Father Clyde LeBlanc, SJ, celebrates 60 years as a Jesuit, having entered the Society of Jesus in 1963. He is currently serving in pastoral ministry at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Grand Coteau, Louisiana.

Following his initial studies as a Jesuit, Fr. LeBlanc spent the first years of his active ministry (1977 – 1987) at Jesuit College Preparatory School in Dallas, first as a teacher, then as the school’s president.

He then then served as the chaplain and counselor at Loyola University Chicago’s Rome Center in Rome, Italy, from 1989 to 1992.

Father LeBlanc was a campus ministry at Loyola University of New Orleans for one year before being assigned as an assistant rector for the Weston Jesuit Community in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He returned to Loyola University New Orleans three years later, serving first as director of the Jesuit Center and then as the interim dean of campus ministry.

Following his time ministering at Loyola University, he worked briefly as the Newman Center director for University of New Orleans in 2001. In 2002, he became a retreat director at Ignatius House Jesuit Retreat Center in Atlanta. Four years later, he returned to Louisiana as the retreat director for Manresa House of Retreats in Convent, and then as assistant to the director of St. Alphonsus Rodriguez Pavilion for senior Jesuits in Grand Coteau.

He began his ministry at St. Charles Borromeo in 2016 as parochial vicar.

Father LeBlanc earned his bachelor’s degree in English from Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama, studied toward a Master of Divinity at Heythrop College in London, and completed his M.Div. at Loyola University Chicago. He also holds a Master of Arts from Rhode Island School of Design.

Father LeBlanc’s Reflection on 60 Years as a Jesuit

I come from a large family, with strong religious fervor. My mom and dad were daily communicants. Our parish (Sacred Heart in New Orleans) was run by the Holy Cross Fathers.

Fr. Louis Kelley, CSC, nurtured my early vocation with a club “Ars et Vocatio,” which also developed my lifelong interest in the arts.

The scholastics at Jesuit High New Orleans were an inspiration, too, even if a few of them had clay feet. This led to my joining the Society of Jesus.

I’ve felt the finger of God leading me all the way, often removing obstacles. And I owe a great deal to Fr. J. Franklin Murray, SJ, and Sr. Irene Dugan, RC, for guiding me through troubled waters. I thank God for all of them; and blessings on all reading this! AMDG.