A Louisiana Catholic church has performed a spiritual about-face, swapping out prayers for a former pastor convicted of sexual assault for prayers for his actual victims. The shift comes after the original gesture offended the survivors the church should have been thinking about in the first place.
The drama unfolded in the June 7 parochial bulletin of St. Anthony of Padua church in Luling, Louisiana, where priest Anthony Odiong served as pastor from 2015 to late 2023. Odiong was convicted on May 29 by a Texas jury of first- and second-degree sexual assault for exploiting his spiritual authority to pursue a years-long sexual relationship with a congregant identified as Mary Doe, and for compelling another victim, Jane Doe, to have nonconsensual intercourse with another man. He was sentenced to life in prison on June 2.
The original bulletin conspicuously listed Odiong by name among prayer intentions for upcoming masses. The local archdiocese explained that a parishioner had requested his inclusion because Catholics are called to pray for "those who have turned away from God." Mary and Jane Doe, however, noted the absence of any corresponding prayer for their healing. Jane Doe observed that the intention made clear that "a lot of people have yet to reckon with [the] fact" that Odiong had "used the love and trust of communities." Mary Doe conceded that praying for Odiong's soul was just, but so was praying for his victims.
After the Guardian inquired, St. Anthony removed the original bulletin from its website and published a replacement without Odiong's name, substituting "Special Intention & Victims of Clergy Abuse" in its place. The New Orleans archdiocese stated that Archbishop James Checchio had "instructed" the church's pastor to include "all who were hurt by Odiong's actions" in prayers, adding that Odiong's behavior was "reprehensible."
Meanwhile, Austin Bishop Daniel Garcia, whose diocese includes Waco, said his prayers "focus on the victims, their families, law enforcement, investigators and the community" affected by Odiong's actions. "I pray that this process has brought them some peace," Garcia said. "The longer process of healing continues."
Mary Doe initiated the criminal case after reading a Guardian investigation from February 2024 about women who accused Odiong of sexual coercion, unwanted touching, and abusive financial control. Texas law considers such conduct by clergy as felony sexual assault, prompting her report to authorities who ultimately convicted him.