in Metairie, and St. Luke the Evangelist in Slidell.
Fr. Otis had served in other parishes before his work at Saint Peter, including St. Matthew the Apostle Church in River Ridge, St. Louis King of France in Bucktown and, as with Fr. Jimmy, Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Belle Chasse.
Sadly, these are not the only unnatural deaths to have happened this year among the priests of the Archdiocese. In January, the pastor of All Saints Catholic Church in Algiers, Fr. Peter Weiss, took his own life. Fr. Peter had worked not only as a parish priest but for three decades as the spiritual head of Saint Augustine High School in New Orleans.
To our readers who are part of these parishes and communities, we extend our condolences. Please know that you will be in our prayers and in the prayers of your brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ at our parish of Salem Lutheran Church. Death, always hard to endure, comes especially hard for the survivors of victims of accidents, suicides, and murder.
As you comfort one another and pray together, know that we love you.